NEW YORK, NY.- The New York Public Library has named Tony Ageh Chief Digital Officer, responsible for the institution’s ongoing digital transformation and its visionary work in making its collections and services as accessible as possible. He is scheduled to start on April 11.
Ageh comes to the Library from the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in London – one of the largest media organizations in the world – where he has held a variety of leadership positions since 2002 and, in that time, has managed over 300 staff members. His accomplishments include the development and implementation of the BBC’s Internet strategy, which grew its web traffic from 2 million users per day to over 25 million over a five year period. He also created and implemented the BBC iPlayer (an internet streaming catchup television and radio service for people in the United Kingdom), which has delivered over 10 billion programs to the British public and on average receives 10 million requests per day.
Most recently, Ageh acted as controller of the BBC’s Archive Strategy, making their substantial archives of radio, television, images and documents – and by extension British culture and creativity – increasingly accessible to the public in the UK and beyond. Key accomplishments included releasing over 1 million programs to those in education, publishing a searchable catalogue of the BBC’s entire broadcast output since 1923 and partnering with organizations such as the British Library and the Open Data Institute to develop a collaborative approach to open access to learning and cultural resources known as the Digital Public Space.
In 2015 Ageh was awarded the Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) by the Queen, for services to digital media.
“Tony Ageh has proven himself to be a visionary leader capable of implementing sustainable and impactful change at an important institution,” said NYPL Chief Library Officer Mary Lee Kennedy. “We are excited he is joining us to help transform our institution, expanding on the considerable progress we have already made in adapting to user needs in an increasingly digital world.”
At the Library, Ageh will work with Kennedy and others to develop and execute a far reaching digital strategy that will benefit existing and future users in New York and around the world through trusted interactions with NYPL experts, increasingly open collections, and interactive programs. His responsibilities will include increasing NYPL’s virtual user base and impact both locally and globally, identifying strategic partnerships to strengthen NYPL’s digital agenda and expand its digital capabilities, providing a consistent approach to evaluating and integrating new initiatives, technologies, and products that are consistent with NYPL’s mission and priorities, and managing a top caliber team that is able to quickly evaluate and implement new digital opportunities.
“It is a great honor to have been invited to join such an august institution at such a pivotal moment,” said Ageh. “I believe the NYPL can continue to build and use digital technologies to transform the way people access information for lifelong learning and personal development and I hope to play a significant part in making that possible – not just for the short term, but with a lasting impact that creates greater opportunities and richer communities.”
Prior to his time at the BBC, Ageh worked as Head of Creative Development at the Guardian Newspaper in London and as publisher at several magazines and websites, including upmystreet.com, a pioneering online information service that provided local stats and data by postal code in the United Kingdom.
Ageh studied at the McEntee Technical School in Walthamstow, East London. He is an honorary research fellow of Royal Holloway University of London, and a commissioner of Warwick University Commission into the Future Value of Culture. He is also a trustee of LEAP, Confronting Conflict – Reducing Youth Violence. He was a BAFTA winner (the British Academy of Film and Television Arts) in 2008.
