Esther Enkin has been appointed as the new ombudsman at the CBC, replacing Kirk LaPointe at the start of 2013.

Enkin currently works as the executive editor of CBC News, and was unanimously named to the ombudsman position by a panel of internal and external experts.

“Accuracy, integrity, impartiality, fairness and balance in journalism are key to the credibility of any news organization, and credibility is the essential currency of a public broadcaster,” said Hubert Lacroix, president and CEO of CBC/Radio-Canada in a release. “The ombudsman is responsible for holding us accountable to those principles on behalf of Canadians. I can’t overstate the importance of this job. Esther Enkin has spectacular credentials and a superlative track record in journalism. She’s got everything it takes to assume this key role for us. ”

The CBC ombudsman acts as an appeal authority for complainants who are dissatisfied with responses from CBC information or program management to determine whether the journalistic process of the broadcast involved in a given complaint violates the corporation’s journalistic standards and practices. The ombudsman is completely independent of CBC program staff and management, reporting directly to the president and board of directors for the CBC.