The announcement of Samira Sitail’s nomination on Thursday came as something of a surprise since she has no background in diplomacy. The 59-year-old was head of news then deputy director general at Moroccan public broadcasting channel 2M. She takes over from Mohamed Benchaaboum whose duties were terminated on 19 January without a successor being named. While Sitail’s CV is very different from career diplomats, her high-level experience in the media could serve her well in her new diplomatic role.