Press releases and newsletter
AFP appointments
Pierre Célérier (50), AFP technical editor-in-chief, has been appointed deputy global news director to replace Juliette Hollier Larousse, who has been appointed director for Latin America in Montevideo. Pierre will begin in the new position on 1 July 2012.
A former freelancer for the agency in Russia and the USA, Russian-speaking Pierre Célérier was a Moscow correspondent from 2000 to 2004. He covered among others the war in Afghanistan before joining the economy desk until 2005, when he was appointed head of the Teheran bureau for four years. Pierre served as head of web and mobile production from 2009 to 2011 before accepting the position of technical editor-in-chief.
Florence Biedermann (55), editor-in-chief, has been appointed director for Europe/Africa and will step into this position in the summer.
Florence joined the agency in 1982 and served as a Bonn correspondent before and after the collapse of the Berlin Wall before being posted to Nicosia. Florence then served as head of the Ankara bureau from 1998 to 2002 before working as editorial journalist and then deputy to the head of the Science and culture service, until 2007, when she was appointed deputy director for Europe/Africa. In 2009 Florence took over as editor in chief.
Florence Biedermann is a graduate of the Centre de Formation des Journalistes and INALCO (Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales).
Christian Chaise (55), editor-in-chief, for Europe-Africa, has been appointed director for the Middle East in Nicosia. He will take up his new position in December.
Christian joined AFP in 1982 at the Madrid bureau and was a journalist at the international desk from 1984 till 1987 before moving to Johannesburg where he remained until 1992. Christian then became a White House correspondent until 1998 before being appointed to the Africa desk. He then joined the Jerusalem bureau as director for Israel and the Palestinian Territories. In 2004 Christian was appointed director for the Gulf region based in Dubai and then editor-in-chief for Europe-Africa in 2010.
Christian Chaise is a graduate of Sciences Po and the Centre de Formation des Journalistes. In 1989 Christian was awarded the Pierre Lazareff-Press Club de France prize for a series of stories in Namibia before independence.