Less than a year after leaving the CBC, former editor in chief Tony Burman is taking on a top post at news network Al-Jazeera English.

Wadah Khanfar, director general of the Al-Jazeera network, announced Burman's appointment as managing editor on Wednesday.

Burman, who during his tenure as head of CBC News worked to integrate the broadcaster's television, radio and online services, said that in his new post he will emphasize expanding "Al-Jazeera's vast audience reach into important new areas of the world, most notably North America."

He also said he would pursue "increased investment in investigative journalism, more provocative and insightful current affairs and expansion of the network's large worldwide network of more than 60 news bureaus." Burman succeeds Nigel Parsons, who was a key figure in launching Al-Jazeera English in November 2006 and was named the network's new managing director of business acquisition and development.

With headquarters in Doha, Qatar, and international bureaus in cities such as London and Kuala Lumpur, Al-Jazeera English is available to millions of households around the globe.

However, the news channel has had a difficult time finding carriage on North American television distributors, though interested viewers can tune into its programming online thanks to a deal with video site YouTube.

Burman left CBC in July 2007, after 35 years with the public broadcaster, including seven as head of CBC's news, current affairs and Newsworld services.

He had worked in both television and radio, including stints as executive producer of flagship television news show The National, senior documentary producer for CBC-TV's The Journal and executive producer of Cross Country Checkup. Also, as a news and documentary producer, he covered a variety of major stories across 30 countries, including the release of Nelson Mandela in South Africa, the Ethiopian famine in 1985 and the Lebanese civil war.

With files from the Canadian Press