bird story agency Appoints Hewete Haileselassie as Editor-in-Chief

Nairobi, April 3, 2025 – bird story agency is pleased to announce the appointment of Hewete Haileselassie as its new Editor-in-Chief. Hewete takes on this leadership role at the specialist news agency following an accomplished career at the BBC World Service and, more recently, as an independent journalist and communications consultant.

With 15 years at the BBC, Hewete reported and produced content from across the African continent. She was a regular producer on BBC Africa radio news programs, including Network Africa, Focus on Africa, and BBC Africa Debate.

A passionate advocate for media development, Hewete has played an active role in advancing newsroom diversity and gender equality. She served on the steering committee for BBC’s Global Women in News group and led the BBC World Service’s 50:50 Equality Project expansion.

Additionally, she led entry level talent schemes such as the Future Voices traineeship in the UK. As Training and Talent manager for the BBC’s Africa region she has provided training to hundreds of journalists, many in the early stages of their careers, reinforcing her commitment to nurturing the next generation of media professionals.

Founded in 2021 as a project of Africa No Filter, bird story agency aims to change the narrative on Africa by producing and syndicating rich, diverse content from across the continent.

Initially focused on written content with multimedia elements—boasting over 2,000 stories and thousands of images in its archive—the agency has now pivoted toward video as its primary medium, complemented by photography, print, and audio. A public-facing picture service is also in development.

“We’re thrilled to have a journalist of Hewete’s caliber join us at bird,” said Tom Kirkwood, Managing Editor of bird story agency. “As we transition from a disruptive, grant-funded startup to a serious player in the news agency space, our ambition is to become a fully-fledged news agency. Hewete brings the deep organizational and development expertise that a young media startup needs.”

Beyond her editorial expertise, Hewete serves as a trustee for Action Against Hunger UK and Hamlin Fistula UK, as well as African Women in Media. She is also a senior fellow at the John Schofield Trust, through which she mentors aspiring journalists.

Hewete is a strong advocate for ensuring diverse voices in journalism and believes that African storytelling must be representative of its people. “It is long overdue that Africa tells its own, new story,” she asserts.

Born and raised in London, Hewete has lived and worked in France, the U.S., Ethiopia, Kenya, and most recently, Saudi Arabia. She currently divides her time between London and Nairobi.