Katya Adler, BBC European Editor, is an award-winning journalist recognised for her ability to simplify complex global issues. She has conducted high-profile interviews, including with French President Emmanuel Macron, and produced the documentary series Living Next Door to Putin. Katya covers significant topics such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Middle East, and the geopolitical dynamics involving the US, EU, China, and Russia.
As the main host of the BBC's Global Story podcast, she provides in-depth analysis of current affairs. Katya also appears on various BBC platforms, including The Today Programme on Radio 4 and news bulletins on BBC1. Her career began in Vienna with the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation, where she reported on the Kosovo war and NATO's involvement in 1999. She joined the BBC as a freelancer before becoming a full-time reporter in London in 2000, covering European affairs and commuting to Berlin to anchor on Deutsche Welle Television.
In 2003, Katya became the BBC's Madrid correspondent, reporting on the 2004 Madrid train bombings and other breaking news across Europe. She later served as the Middle East correspondent based in Jerusalem, focusing on conflict reporting. In 2014, she was appointed Europe Editor and co-presented the award-winning Brexitcast podcast during the Brexit process.
Katya has received numerous accolades for her work, including two honorary doctorates from Bristol University and the University of London. She was named Broadcast Journalist of the Year at the Political Society Awards in 2018 and again in 2019 by the London Press Club. The Brexitcast podcast won the Listeners Choice award at the British Podcast Awards in 2019. In 2022, Bristol University named her Arts and Media Alumnus of the Year.
Fluent in German, Italian, Spanish, and French, Katya also speaks some Arabic and Hebrew, in addition to her native English.