Kuala Lumpur – Javad Mottaghi has been appointed ABU Secretary-General, as announced by the ABU Administrative Council. Currently Director of the Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD), he succeeds David Astley, Secretary-General since July 2002. Astley leaves the ABU end June 2010. Mottaghi’s starting date is yet to be announced. An Iranian citizen, Mottaghi has headed the AIBD since August 1998. He served Iran’s national broadcaster, Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), in various capacities from 1978 to 1996, notably in the fields of sports, production and news. He was the Director of IRIB’s Radio and TV Sports Department for 18 years. He also held the directorships of the Foreign Bureau and International Relations Department, TV Social Department and News Department, and was Advisor to the President of IRIB. Mottaghi holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Tehran Sharif University of Technology, a Master’s Degree in Management and is a PhD candidate in Management from the University of Teesside, England.