Amanda Lang is leaving the CBC to pursue another job in television, wrapping up a tumultuous year for the public broadcaster’s senior business correspondent. Her last day on air is Friday.

On Tuesday, CBC News editor-in-chief and general manager Jennifer McGuire wished Lang well in a staff memo.

“I want to let you know Amanda Lang, senior business correspondent and host of The Exchange with Amanda Lang, is leaving CBC News for a new opportunity outside the CBC in television.

“Amanda’s two decades of experience as a business reporter furthered our commitment to quality business coverage,” McGuire said, adding that the search for a new host for The Exchange will begin “right away.”

Lang, who was also a reporter for The National, came under fire in January over allegations in a piece on Canadaland, a website about the news industry, that she tried to “sabotage” an important CBC story on temporary foreign workers and RBC in 2013.

She denied that she tried to “kill” the RBC story in an interview with the Star at the time or that she was hiding potential conflicts of interest, including being in a romantic relationship with RBC board member Geoff Beattie. She said she had disclosed the relationship to her producers.

“All practices that we follow here at CBC were followed, and there was no decision made at any time that we should disclose on air,” she said at the time.

Lang also told the Star that she was never paid by RBC for speaking engagements — where she said she often spoke about her book, The Power of Why — but acknowledged Canada’s largest bank was one among many sponsors of some of the events.

Just days after the allegations surfaced, the CBC announced it would no longer approve paid appearances for on-air journalists, with McGuire telling the Star paid events were “creating challenges in terms of our reputation.”

The Lang story hit a CBC still shaken by allegations of sexual assault and harassment against former radio host Jian Ghomeshi, and just months before a damning third-party report concluded that CBC management had “condoned” his behaviour in the workplace.

An internal review concluded in March that Lang’s journalism adhered to the corporation’s standards.

“It was overstated that she tried to sabotage the story,” Jack Nagler, director of journalistic public accountability and engagement who headed the review, told the Star in March. “I would say she has the right and even the responsibility to identify and express concerns about our journalism.”

But CBC ombudsman Esther Enkin found in May that the CBC’s conflict of interest policy was violated in Lang’s coverage of the RBC, which included an interview with the bank’s CEO.

“I found that there was a violation of conflict of interest policy because of the personal connection,” Enkin wrote, referring to Lang’s relationship with Beattie, and reminded management and staff of the importance of minimizing the perception of a conflict.

On Tuesday, Lang declined the Star’s request for comment on her departure, and a CBC spokesman did not elaborate on her exit. Lang joined the CBC in 2009 as one half of The Lang & O’Leary Exchange with Kevin O’Leary. Prior to that, she hosted SqueezePlay on BNN.

Lang also plans to devote more time to writing. HarperCollins announced Tuesday that she signed a deal for her second book, expected to be published next fall.

“My new book focuses on ‘the virtue of discomfort,’ and aims to help readers and businesses teach themselves the skills they need to listen to the answers,” she said in a statement.

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The announcement of her departure also coincided with news that Bloomberg TV Canada, a 24/7 business network operated by Channel Zero, will have its first broadcast on Nov. 16. The network said on Tuesday it had hired former BNN host Pamela Ritchie to anchor a one-hour program called The Daily Brief.

A Channel Zero spokeswoman did not confirm or deny that Lang will be joining the network.

“We look forward to making additional talent announcements before the end of the year,” Rhonda Messieh said in an email.

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