DUBAI: CNN Business Arabic — a new venture between International Media Investments and CNN International Commercial — has announced journalist Maher Chmaytelli as its editor-in-chief, ahead of the platform’s launch at the end of this year.
Chmaytelli was previously head of the Middle East and North Africa breaking news hub at Thomson Reuters news agency.
IMI aims to position CNN Business Arabic as the most comprehensive source of business, finance, and economic news in Arabic throughout the region and internationally.
Chmaytelli has more than 25 years of journalism experience, with a solid track record of managing newsrooms and leading multi-media teams.
Key regional positions he has held include Syria bureau chief at Agence France-Presse from 2000 to 2002, Gulf and Levant bureau chief for Bloomberg between 2009 and 2014 where he also helped set up a regional hub for the media group in Dubai, and Bloomberg’s OPEC correspondent in 2013.
He joined Reuters as Iraq bureau chief in 2015 and led its coverage of the war on Daesh.
IMI chief executive officer, Nart Bouran, said: “We have a clear goal for our latest platform, CNN Business Arabic: We aim to make it the best specialized business news platform in the MENA region and for Arabic-speakers around the world.
“With that goal in mind, we have set out to leverage the latest media best practices and attract high-caliber journalists from the region to join us.
“I wish the new editor-in-chief the best of luck and I look forward to watching CNN Business Arabic grow under his leadership.”
Chmaytelli said: “I am proud to be part of the CNN Business Arabic team and to work with the CNN brand and global network. We have a lot of tasks ahead of us, most important the launch of the platform before the end of the year.
“In the run-up to that, we will build a strong editorial team, made up of experienced journalists capable of writing and presenting top-class business news that lives up to the aspirations of our Arabic-speaking audiences around the world.
“We will also aim to offer insightful business news explainers, analysis, and data-led content that are relevant for investors, start-ups, and market players,” he added.
