Allan Donald will assume position of vice-president of product for The Guardian in January 2026.
Netflix director of product Allan Donald has been named as The Guardian ‘s first vice president of product.
Donald will join the publisher in January, with a focus on developing strategies to highlight The Guardian’s editorial output and lead development of core editorial platforms, products and experiences.
He will work in collaboration with senior leaders in The Guardian’s newsrooms in the UK, US, and Australia.
Guardian News and Media chief executive Anna Bateson said: “Allan has spent his career at the evolving edge of modern media, building the digital systems and products that power world-class journalism,” adding that he will bring “vast knowledge of consumer behaviours and the broader technology landscape to The Guardian”.
At Netflix Donald was responsible for overseeing teams dedicated to driving content discovery.
He previously held senior roles at the BBC , where he led the product and engineering teams delivering its digital publishing, and Bloomberg where he was responsible for news tools and systems.
Donald said: “I have long admired The Guardian’s journalism and reputation as a formidable global media organisation. I’m excited to join the team and use my experience to help showcase its journalism to the fullest.”
The hire follows editor Katherine Viner revealing plans for a multi-year transformation programme for the paper after receiving funding from owners the Scott Trust board.
The transformation project is expected to see The Guardian producing more video and audio and work more globally and collaboratively between its UK, US and Australian operations.
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