By Kuria Kimani
The United States of America President Joe Biden nominated the Hewlett-Packard Chief Executive Meg Whitman as ambassador to Kenya on 8th December 2021. Nairobi is a strategic partner to Washington on a myriad of issues including counterterrorism and trade. She is taking the reins from Kyle McCarter who has served in the same capacity since 2019. McCarter resigned from the role in January 2021 following the change of guard at the White House.
In a statement issued by the White House, Whitman said “Kenya is a strategic partner of the US, and if confirmed, I anticipate working with the Kenyan government on a good sort of issues to advance peace, prosperity and health within the country and throughout the region.”
Meg Whitman’s Early Life
Margaret Whitman, simply known as Meg Whitman, was born on August 4, 1956 in Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island, New York in the United States of America.
Meg Whitman’s Education history
Whitman schooled at Cold Spring Harbor High School in Cold Spring Harbor, New York, and graduated in 1974. She pursued economics from Princeton University and earned an undergraduate degree in 1977. She later got her master’s degree in business administration from Harvard in 1979.
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Meg Whitman’s Career history
Meg worked for Procter & Gamble in brand management in Cincinnati, Ohio from 1979 to 1981. She joined Bain & Co. as a vice president in 1981 until 1989. Between1989 and 1992 Whitman worked with Walt Disney Co., consumer products division as senior vice president of marketing. From 1995 to 1992 she joined Stride Rite, a shoe manufacturer based in Boston, as president. She then took up a new role as CEO of Florists Transworld Delivery (FTD).
In 1997, she was the general manager of the Playskool division of the toy and game manufacturer Hasbro. In 1998, she became CEO of eBay, before retiring in 2008. Whitman later became CEO of Hewlett-Packard and then Hewlett Packard Enterprise from 2011 to 2017. She is currently a board member of General Motors, Procter & Gamble, Zipcar and Teach For America. She previously served as a member of the board at Survey Monkey.
Meg Whitman’s Political Career background
In 2008 Whitman, a Republican, was the national co-chair of Senator John McCain’s presidential campaign. She announced she was running for governor of California in 2009 and won the Republican gubernatorial nomination in June 2010. Unfortunately, she was defeated by Jerry Brown in the November general election. The former Republican was a major backer of Democrat Biden’s campaign. She donated US$500,000 towards Joe Biden’s campaigns.
Her Publications
Together with Joan O’C. Hamilton, Whitman wrote ‘The Power of Many: Values for Success in Business and in Life (2010).
Age
She was born on 4 August 1956. She is currently 65 years.
Net worth
According to Forbes Magazine, her net worth is US$4.9B. She is ranked as the 151 richest American.
Marriage and children
She is married to Griffith Rutherford Harsh IV, a neurosurgeon. The couple have two children.