RTÉ has appointed Deirdre McCarthy as Managing Director, RTÉ News & Current Affairs, the first woman to hold the position.
In a statement, RTÉ said Ms McCarthy had been chosen "following a public competition for this key position" and that she will join the RTÉ Executive Board, reporting to the Director General.
Ms McCarthy had been acting as the interim head of news after Jon Williams stepped down as managing director in the summer.
Before taking over as interim Managing Director, Ms McCarthy had been Managing Editor of Regions and Radio News programmes, as well as politics and business coverage.
RTÉ said: "She has steered the growth of the flagship radio news programmes (Morning Ireland, News at One and This Week) and strengthened and delivered excellence in broadcasting in all three award winning programmes."
Commenting on the appointment, RTÉ Director General Dee Forbes said: "I'd like to congratulate Deirdre on her appointment to the role of Managing Director of RTÉ News & Current Affairs, the first woman to do so.
"As someone who has held a number of important positions across RTÉ News & Current Affairs for more than two decades, Deirdre is well placed to continue the development of our news & current affairs output across our services into the future and ensure that trust and transparency, which are more important than ever, remain at the very centre of what we do."
Ms McCarthy said: "It is a great privilege to lead this exceptional team of journalists and editors. I am delighted to have the opportunity to deliver RTÉ's commitment to captivate audiences with trusted, engaging and challenging content, through serving as its Managing Director of News & Current Affairs.
"I am passionate about the journalism and storytelling that we do. This is a division that delivers for both RTÉ and the Irish public in both the Irish and English languages."
Ms McCarthy is from Cork city, and studied at University College Cork, where she earned a BA in History and Economics. She later earned an MA in Politics at University College Dublin, and also holds a postgraduate diploma in Conflict & Dispute Resolution from Trinity College Dublin.
