Press releases and newsletter

Stéphane Orjollet appointed as editor-in-chief for Africa

A Franco-British citizen, Orjollet, 52, began his career in Mulhouse, France, after a few months working in multimedia documentation. Holding a master’s degree in modern literature, a diploma of higher specialized studies as a press correspondent in English-speaking countries and with a diploma from the CFJ (Journalist Training Center), in 1994 this Russian speaker moved to Moscow, where he worked as a journalist for three years. The next year, like all of the bureau’s journalists, he received the Albert Londres prize for collective coverage of the war in Chechnya. He returned to Paris in 1997, initially to the international desk, then became a reporter in the general news reporting service – for which he again worked from 2013 to 2015, concentrating on legal matters. In the meantime, after three years in Abidjan (1999-2002), he worked on the Europe Africa desk, first as a journalist and then as desk chief. He served as deputy to the head of the political service from 2006 to 2009. In 2015, he was named deputy to the Europe-Africa editor-in-chief.

Emmanuel Giroud appointed as editor-in-chief for the Middle East and North Africa

In September, Emmanuel Giroud, age 49, will take over as editor-in-chief for the Middle East and North Africa, based in Nicosia. Having joined AFP in 1996 on the international desk, he worked in Strasbourg, Lyon, Ajaccio and Nairobi. He headed up the bureaus in Islamabad and Kabul, then became head of the Europe desk before being chosen to direct the Cairo bureau in 2013.
Emmanuel Giroud is a graduate of the Institut d’Etudes Politiques (Institute of Political Studies, IEP) of Paris and of the CFJ.

Eric Baradat appointed as regional photo chief for North America

Eric Baradat, 44, holds a Master’s degree in economic and social administration
Having joined AFP in 1997 to work on the international photo desk, he became deputy to the head of the France photo desk in July 1999 and again in 2001 after a period spent on the Image Forum photo Desk.
In May 2003, he served as deputy to the photo editor-in-chief (France-Europe-Africa) before taking over as Asia-Pacific photo director based in Hong Kong in September 2006. Since August 2011, he has been deputy to the global editor-in-chief responsible for photo.
He will take up his duties as regional photo chief for North America, based in Washington, on September 1.

Catherine Triomphe appointed as New York bureau chief

Catherine Triomphe, 51, is a graduate of HEC (Hautes Etudes Commerciales, Higher Business Studies) and holds a master's degree in journalism from the University of California at Berkeley. She will take up her new duties in New York at the start of September in a return to journalism in the United States.
She worked for two dailies (in California and in Pennsylvania), before joining AFP in 1991 as a journalist in the economic reporting service, and serving as a correspondent in the Moscow bureau (1994-1998). After training in documentary filmmaking, she joined the Bloomberg TV department and the AFP video department in 2002. She then became news editor in the Brussels bureau from 2006 to 2009. After returning to Paris, she worked as assistant in the editorial careers management. She then worked for more than three months as a trainer for the agency’s new editorial system (Iris) before being appointed as editor-in-chief for Europe-Africa in November 2012.

Hervé Rouach becomes North America deputy editor-in-chief

Hervé Rouach, 50, studied at the Institute of Political Studies of Bordeaux and at the CFJ in Paris. He will take up his new duties in Washington on 1 September 2016. He began his AFP career as a journalist seconded to the Nancy bureau in January 1989, before joining the Brussels bureau in April 1992 and in London in 1995. Returning to Paris in 1998, he joined the international service, which changed its name in 2002 to “Bureau de Paris”. In January 2002, he took up his duties as coordinator of international economic production for the economic reporting department before becoming deputy to the editor-in-chief for Europe and Africa in September 2005. Three years later, he took over as head of the Paris bureau. Since October 2012 he has been deputy to the global editor-in-chief.

Philippe Alfroy appointed as Johannesburg bureau chief

Now 49 years old, Philippe Alfroy is a graduate of the Institute of Political Studies of Strasbourg and of the CFJ in Paris. He began his AFP career in 1991 in the Rennes bureau before moving to Washington, where he spent four years and then returned to France to work in the Toulouse bureau. He then again changed continents, serving as head of the Libreville bureau from June 2004 to September 2007, when he was accredited to the French Presidency. Since August 2012 he has been the AFP director for Turkey, based in Istanbul. He will take up his duties in Johannesburg next September 1.

Ezzedine Saïd named as director for Turkey

Ezzedine will begin his new job on 1 September 2016. Now 45 years old, for four years he has been regional editor-in-chief for the Middle East and North Africa, based in Nicosia. For the previous three years, he served as head of the Arabic service and deputy to the regional editor-in-chief. Fluent in Arabic, French and English, this graduate of the Higher School of Journalism (ESJ) in Lille joined AFP in 1994 in Jerusalem, and then beginning in 1996 he worked for the photo department and then on the French Desk in Nicosia. In 1999, he was appointed as correspondent in Dubai for four years, carrying out numerous assignments in the Gulf countries and in Yemen. From 2003 to 2009, he was responsible for coverage of the Palestinian territories, covering, in particular, the second Intifada and the death of and succession to Yasser Arafat. Ezzedine Saïd also carried out several assignments in Iraq during the Saddam Hussein regime and the American-led invasion that overthrew him.

Patrick Baert appointed as Beijing bureau chief

A graduate of the Institute of Political Studies and of the CSJ in Paris, 51-year-old Patrick Baert will take up his duties as Beijing bureau chief at the beginning of September, having already been posted there as a reporter  from 1997 to 2001. He began his career in London in 1992. He joined the Paris desk in June 1995 and then worked for the economic reporting service. On returning from China in 2001, he was appointed as deputy to the economic reporting chief. Two years later he was appointed as a reporter in Geneva and in September 2008 became head of the French desk in Washington. He has been Rennes bureau chief since September 2012.

Nicolas Gaudichet appointed as Belgrade bureau chief

Nicolas Gaudichet, 43, is a graduate of the Institute of Political Studies and of the CFJ in Paris. He is currently assigned to the general news service as reporter in the justice and investigation pool. He joined the agency in 1997 and began his career on the Africa desk before leaving for Nicosia on assignment. In May 1998, he joined the social affairs service, and then was transferred to Marseille for four years. After returning to Paris, he worked for the first time in the general news reporting service as a reporter. In September 2006, he became a sports journalist in London, before returning to the news reporting service in October 2010 as deputy and joining the investigation pool in 2013. He will take up his duties as Belgrade bureau chief at the beginning of April.

François Ausseill is appointed as Nairobi bureau chief

François had already worked as a journalist in Nairobi from September 2007 to 2011. Now 42 years old, he is currently head of the African desk. A graduate of the IEP and of the Lille ESJ, he joined AFP in 1998 to work on the international desk, before transferring in 2000 to the general news reporting service, initially as a reporter seconded to Seine-Saint-Denis based in Bobigny and then to the Palais de Justice (central law courts) in Paris to cover investigations. In 2005, he again worked on the international desk and on the Africa desk, before moving to Nairobi. In 2013, he became news editor in Toulouse, before moving back to Paris and the Africa desk.

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