Black media advocates are celebrating the appointment of former CNN journalist Isha Sesay as chief executive of OkayMedia.

The publisher - which says it is "dedicated to uplifting the artistic and progressive voice of global Black culture - has also appointed Sesay to its board and named her to lead its SPKN/WRD production arm. She is its first female chief executive.

Sesay brings decades of reporting experience and an entrepreneurial spirit to OkayMedia, which includes the digital publications OkayAfrica and OkayPlayer. Among her priorities will be expanding a commitment to "innovative storytelling that moves the culture forward".

Chairman Sam Hendel said Sesay's leadership throughout her career "perfectly aligns with our mission to tell stories that move a global culture forward, and we couldn't be more excited to have her joining our company".

During 13 years at CNN, Sesay led the team that covered the 2014 kidnapping of more than 200 schoolgirls in north-eastern Nigeria, for which she received a Gracie Award. She is founder and president of non-profit WE (Women Everywhere) Can Lead, working in her native Sierra Leone.

Pictured: Isha Sesay (photo Max Montgomery)