Mishal Husain quit the BBC’s Today programme for a new Bloomberg TV role after becoming frustrated at the BBC opportunities available to her, colleagues have said.
Husain shocked staff by announcing that she was leaving the BBC after 26 years to front a “global interview” series on the news service aimed at business users.
Although the BBC tried to persuade her to stay, insiders said it had already overlooked Husain for the role she coveted – hosting the Sunday morning politics show on BBC1.
Husain, who has been a Radio 4 Today programme presenter since 2013, said the Bloomberg move offered a “new chapter” in her career and her life.
Colleagues were surprised that Husain, one of the BBC’s most admired presenters who fronted several general election debates for the broadcaster, quit to join the financial and data giant, whose programming is seen by a relatively smaller audience.
Husain, who was paid up to £345,000 for her BBC role, could double her salary at Bloomberg, insiders said.
One person said: “She really wanted the BBC1 Sunday politics show but they gave it to Laura Kuenssberg instead. That was disappointing for her.
“There were discussions about News at 10 when Huw Edwards left and a lead role presenting Royal events. There was nothing ultimately to match the package that Bloomberg was offering. It was the right time in her life to make the move.”
Another figure said: “For all its faults the BBC gives you a platform of millions of people, you are at the heart of major stories. It seems odd to give that up at the peak of your powers for a business channel.”
Husain’s Today colleague Emma Barnett previously combined a Bloomberg interview show with her BBC radio presenting work.
Husain had signalled she was open to opportunities outside the BBC in an interview in June, telling The Sunday Times: “I am thinking about what is beyond Today. I’m wondering what the next act of my career might look like.”
Roger Mosey, former head of BBC TV News, said Husain’s exit was “a huge loss for the BBC”.
Mosey wrote on X: “I started working with her 20+ years ago, and she is both brilliant and *never* lets you down. It was a big ask for her to steer some of the London 2012 sports coverage, but she was excellent there too.”
Husain is the latest frontline BBC News name to leave for a commercial rival, following the departure of Emily Maitlis, Jon Sopel, Lewis Goodall and Andrew Marr to radio and podcast firm Global.
Senior correspondents Mark Urban and Gordon Corera have left while Stephen Sackur has been told his long-running HARDtalk interview programme will end next year, under a new round of cuts.
Husain’s exit will also help cut down the BBC News salary budget, which will be further reduced by the absence of top-earner Huw Edwards (£475,000) from the list.
However the BBC would much rather have kept Husain on board.
A source said: “Mishal is held in very high regard and her leaving is totally amicable. Perhaps she will return in some capacity one day.”
Her interim replacement when she leaves in January is expected to be Katya Adler, the BBC’s Europe editor.
Other potential successors include Anushka Asthana, ITV News’s deputy political editor, and Sarah Smith, the BBC North America editor.
Husain said: “I will always be grateful for the opportunities the BBC gave me, and wish the organisation and everyone who is part of it the very best.”
Announcing her new role as Editor-at-Large on Bloomberg Weekend Edition, she said: “I am delighted to be fronting a new interview show that will reach audiences in different formats as part of the exciting plans for Bloomberg Weekend Edition.
“Ours is an ever more complex world but the desire for thoughtful conversations crosses all borders. I look forward to working with a new team at Bloomberg – the place which gave me my first job in journalism.”
Husain first joined the BBC as a producer in 1998, before becoming a presenter on BBC World News in 2001.
She has delivered news reports on BBC News At 10 and BBC News At Six as well as being the BBC journalist to interview the Duke and Duchess of Sussex following their engagement in 2017.
BBC News chief executive Deborah Turness said: “Mishal leaves the BBC with an incredible journalistic legacy. After more than a decade on the Today programme she is going with our gratitude and affection and we wish her the best of luck in her new chapter.
“I very much hope the BBC and Mishal will get the chance to work together again one day.”
David Merritt, head of media editorial at Bloomberg said: “Mishal is one of the UK’s preeminent news broadcasters and journalists and she is recognised globally for her incisive but fair interview style.”
Earlier this year, Martha Kearney signed off her final Today programme after six years, as Woman’s Hour host Barnett joined the show.
Husain has made documentaries on the life of Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi, the 2011 Arab Spring, the late Queen and Pakistani campaigner Malala Yousafzai.
Representatives for Husain were approached for comment. The BBC declined to comment further on her reasons for leaving.