Dawna Friesen has been named the new chief anchor of Global National, succeeding Kevin Newman who will step down from the flagship nightly Global newscast in August.

The Manitoba native will make her debut broadcast in September.

Friesen returns to Canada after an 11 year stint at NBC, where she worked as the London-based correspondent and anchor for NBC News, Today, and MSNBC, covering such events as the war on terror, the 2004 Madrid bombings, the abduction and murder of journalist Daniel Pearl, and Barack Obama’s U.S. presidential victory.

Friesen, who began her career in journalism in 1985, has also worked as a reporter and anchor on the national level for CTV and CBC.

Newman is leaving the broadcaster for an extended period of travel and relaxation. He hosted the show for over 10 years.

The announcement comes just days after CTV named veteran reporter Lisa LaFlamme as the next host of CTV National News, replacing Lloyd Robertson who will retire mid-2011.