Ben Clerkin

I write a weekly column for The Jewish Chronicle Newspaper (the world's oldest Jewish newspaper) providing rigorous analysis of US politics and major stories. I also interview key people and politicians who are of interest to our readers, such as Rep. Ritchie Torres.

• Directed a team of more than 200 editorial staff in NY office - editors, reporters, video, SEO, social, photographic - as well a politics team in DC and showbiz team in LA.
• Ensured the most comprehensive and up-to-date news coverage at all times and that we not only had the most important stories but that they were presented in the most engaging way with the best analysis.
• Built and directed new teams including SEO and social to ensure we reached the widest possible audience and highest engagement.
• Developed two and five year strategies to expand the site and brand in the US and managed an increasing editorial budget.

• Established DailyMail.com as the biggest UK news website with the most authoritative, important and agenda-setting content.
• Ensured that the website always had the most up-to-date news and the right balance of stories to provide a unique and engaging experience.
• Oversaw 150-strong newsroom including home news, politics, foreign, video, science, tech and photographic.

• LedThe Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Telegraph to deliver agenda-setting stories across newspaper, website and social.
• Implemented a new digital strategy resulting in record traffic by remodeling the newsroom and making data crucial to our work, digital an equal partner with the newspaper and recruiting specialist staff.
• Set up and ran a general election newsdesk in 2015 to produce the most cutting edge, informative and interactive coverage for the web and paper. This involved bringing together politics, news, graphics, pictures and video in one team, boosting unique users by 23 per cent during the election.
• Oversaw the work of specialist reporters across politics, science, health, investigations etc to produce the best stories for The Daily and Sunday Telegraph.
• Created and directed a breaking news team to be first with big stories and boost social traffic.
• Helped implement a new personal analytics system to rank journalists on success of their stories online

• Ran team of reporters in London and around the world to produce award-winning newspaper coverage of major stories as Assistant News Editor after being promoted from News Reporter.

• Won Story of the Year in 2006 after exposing the first case of cyberbullying in the UK at the National Association of Press Agencies awards.
• Produced extensive range of copy for six-edition-a-day regional newspaper.
• Ran the newspaper's Outward Bound scheme for disadvantaged young people.