The Editor of the Sydney Morning Herald, Judith Whelan, will leave Fairfax Media to join the ABC.
Ms Whelan has been appointed the Head of Spoken Content at ABC Radio and will oversee the capital city radio network, Radio National and sports network Grandstand.
She will leave the Sydney Morning Herald on October 28 and begin her new role on November 7.
Ms Whelan leaves Fairfax Media after a career spanning more than 30 years. She started as a cadet with the Sydney Morning Herald in 1985, alongside investigative journalist Kate McClymont.
She was editor of Good Weekend for eight years, edited the Saturday edition of the Herald, and served as news director - leading all editorial operations - before she was named Editor in March.
Under Ms Whelan's stewardship, the Herald expanded its digital focus, grew to more than 6.3 million monthly readers in August, and was named metropolitan news site of the year at the Pacific Area Newspaper Publishers' Association (PANPA) awards.
The Herald's editor-in-chief Darren Goodsir announced Ms Whelan's departure on Thursday and wished her success in her new role.
"She is a great editor and journalist and this is a terrific opportunity for her," he said.
"It speaks volumes for Judith's personal and professional capabilities that the national broadcaster so keenly sought her services.
"We will all miss her a great deal."