Chris Liddell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Chris Liddell
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Coordination | |
| In office 19 March 2018 – 20 January 2021 |
|
| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Rick Dearborn (Policy) |
| Succeeded by | Jen O'Malley Dillon Bruce Reed |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Christopher Pell Liddell
24 April 1958 Matamata, New Zealand |
| Citizenship | United States New Zealand |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Renee Harbers Liddell (m. 2011) |
| Education | University of Auckland (BE) Worcester College, Oxford (MPhil) |
Christopher Pell Liddell (born April 24, 1958) is a New Zealander and American who has held important jobs in both business and government. He was a top leader at big companies like Microsoft and General Motors. He also worked in the White House for President Donald Trump.
Chris Liddell is known for helping many good causes, especially in his home country of New Zealand. In 2016, he received a special award, the New Zealand Order of Merit, for his work in business and for giving back to the community.
Contents
About Chris Liddell
Chris Liddell was born in Matamata, New Zealand. He was the youngest of five children. His father passed away when Chris was young. His mother worked hard at different jobs to support the family.
Chris went to Mount Albert Grammar School. He earned a degree in engineering from the University of Auckland. He also studied at Worcester College, Oxford University in England. In 2003, his first university, Auckland, recognized him as one of their most successful former students.
Family Life
Since 2011, Chris Liddell has been married to Renee Harbers Liddell.
His Career Journey
Chris Liddell has had a long and successful career. He has worked in finance, led large companies, and served in the government.
Working in Business
In 1983, Chris started working at an investment bank called Jarden & Co. An investment bank helps companies with money matters, like buying or selling other companies. He rose to become a top leader there.
In 1995, he joined Carter Holt Harvey, a big company in New Zealand. He became their chief financial officer (CFO), which means he was in charge of all their money. Four years later, he became the chief executive officer (CEO). This made him the first New Zealander to lead the company. When he left, Carter Holt Harvey was New Zealand's largest forest owner. It was also the second-largest company listed on the stock market.
From 2003 to 2005, Chris was the CFO for International Paper. This company owned Carter Holt Harvey.
From 2005 to 2009, Chris Liddell was the senior vice president and CFO of Microsoft. Microsoft is a huge technology company. He was in charge of all their money operations worldwide. He also helped Microsoft buy other companies. Under his leadership, Microsoft bought almost 50 companies in just three years. One big purchase was a digital advertising company called aQuantive for $6 billion.
In 2007, he was named one of the best CFOs in the software industry. In 2010, he was named the New Zealand Business Leader of the Year.
Chris then became the vice chairman and CFO at General Motors (GM). GM is a major car company. In 2010, he helped GM sell shares to the public for the first time since it went bankrupt. This was a huge event, raising $23 billion. It was the largest public stock offering at that time. GM made a profit that year for the first time since 2004.
In 2014, Chris Liddell became the chairman of Xero. Xero is a company that makes cloud-based accounting software. During his time there, Xero's income grew a lot. He left Xero to take on a new role in the US government.
From 2014 to 2016, he worked as the CFO of Endeavor. This company works in media, sports, and entertainment.
Working in Government
In 2012, Chris Liddell helped with the Mitt Romney presidential campaign. He was in charge of planning for a possible change in government. He helped write a guide for how a new president's team should get ready.
Chris believes that presidential candidates should plan for a "Five-Year Presidency." This means they should start preparing a full year before the election. He suggests that candidates should choose their leaders and get ready for problems during this "Year Zero."
In January 2017, he joined Donald Trump's White House. He was an assistant to the president for special projects. He also worked on making government technology better. He was part of the White House Coronavirus Task Force. In March 2018, he became the White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy. In this role, he helped guide the government's plans on many technology issues. These included cyber security, Artificial Intelligence, 5G (a fast internet technology), and Quantum Computing.
He also led the White House effort for the Trillion Trees Initiative. This project aims to plant and protect a trillion trees around the world by 2030.
In October 2020, President Trump suggested Chris Liddell to lead the OECD. The OECD is a group of countries that work together on economic issues. However, in January 2021, Chris Liddell decided to withdraw his name from consideration.
New Zealand's government did not officially support his nomination. Some groups in New Zealand did not want him to get the job.
Before the 2021 presidential change, Chris Liddell suggested new rules. He wanted to make sure that a new president's team could get important security information even before the election results were fully settled.
Chris Liddell thought about leaving his job after the January 6 United States Capitol attack. But he decided to stay to help with a smooth change of power to President-elect Joe Biden. He played a very important role in this transition.
People who have written about presidential changes have praised Chris Liddell. They said he helped keep things organized during a very difficult time. One author said he "helped make the transfer of power possible."
Chris Liddell wrote a book called Year Zero: The Five-Year Presidency. In this book, he shares his ideas on how to build a strong White House. He talks about how important the White House is for a president's success and for democracy in the United States. His book offers practical steps to make the White House work better.
He also wrote an essay about how difficult presidential changes can put America at risk. He explained that planning ahead is very important for national security.
Other Activities
Chris Liddell is involved in many other projects. He helps with environmental efforts and education.
He is the founder of the Next Foundation. This foundation has given over $100 million to projects in New Zealand. These projects focus on protecting the environment and improving education. For example, they have helped control pests in Egmont National Park. They also work to make Wellington the first city in the world without predators like rats and stoats.
In 2001, Chris helped organize a big meeting in New Zealand called "Catching the Knowledge Wave." This meeting brought together many smart people to discuss how to make New Zealand's economy stronger. It helped New Zealand realize it needed to focus on knowledge-based industries, not just farming.
In 2006, he received the Kea World Class New Zealand Award. This award recognizes successful New Zealanders who have made a difference in the world.
In 2008, he helped the University of Auckland raise money. They wanted to raise $100 million to support teaching and research. They ended up raising $120 million.
He was also the chairman of Project Crimson, a group that works to protect native trees in New Zealand. He helped with environmental projects like restoring Rotoroa Island and the Abel Tasman National Park. He is also a founding trustee of Pure Advantage, a charity that supports green growth and sustainability.
He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. This is a group that studies international relations.
In 2017, Chris and his brother, John, gave $1 million to Mount Albert Grammar School. This money helps fund scholarships for teachers and students. Later that year, Chris gave $450,000 to Auckland University. This money helps students study at Worcester College, Oxford.
In 2021, Chris Liddell joined the Blavatnik School of Government at Oxford University. He also helped create the E-liability Institute. This group works on new ways to measure carbon emissions. Chris is the chairman of this institute. He is also a visiting researcher at Green Templeton College, Oxford.
Chris Liddell has also helped New Zealand sports. He was a trustee for the New Zealand Sports Foundation. He was also a director of the New Zealand Rugby Union. He helped buy a famous running shirt worn by Peter Snell, an Olympic champion, for a museum. He also helped gather and display important jerseys from the All Blacks rugby team. Chris himself completed an Ironman triathlon in 1995.
