ABC News President Ben Sherwood sent the following note to the news division announcing that Jon Williams will be joining ABC News as Managing Editor for International News:

I am delighted to report that Jon Williams is joining ABC News as the Managing Editor for International News. He will be based in New York and starts in March.

Jon joins us from the BBC where he served as World Editor and led editorial operations in more than 30 bureaus around the globe.

Before his appointment as World Editor in 2006, Jon served as the BBC's UK News Editor in charge of domestic coverage including the terror bombings in London in July 2005. Between 2001 and 2003, he worked as deputy editor of the UK's most watched TV news program, the BBC Six O' Clock News.

Jon is a dynamic and forceful leader in breaking news situations and he is an expert at assessing risk and moving teams into and out of the most dangerous places on earth. Over the years Jon has guided the BBC's path-breaking coverage in Syria, Libya, Egypt, Afghanistan, Israel, Lebanon, Iraq and many other countries. Under his watch the Beeb won the international Emmy Award, the top prize in the world for international reporting, for coverage of the Israel-Lebanon War.

Jon also pioneered a digital-first strategy at the BBC, adding more online coverage and eyewitness reporting from around the world. And last year Foreign Policy named him one of its "Twitterati 100." You can follow him at @WilliamsJon.

With his storytelling prowess, programming expertise, digital savvy and a passion for international coverage, I'm confident Jon will build on the finest traditions of ABC News and chart a bold new course in our global news gathering efforts.

In making this announcement, I want to thank Marcus Wilford for ably steering our international desk through the fall and winter. He stepped in without hesitation; his many contributions have been invaluable; and it has been a true pleasure for all of us to work with him in the New York newsroom. Marcus will continue to work for ABC News as a consultant based in the London bureau.

Please join me in saluting Marcus and welcoming Jon to ABC News.

Ben