CNBC reporter at center of NBCUniversal scandal said she wanted ‘trust, transparency, kindness’

CNBC anchor Hadley Gamble, who has accused NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell of sexual harassment and sexism in a complaint that led to his firing, has previously spoken about what she values ​​when it comes to personal relationships.

Gamble, in an interview published in Harper’s Bazaar Arabia Last year, she said she was open to meeting someone who shared her same values.

Gamble stated, “Every relationship teaches you more about yourself and the whole point of life is to grow and become a better, stronger, more interesting person.”

“Confidence, transparency, kindness, the chutzpah to say it like it is—even if the truth hurts…and the generosity of spirit,” she said while describing the perfect companion.

Gamble, 41, did not mention the on-off relationship she is believed to have had with Shell which ended a few years ago.

On Sunday it was revealed how coincidence He left his role in the company after the investigation In behavior it was launched about a month ago.

Gamble’s lawyers later confirmed in a statement that she was the woman involved in an “improper relationship” with Shell.

“The investigation into Mr Shell stemmed from a complaint from my client of sexual harassment and sex discrimination,” said Suzanne McKee, managing partner of UK-based Farore Law.

“Under these circumstances, it is extremely disappointing that my client’s name was disclosed and her privacy violated.”

Shell, who is married to Laura Faye Shell, admitted he had an “inappropriate relationship” with an employee, and said he “deeply regrets (regrets)”.

Gamble moved to the forefront of the channel’s coverage in the Middle East in 2018 after it began broadcasting Capital Connection from its new studio in Abu Dhabi.

She previously worked at ABC News and Fox News in Washington, D.C. and also anchored CNBC’s Access program on the Middle East and Africa.

The high-flying news anchor grew up in Knoxville, Tennessee, the daughter of a car dealership and a teacher, and attended Halls High School in the city.

She graduated from the University of Miami in 2003, where she was a member of the popular Delta Gamma sorority, which counts a number of media personalities among its alumni.

Gamble is not married and is generally nonchalant about her love life.

During her segment on CNBC Access, she often speaks to global political and business leaders, including Mike Pompeo, King Abdullah II of Jordan, and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.

In 2021, Gamble interviewed Russian President Vladimir Putin, who He said She was so “beautiful” that she couldn’t understand the point he made about energy.

After the interview, body language experts alleged that Gamble was flirting with Putin as a distraction tactic.

Gamble highlighted the situation, uploading a photo to Instagram referencing an article in the Russian publication Kommersant in the interview, captioning “my best angle” with a laughing emoji and hashtag #feminism.

During an interview last year, she talked about growing up in the mountains of eastern Tennessee where she began grooming her father’s horses from the age of 10.

“I think shoveling manure probably gave me a whole different perspective on all the things we cover,” she said.

“This wasn’t the life described to me,” she admits, adding that her family expected her to become a teacher, possibly study law and get married.

“I really understood, you know, what money means to people and what a basic livelihood is… I mean, no one has a harder life than the farmer, who gets up at five in the morning to make sure everything is still there,” said Gamble, the daughter of a car dealer and a teacher.

Gamble began her career at the Associated Press and Reuters, but got her break at ABC after an old boyfriend introduced her to a booking agent for Good Morning America, which in turn led to her getting a job as a production assistant at World News Tonight with Peter Jennings.

The Harvard- and Berkeley-educated Shell, 57, of Michigan, has been working at Comcast for more than 20 years, having joined the company from Fox.

He ran international operations out of London from 2011 to 2013 before moving on to serve as President of NBCUniversal Film and Entertainment.

Assuming the role of CEO in January 2020, he is responsible for overseeing a spanning portfolio that stretches from television news and entertainment networks to movie studios, parks and other divisions.

As CEO of NBCUniversal, Shell was also tasked with moving the company further into streaming.

He and his wife hosted a fundraiser at their $10 million Beverly Hills mansion for Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign in 2020, according to diverse.

Shell is the second senior executive to be forced out of NBCUniversal in recent years.

In April 2020, NBCUniversal said it had separated from its vice president, Ron Meyer, after he failed to properly disclose that he had paid a settlement to a woman with whom he had a consensual affair several years earlier.

Shell said at the time that Meyer “behaved in a way that we believe is inconsistent with our company’s policies or values”.