A Reuters executive has been appointed head of the ABC's news division, as the national broadcaster's managing director denies pushing out his predecessor.
Simon Robinson, the London-based executive editor at the global newswire, will begin the chief editorial role in September.
Mr Robinson, who began his career in Australia, has served at Reuters for 16 years, most recently helping to lead its global newsroom of 2600 journalists.
He will replace Justin Stevens, a 20-year veteran of the ABC, who resigned as news director on Wednesday for "reasons both professional and personal".
ABC's managing director Hugh Marks batted away suggestions he forced Mr Stevens out of the role before senate estimates on Thursday.
In a tense hearing, where Mr Marks faced questioning over allegations of ABC bias, another recent firing and a gamut of other issues, Liberal communications spokeswoman Sarah Henderson said it "very much looks like he was pushed ... and was on the chopping block" for recent controversies.
