CTV announced today that Omar Sachedina has been named Chief News Anchor and Senior Editor of CTV NATIONAL NEWS, effective Monday, September 5. A veteran journalist with more than 15 years’ experience covering many of the world’s most significant breaking news stories, Sachedina is currently National Affairs Correspondent for CTV News. He first joined CTV NATIONAL NEWS as a correspondent in Toronto in 2009.
“I am honoured to follow exemplary journalists, such as Lisa LaFlamme and Lloyd Robertson, who have had the privilege of anchoring this newscast and established it as a go-to source for current events. And I am excited to work with our outstanding and dedicated team in this new capacity,” said Sachedina. “The daily connections we make with Canadians over the past six decades are built on a foundation of trusted journalism, fairness, balance and integrity. I look forward to upholding this, and continue delivering news that Canadians rely on.”
“As a veteran journalist who brings years of experience to his new role as anchor, Omar Sachedina is the ideal choice to lead the coverage being delivered by CTV NATIONAL NEWS each and every day across a variety of platforms,” said Karine Moses, Senior Vice President, Content Development & News, Bell Media and Vice Chair, Québec, Bell. “For more than a decade, he has played a key role in keeping Canadians informed of breaking news unfolding across Canada and around the world. Omar is a skilled anchor who connects with our viewers, and with him at the helm, we’re excited to maintain the status of CTV NATIONAL NEWS as Canada’s most-watched national newscast.”
As National Affairs Correspondent for CTV News, Sachedina has been on the ground, reporting in English and French, for many international news stories, including multiple assignments in Ukraine during the ongoing war; reporting from the Colombia-Venezuela border during Venezuela’s political power struggle between Nicolas Maduro and Juan Guaido; delivering Canadian Screen Award-winning coverage of D-Day’s 75th Anniversary in Normandy, France; covering the Pro-Democracy Protest in Hong Kong; reporting on natural disasters in Haiti and Indonesia; and covering Brexit. For Canada’s 150th anniversary, he reported from aboard an icebreaker as he journeyed through the Northwest Passage.
During his tenure in CTV’s Parliamentary Bureau, Sachedina travelled with the Prime Minister to cover international summits and conferences. He also served as a fill-in host on CTV News Channel’s daily marquee political program POWER PLAY. Part of CTV News’ 2015, 2019, and 2021 Federal Election team, Sachedina reported from the campaign trail from coast-to-coast-to-coast and interviewed federal party leaders. Prior to joining CTV NATIONAL NEWS, he served as a reporter and anchor at CP24.
For his outstanding coverage, Sachedina has been recognized with multiple nominations for Best National News Reporter at the Canadian Screen Awards, and has received multiple RTDNA Awards, most recently for a feature from Nunavik, Que., where he explored the roots of Mary Simon: Canada’s first Indigenous Governor General. Sachedina was also recognized by the Canadian Association of Journalists with a nomination for a Daily Excellence award.
Born in Vancouver to parents of Indian descent from Uganda, Sachedina holds a degree in Political Science from McGill University, a Masters in Journalism from Columbia University, and is a graduate of The Poynter Institute.
