Chris Cramer, the managing director of CNN International, announced his retirement plans this morning. In an e-mail to CNNers, he said:

"In April I will have been at the helm of CNN International for 11 years -- and I believe it's time to retire from the company and look for the next challenge."

Cramer will leave at the end of March. "After that I will take a few months off, get on the Chattahoochee River and improve my sculling technique, and then look for my next career move," he says. Click continued for the full e-mail...




Chris Cramer's e-mail to colleagues:

"In April I will have been at the helm of CNN International for 11 years -- and I believe it's time to retire from the company and look for the next challenge.

2006 was a record year for the international services, record distribution for CNNI and CNN en Español, and record revenues for all of our overseas businesses, including CNNI.com. Each unit is now profitable. It was also a fabulous year for our global journalism with accolades and awards for staff and services alike. Thankfully we also managed to keep our folks safe wherever they were working and led the industry in safety and training for all those who work in the field.

I have had the extraordinary privilege of working with some of the best broadcasters in the world and certainly the best management team in global television. I plan to assist them in the transition before leaving at the end of March.

After that I will take a few months off, get on the Chattahoochee River and improve my sculling technique, and then look for my next career move.

Let me thank each of you for your incredible support since Ted, Tom and Eason brought me to Atlanta in 1996. My grateful thanks to Jim and Phil for all the opportunities and also enduring my humor.

I shall be saying farewell over the next few months in Atlanta, London and Hong Kong and hope we can raise a glass somewhere along the way."