Ali Velshi

As CNN’s Chief Business Correspondent, the anchor for CNN Newsroom and host of Your $$$$$ (CNN’s weekend business roundtable program), Ali Velshi brings an innovative and hopeful approach to finance in the twenty-first century. He is also a regular contributor and anchor for Issue #1, the network’s in-depth coverage initiative on the single issue that matters most to CNN’s audience.

Online users can also listen to Velshi’s podcast, The Ali V Podcast, available at www.CNN.com/podcasting and on iTunes.

Based in New York, Velshi has covered the U.S. government’s bailout plan; the financial collapses of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, AIG and Lehman Brothers; and Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, reporting on the impact of the storms on oil refineries. He covered the Enron story at every step since it hit the national spotlight in 2001, including the guilty verdicts of Enron Corp.’s founder Kenneth Lay and former chief executive Jeffrey Skilling on conspiracy and fraud charges. He reported live from Ford headquarters in Dearborn, Mich., as the company announced the layoff of 30,000 workers. He was reporting live from an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico amid evacuation calls for Hurricane Katrina.

A veteran of financial news, Velshi recently hosted The Turnaround, CNN’s small business improvement show. The Turnaround traveled across America, introducing troubled small business owners to high-profile mentors and then helped them develop a plan for success.

Before The Turnaround, Velshi was an anchor with CNNfn, where he hosted various interactive shows, including Your Money, Business Unusual, Insights, Street Sweep and The Money Gang. Before joining CNNfn in 2001, he hosted The Business News, Canada’s first and only prime-time business news hour, airing nightly on Report on Business Television.

Earlier in his career, Velshi worked as a business anchor for Cable Pulse 24 and sister station, CITY TV, and as a reporter for CFTO-TV, Canada’s most watched local television station.

In 1996, Velshi was awarded a fellowship to the U.S. Congress by the American Political Sciences Association, and worked with now-retired U.S. Rep. Lee Hamilton, (D-Ind.)

Born in Kenya and raised in Toronto, Velshi graduated from Queens University in Canada with a degree in religion. Velshi recently released a book, Gimme My Money Back: Your Guide to Beating the Financial Crisis to rave reviews.