Google appoints Nic Hopkins as Australia and New Zealand News Lab lead
Nic Hopkins has been appointed as the inaugural lead of Google’s News Lab in Australia and New Zealand.
Previously the company’s communications and public affairs manager, Hopkins will be responsible for leading Google News Lab’s work with local newsrooms and publishers with training, editorial tools and industry partnerships aimed at supporting digital journalism.
Hopkins joined Google in 2016 following a 20-year career in journalism. He began as a cadet with The Advertiser in Adelaide and subsequently worked The Australian in Sydney, The Times in London and with News Corp in New York.
In 2000, Hopkins joined CNN’s Hong Kong office to help establish the network’s first online newsroom in Asia; he later spent several years as digital editor of The Australian, part of the team that created News Corp’s first paywall and news apps in Australia.
Hopkin’s appointment follows Google’s announcement in March that it would expand the News Lab to Australia and New Zealand as part of the Google News Initiative.
Steve Grove, director of Google News Lab, said of Hopkins’ appointment: “News matters deeply to Google and we are committed to working with newsrooms in Australia and New Zealand to ensure journalism can thrive in the digital age.”
Hopkins added: “I’m thrilled to join the team at News Lab and lead its work in Australia and New Zealand. Our region has some of the most innovative newsrooms in the world, but there is still much more that we can all do to help journalists tell compelling stories and engage audiences on digital platforms.”
Google is recruiting to fill Nic’s role in the communications and public affairs team in Sydney.
