Meg Whitman | |
|---|---|
 Whitman in 2022 | |
| United States Ambassador to Kenya | |
| Assumed office August 5, 2022 | |
| President | Joe Biden |
| Preceded by | Kyle McCarter |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Margaret Cushing Whitman August 4, 1956 Huntington, New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Princeton University (AB) Harvard University (MBA) |
Margaret Cushing Whitman (born August 4, 1956) is an American business executive, diplomat, and politician serving as the United States ambassador to Kenya since 2022. Whitman was president and chief executive officer (CEO) of eBay from 1998 to 2008. Afterwards, she became president and CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise from 2011 to 2015, during the company's major split. She then served as the CEO of Quibi from its launch in 2018 until its closure in 2020. A member of the Republican Party, she ran for governor of California but was defeated by former governor Jerry Brown in California's 2010 gubernatorial election. Whitman was a senior presidential campaign official for Republican Mitt Romney in both 2008 and 2012, although she supported Democrats Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden in the 2016 presidential election and the 2020 presidential election, respectively.
Whitman was an executive at The Walt Disney Company, where she was vice president of Strategic Planning throughout the 1980s. In the 1990s, she was an executive for DreamWorks, Procter & Gamble, and Hasbro. During Whitman's 10 years with eBay, she oversaw its expansion from 30 employees and $4 million in annual revenue, to more than 15,000 employees and $8 billion in annual revenue. In 2014, Whitman was named 20th in Forbes List of the 100 Most Powerful Women in the World.[2]
In 2008, Whitman was cited by The New York Times as among the women most likely to become the first female president of the United States.[3] She ran for governor of California in 2010, winning the Republican primary. The fifth-wealthiest woman in California with a net worth of $1.3 billion in 2010,[4] she spent, at the time, more of her own money on a single election than any other political candidate in American history.[5][6] The $144 million of her own fortune she used for the race (the campaign spent $178.5 million in total, including money from donors)[7] was surpassed only by Michael Bloomberg in the 2020 presidential election.[8] Whitman was defeated by Democratic former Governor Jerry Brown in the 2010 California gubernatorial election, 54% to 41%.[9]
In December 2021, Whitman was nominated by President Joe Biden to serve as the United States Ambassador to Kenya. She was confirmed in July 2022 and took office the following month.
- ^ "Meg Whitman". Forbes. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
- ^ "The World's 100 Most Powerful Women". Forbes. Retrieved June 24, 2014.
- ^ Zernike, Kate (May 18, 2008). "She Just Might Be President Someday". New York Times.
- ^ "#773 Margaret Whitman". Forbes. February 12, 2010. Retrieved August 29, 2010.
- ^ York, Anthony (September 15, 2010). "Whitman becomes biggest-spending candidate on a single campaign in U.S. history [Updated]". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
- ^ Cha, Ariana Eunjung (September 16, 2010). "Former eBay CEO Meg Whitman breaks campaign financing records with $119 million contribution". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on February 9, 2013. Retrieved October 4, 2010.
- ^ "Final Meg Whitman tally: $178.5M". Salon. Associated Press. January 11, 2011. Retrieved May 1, 2011.
- ^ Goldmacher, Shane (March 20, 2020). "Michael Bloomberg Spent More Than $900 Million on His Failed Presidential Run". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
- ^ Caulfield, Philip (November 3, 2010). "Meg Whitman loses California governor race despite $160 million tab; Jerry Brown wins for 3rd time". Daily News. New York. Retrieved November 4, 2010.