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NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell will leave the company “effective immediately” following an investigation into a complaint of inappropriate conduct, Comcast announced Sunday.
“Today is my last day as CEO of NBCUniversal. I had an inappropriate relationship with a woman in the company, which I deeply regret,” Shell said in a statement Sunday. “I’m truly sorry I let my Comcast and NBCUniversal colleagues down, they are the most talented people in the business and the opportunity to work with them the last 19 years has been a privilege.”
An outside law firm conducted the investigation, and Shell’s departure was mutually agreed upon, the company stated. Comcast is NBCUniversal’s parent company.
In a memo to employees, Comcast chairman and CEO Brian Roberts and Comcast President Mike Cavanagh stated that they were “disappointed to share this news.”
“We built this company on a culture of integrity. Nothing is more important than how we treat each other. You should count on your leaders to create a safe and respectful workplace,” Roberts and Cavanagh stated. “When our principles are violated, we will always move quickly to take appropriate action, as we have done here.”
They added that NBCUniversal “is performing extremely well operationally and financially.”
Comcast did not name Shell’s successor and did not immediately respond to The Washington Post for comment. Cavanagh will head Shell’s team — and NBCUniversal — in the interim, the company’s internal memo stated.
Shell was named NBCUniversal CEO in 2020, where he pushed forward the company’s streaming service Peacock and oversaw the media giant’s vast portfolio, including its news and entertainment TV networks, film studio and theme parks.
Before becoming CEO, Shell was chairman of NBCUniversal Film and Entertainment, where he focused on content creation.
This isn’t the first time an NBCUniversal leader has stepped down due to a controversial relationship.
In 2020, Ron Meyer left his long-held post as NBCUniversal vice chairman after admitting that he paid a woman to remain silent about their affair.
At the time, Shell stated that Meyer “acted in a manner which we believe is not consistent with our company policies or values.”
Source link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/04/23/jeff-shell-ceo-nbcuniversal-leaves/