AJ Bell nabs veteran BBC journalist for analyst role

FTSE 250 platform giant has previously poached journos from Money Marketing and the Telegraph for its analyst team

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AJ Bell has bolstered its communications team by hiring BBC journalist and presenter Danni Hewson as a financial analyst.

Hewson (pictured), who spent over 19 years at the BBC, will produce analysis and commentary for the FTSE 250 platform giant across a range of subjects from financial markets to economics and personal finance.

AJ Bell head of communications Charlie Musson described Hewson as a “very experienced broadcaster and business commentator who is used to unpicking what can be complex topics and explaining them clearly and in a way people can relate to”.

It follows a similar move by rival platform Hargreaves Lansdown which in August last year hired veteran BBC journalist Susannah Streeter as a senior investment and market analyst.

During her nearly two decades at the British broadcaster, Hewson presented and reported on business news across a variety of programmes, including BBC Breakfast, BBC News Channel, BBC Look North and latterly Radio 5 Live’s flagship business programme “Wake up to Money”.

Hewson is the latest hack to join AJ Bell’s team of analysts. Senior analyst Tom Selby joined the platform group in 2016 from Money Marketing where he was head of news, and in 2018 it scooped up former investment editor at the Daily Telegraph Laura Suter.

Last September, AJ Bell hired ex-Hargreaves Lansdown analyst Laith Khalaf to serve on a 10-month maternity cover contract.

Hewson added: “I’m delighted to be joining such a brilliant team and I’m really excited to bring my experience and skills as a journalist and broadcaster to this award-winning investment platform,” she said.

“It’s strange starting a new role remotely but the pandemic has made all of us think hard about our financial security so it’s the perfect time to reach consumers.”

See also: Former Hargreaves veteran Laith Khalaf resurfaces at AJ Bell

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