ABU Secretary-General
Dr Javad Mottaghi is the Secretary-General of the ABU. He was appointed on 8 January 2010 and assumed office on 3 May 2010. Before joining the ABU, he was Director of the Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD) for 12 years.
He has 35 years of national and international experience in media/communication in the following areas: international affairs, media/communication development and broadcasting, AV productions and co-production, ICTs, capacity building, networking, research, publications, negotiations, fund raising, news and programming for radio and television, social and cultural television programmes and sports coverage.
Dr Mottaghi was awarded Elizabeth R Award for Exceptional Contribution to Public Service Broadcasting. The award was presented by the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association (CBA) during the CBA General Assembly in Tonga on 11 February 2009.
He has been closely working with all broadcasting unions such and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the Arab States Broadcasting Union (ASBU), the Southern African Broadcasting Association (SABA), the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association (CBA) and the African Union of Broadcasting (AUB).
Dr Mottaghi has vast experience in broadcasting, having served Iran’s national broadcaster Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) in various capacities especially in the field of sports, production and news.
He was the Director of Radio and TV Sports Department of IRIB for 18 years. While at IRIB, Dr Mottaghi also held the directorships of the Foreign Bureau and International Relations Department, TV Social Department, News Department as well as Advisor to the President of IRIB.
He was also Liaison Officer for the ABU and the EBU and other unions until 1996. In addition, he was a member of the ABU Administrative Council for three years as well as Chairman of the ABU Sports Study Group, Chairman of the ABU Olympic Sub-Group, Chairman of the World Football Cup Sub-Group, Chairman of the Asian Games Sub-Group and a member of the Negotiating Team for TV Rights for the World Football Cup, Asian Games and the Olympics for several years.
Dr Mottaghi has also served as a part-time Assistant Professor in Sports at the University of Tehran since 1978. In the field of conference management, Dr Mottaghi has a string of credentials under his belt. He was Conference Manager for a number of international radio and television seminars. Despite his heavy duties and responsibilities, Dr Mottaghi managed to find time to function as Adviser to the Industry Development and Renovation Organization (IDRO), Advisor to the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance on Tourism from 1995-1998, the Executive Commissioner, Qeshm Free Zone and Deputy Minister of Iran for Sports and Federations from 1989-1992.
He is a member of the board for the World Radio & Television Council (WRTVC) since 2001. Dr Mottaghi is currently Associate member of The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in New York and a member of The International Academy of Television and Radio in Russia since December 2002.
He holds a Ph.D. in Management from the University of Teesside in England. He also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Tehran Sharif University of Technology and a Master’s degree in Management.
Dr Mottaghi is married with three children