US President Joe Biden has nominated former Hewlett Packard (HP) CEO and President Margaret Cushing Whitman as America’s ambassador to Kenya. If approved by Congress, she will replace Kyle McCarter who resigned earlier in February this year after President Biden took over power.
Ms Whitman is a former CEO of Quibi, a streaming content platform for mobile devices. She has also served as President and CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise, the Hewlett Packard Company, eBay, and FTD, the US IT and online shopping platforms.
“Margaret C. Whitman (Meg), a business executive and former candidate for Governor of California, is a Member of the Board of Procter & Gamble and General Motors, and National Board Chair at Teach for America,” White House said in a statement.
Other than serving in high-level corporate roles, Ms Whitman has also been politically active for years. In 2010, she ran as a Republican for governor in California but lost to Democrat Jerry Brown. In 2018, she supported Sen. Mitt Romney’s runs for president before becoming Sen. John McCain’s national campaign co-chair. Later in 2012 she backed Democrat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 race against Donald Trump.
President Biden’s selection of a business executive signals a slight departure from the past. Recent appointees have been either career diplomats or strong party loyalists, many being men. The last female US Ambassador to Kenya was Prudence Bushnell (1996-1999).
Whitman received a B.A. from Princeton University and an M.B.A. from Harvard University. Among numerous honors, she has been inducted into the Bay Area Business Hall of Fame and the U.S. Business Hall of Fame.