MSNBC Names Ian Sherwood Director of International Newsgathering

Ian Sherwood is joining MSNBC as the director of international newsgathering. He is the latest C-suite leader to join MSNBC as it prepares for its separation from the NBCUniversal News Group family.

Sherwood will also split his time, working alongside the Versant news standards team. A veteran of BBC News and Sky News, he joins MSNBC from NBC News, where he spent ten years in leadership roles with NBC News international newsgathering and reporting teams, including as executive editor of the Richard Engel Unit. 

Coinciding with Sherwood’s appointment is the news that MSNBC has signed a new distribution deal with the U.K.’s Sky News, which will boost its international coverage, effective October 1. The network says the partnership enables it to rely on Sky News’ experts and correspondents for coverage of global breaking news.

Sherwood’s hire comes as the network is in the advanced stages of its eventual split from NBC News, with the network no longer relying on NBC News correspondents or crews for domestic or international coverage beginning Monday, October 6.

D.C.-based coverage will continue to rely on NBC News for two more weeks. On Monday, October 20, MSNBC will operate independently and utilize its own resources for news coverage. It and CNBC staffers will also no longer join and/or participate in NBC News editorial calls and meetings.

Additional operational changes taking place include the network utilizing its own standards guidance and its D.C.-based crew relocating to its new offices, where they will join their CNBC colleagues on the floor above NBC News. 

MSNBC will switch over to its new name, MS NOW, beginning in November, with the network no longer using the peacock branding. This will also be the same time when it starts broadcasting its shows from its temporary new facilities, which were previously the BuzzFeed News offices. 

This staggered separation of talent and resources gives MSNBC a head start to refine its operations and iron out the kinks ahead of its official separation from the NBCUniversal News Group.

Meanwhile, NBC News this week announced two appointments: Matt Frucci has been named executive producer of NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas, and Liz Johnstone is rejoining the network as a director for data and elections experiences.

This is an expanded role for Frucci, who continues to be the ep of Llamas’ NBC News Now show, Top Story with Tom Llamas. He starts his new role on Monday, October 6.

Meanwhile, Johnstone, in her new role, will be responsible for the strategic and editorial development of NBC journalism, driven by NBC’s data and decision desk.

It’s a homecoming for Johnstone, who most recently worked with The New York Times but was previously with NBC News Digital as the managing editor for its politics unit.