Senior BBC manager apologises for accepting £12,000 appearance fee to speak to hedge fund managers

The editorial director of BBC News has apologised for accepting a £12,000 payment for speaking at a banker's conference, adding that he will not be taking any money from organisers. Kamal Ahmed is understood to have received £12,000 for a 40-minute appearance at the Aberdeen Standard Investment's conference last week, just days after telling 450 of his colleagues that their jobs were being cut. Ahmed – who is listed on the Speakers Associates website in the £10,000 to £25,000 per appearance category – took part in a panel discussion hosted by Steph McGovern, his former BBC colleague who now works for Channel 4. The director, who earns between £205,000 and £209,999, is listed on the Speakers Associates website in the £10,000 to £25,000 per appearance category Ahmed, who earns between £205,000 and £209,999, said in his email that he was asked 'some months ago' to talk about 'economic issues' by the investment firm and that he was not asked to talk about anything related to the BBC. BBC executives Gavin Allen, Naja Nielson, Jonathan Munro and Kamal Ahmed sit in front of a New Broadcasting House This was reportedly out of character for the man who as political editor of the Observer was regarded as the faithful Fleet Street mouthpiece of Tony Blair's spin doctor Alastair Campbell.