BBC World presenter
In February 1996, Nik Gowing became a main programme anchor for the BBC's international television news channel BBC World.
From 1996 to March 2000 Nik was the principal anchor for the 90 minute weekday news programme The World Today and its predecessor NewsDesk.
He has been a founding presenter of BBC's Europe Direct and has been a guest anchor on both the BBC's HARDtalk and the BBC's Simpson's World.
He is now a main presenter on the news programmes re-launched in April 2000 and a regular presenter for the BBC's Dateline London.
Nik's appointment draws both on his extensive reporting experience over two decades in diplomacy, defence and international security, and his presentation and chairing skills.
As a principal programme presenter for the channel's extended, continuous 24-hour/7-day week coverage of major crises, Nik's invaluable experience was called on throughout the Kosovo crisis from March to June 1999.
He was also on air for six hours shortly after the twin towers were hit in New York City on September 11, 2001 and the coverage won the 2002 Hotbird Award.
He also fronted the unfolding drama of Princess Diana's accident in Paris in August 1997 and announced her death to a global audience estimated at half a billion.
Nik regularly anchors BBC World live coverage from major international events, including the UN World Sustainability summit in Johannesburg, the German, Dutch and Russian elections, and the India-Pakistan summit in Agra.