 Appointed by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on 9 August 2017, Smale succeeded Cristina Gallach of Spain, who had served in the position from 4 December 2014 to 31 March 2017.Maher Nasser was appointed Acting Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications on 1 April 2017, while a replacement for Gallach was sought out.Born on 5 February 1955 (London, UK), Smale has almost 40-years of journalism experience gained in an international career that has included holding some of the most prestigious posts in the profession.