The Society of Editors’ new president has vowed to keep championing diversity after the organisation’s own “difficult moments” in recent years.

Kamal Ahmed has been elected to the role, which he takes over from Belfast Telegraph and Sunday Life deputy editor-in-chief Martin Breen following his year-long term.

Daily Mirror editor Alison Phillips was also unanimously elected as the Society’s vice-president at its annual general meeting on Wednesday.

Former BBC editorial director Kamal, pictured, is editor-in-chief and co-founder of The News Movement, a social media-first news service in which regional publisher National World bought a US$1.25m stake last month.

Accepting the role, Kamal addressed last year’s controversy involving the SoE which prompted then-executive director Ian Murray’s resignation.

Ian resigned after his strongly-worded rebuttal of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s claims of endemic racism in the UK media was widely criticised by national and regional journalists.

Kamal said: “I am very honoured to be asked to be the President of the Society of Editors.

“The Society has a vital role in upholding the value of great journalism, freedom of expression, promoting diversity and supporting the brilliant and vital media industry we enjoy and are so fortunate to have in the UK.

“As a mixed-black person, I am also aware that, throughout my career, I have often been the ‘first person of colour’ to have been afforded senior roles in the industry.

“That is not because I was better than anyone who went before, but because the media is changing – and I have been fortunate enough to have mentors and supporters who were willing to take a chance on a kid with big hair from a bog-ordinary background in West London.

“We know we have a lot more to do. But the destination is clear and the Society itself has had its own difficult moments.

“From that we have learned, and with Alison Phillips, [SoE chair] Ian MacGregor, [executive director] Dawn Alford, the highly skilled board and the SoE team, we will constantly support a more diverse, more engaging, more successful media industry.”

Alison added: “There has not been a time in our recent history where threats to the press and wider media have been quite so concerning. We have a huge job on our hands to keep fighting for a free press which ensures we can live in a decently run democracy.

“In addition, there is a growing need for us to explain the importance of a free press to the wider public, some of whom take too much for granted.

“And while our industry has taken steps to do better around diversity there is still a huge amount of work to be done. This is something that will be at the forefront of our minds in the coming year.”

Will Hagerty, associate editor at The Sun, Lucy Rock, deputy editor at The Observer, and Joseph Harker, senior editor for diversity and development at The Guardian, were also unanimously elected to the Society’s board at the AGM.