MUMBAI: US media conglomerate News Corp has announced the appointment of Niklas Lagergren as Senior Vice President, Government Affairs for Europe, Middle East and Africa, effective 1 March 2013. Lagergren, who joins the company from the Motion Picture Association, will report to executive VP of Government Affairs Michael Regan.

In his new role, Lagergren will lead regulatory and public policy efforts for News Corporation and its broad portfolio of businesses operating across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He will be based in News Corporation?s new Brussels office.

Regan said, "Niklas brings to News Corporation a wealth of experience in the EU on issues critical to our businesses. We continue to build the reach and depth of our government affairs capabilities globally and Niklas? leadership of our Brussels-based operation will play a key role in maximizing our efforts."

Lagergren said, "I am very excited to embark upon this challenge and look forward to joining a strong government affairs team. For the last 10 years at the MPA, I have been both professionally and personally committed to representing the public affairs interests of media companies and I am now fortunate to be able to take my efforts to a new level by joining the leader in global media."

In addition, the company announced that Benjamin King has been named director, Government Affairs for Europe, Middle East and Africa, reporting to Lagergren. King most recently served as Public Affairs Manager for News International and was previously Head of Policy and Communications for the Publishers Association.

Lagergren served for more than a decade at the MPA, most recently as Vice President for EU Affairs. In this role, he was responsible for the government affairs strategy of the six major Hollywood studios at the EU level, focusing on policies around media, copyright, international trade, Internet governance, culture and e-commerce. He began his career at European Commission, where he held a number of positions at the Secretariat General before joining the FiSystem Web Agency, the team responsible for managing the EU?s Internet portal.