Melissa Mahtani Biography
Melissa Mahtani is an American journalist and an award winning senior producer and reporter for CNN’s live news team. She has almost 20 years international experience in London, Paris and New York. She focuses on International Affairs, Human Rights and Equality.
She has produced content for CNN, CNN International, CNBC, France 24 and ITN, hosting on-camera interviews, writing for dot-com and moderating panels for international current affairs and business-related news events. She also plays a key role in designing the social strategy around special events including bespoke CNN Town Halls, CNN Heroes and the United Nations General Assembly.
Melissa Mahtani Age
Melissa is 42 years old, she was born in 1982. She celebrates her birthday on July 17.
Melissa Mahtani Nationality
She is a Zambian -American national.
Melissa Mahtani Ethnicity
Melissa is of Indian heritage.
Melissa Mahtani Education
Melissa received a Bachelor of Arts from King’s College London and a postgraduate diploma from the London School of Journalism.
Melissa Mahtani Father
Melissa is the daughter of Dr. Rajan Mahtani and Bina Mahtani. Her father is Zambian multi-millionaire entrepreneur and chairman of Mahtani Group of Companies. The company company hosts more than hundreds different projects that aims toward boosting the economic independence of Zambia and carving its path towards success.
He was previously the controlling shareholder and chairman of Zambia’s Finance Bank before it was acquired by Bob Diamond’s Atlas Mara in 2015. In Zambian businessman Chisanga Puta-Chekwe’s acclaimed book, Cobra In The Boat: Michael Sata’s Zambia, he claims that Mahtani brokered a controversial deal whereby the Zambian Government sold off the state-owned Konkola Copper Mines Plc, one of Africa’s largest integrated copper producers (and a company easily worth hundreds of millions of dollars), to Vedanta resources controlled by Indian billionaire Anil Agarwal, for only $25 million, a tiny fraction of its real value.
He previously owned Zambezi Portland Cement, a leading cement manufacturer in the southern African country but lost its ownership in 2018 after the High Court of Zambia awarded full ownership of the company to the Ventriglia family of Italy.
Melissa Mahtani Husband
Melissa is married to Andy Wagner since September 2013. Melissa’s father threw them a wedding party in Zambia which was attended by some of the most prominent people in the country. It was attended by the ex-president of Zambia Kenneth Kaunda, Emmanuel Chenda, Minister of Trade and Industry and commerce, Lombe Chibesakunda Acting Chief Justice, Guy Scott the Vice President’s wife, Charlotte, Fackson Shamenda the Labour Minister, Mwansa Kapeya Information and Broadcasting Services Minister, Maureen Mwanawasa former First Lady and Kabwata member of Parliament Given Lubinda.
Melissa Mahtani CNN
Melissa is a senior producer and reporter for CNN’s digital team. She joined the network in 2012 as a television news producer where she worked on “Fareed Zakaria GPS,” “Reliable Sources,” “Erin Burnett Out Front”, “The World Right Now with Hala Gorani”, “Connect the World with Becky Anderson” and “CNNMoney with Maggie Lake”.
In 20017, she was promoted to be a senior producer, reporter and editor. She is a reporter on CNN’s gender focused “As Equals” team where she writes, reports, hosts and moderates events. She is a senior producer on CNN’s Live News team and has helped in the coverage of some of the biggest global events such as the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, US election and trial in the death of George Floyd. She is also the senior producer on CNN’s Facebook Watch show, ‘Go There’. One of the episodes, “Fear and Anxiety inside Wuhan the epicenter of the Coronavirus outbreak” was the most watched Facebook hard news show in a decade, and won an Eppy Award for Best Investigative/ Enterprise.
She was also the senior producer on Sanjay Gupta’s “Coronavirus: Fact vs Fiction” podcast which won the 2020 Best Podcast Eppy Award.
In September 2021, she created and launched the “Inside CNN” newsletter. She also works with various teams across the network to formulate the social/digital strategy for special events such as CNN’s Town Halls, CNN Heroes, International Women’s Day, coverage of the UN and big network priorities including breaking news.
She also produces and hosts ‘Facebook Live’ Interviews with key influencers as well as Anderson Cooper’s Facebook Watch show, ‘Full Circle’. She helped grow Anderson Cooper AC360 facebook show page into a flagship account by 40% in first 6 months. In addition, she produces CNN’s weekly “Markets Now” show streamed live from the NYSE and hosted on the CNN Business website.
Prior to joining CNN, she worked for France 24 as a television news producer for various complimentary news segments such as ‘Focus’, ‘Business’ & Special Reports; ITN as a programme producer as well as CNBC as an associate producer.
Melissa Mahtani Salary
Melissa earns an annual base salary of around $1 million.
Melissa Mahtani Net worth
She has an estimated net worth of $3 million.