http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-...-ceo-google-s-schmidt-for-commerce-chief.html
Obama administration officials are considering former Pfizer Inc. (PFE) Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Kindler as well Google Inc. (GOOG) CEO Eric Schmidt to replace Gary Locke as Commerce secretary, a signal that President Barack Obama may look to business to fill a top trade job, according to a person familiar with the process.
Ron Kirk, the U.S. trade representative, also is a potential candidate for the job, according to another person. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because no decisions have been made.
Obama said today that he is nominating Locke to be the next U.S. ambassador to China, succeeding Jon Huntsman, whose resignation is effective April 30.
“The president will consider a range of qualified candidates, but we are at a very early stage in the process and no decisions have been made,” said Jen Psaki, an administration spokeswoman, referring to the Commerce post.
Obama’s aides have been seeking to counter criticism from some corporate leaders over administration policies on regulation and health care. On Dec. 15, after a 4 1/2-hour meeting with 20 company executives, Obama said they were making “good progress” on establishing closer cooperation between government and business.
As top jobs have opened up in the second half of his term, Obama has considered candidates from outside politics and academia. His new chief of staff, William Daley, was an executive at JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) before joining the administration in January.
The Commerce secretary will have a significant role in Obama’s drive to double U.S. exports to $3.1 trillion by 2014 from $1.6 trillion in 2009.
Confirmation Process
A nominee from the business community likely would face scrutiny about corporate practices during Senate confirmation hearings, possibly drawing out the process. Kirk, by contrast, has already been vetted by the administration and was confirmed by the Senate for his current job.
White House press secretary Jay Carney said that the president was focused on naming a replacement for Huntsman and that there isn’t a timetable for selecting a new Commerce secretary.
Kirk declined to comment today when asked by reporters at the U.S. Capitol about his prospects of getting the Commerce Department job.
Kindler, 55, was CEO of New York-based Pfizer, the world’s largest drugmaker, for four years before stepping down in December. He also was part of a presidential advisory board on increasing U.S. exports that Obama named last July. He didn’t return two messages left at his home.
Schmidt, 55, announced in January that he plans to step down as Google CEO in April and become executive chairman. He led the Mountain View, California-based company for 10 years. A Google spokeswoman declined to comment.
He has regularly consulted with Obama on economic matters, including a December meeting with 20 executives in Washington and a smaller dinner with a dozen leaders of the technology industry last month at the California home of venture capitalist John Doerr.
Norman Mineta, who served as Commerce secretary in President Bill Clinton’s administration, said Schmidt would be a good candidate for Obama to consider.
“He is the kind of a person who has the vision and the drive to be able to be a good secretary of commerce,” Mineta said in an interview with Bloomberg Television.
Obama administration officials are considering former Pfizer Inc. (PFE) Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Kindler as well Google Inc. (GOOG) CEO Eric Schmidt to replace Gary Locke as Commerce secretary, a signal that President Barack Obama may look to business to fill a top trade job, according to a person familiar with the process.
Ron Kirk, the U.S. trade representative, also is a potential candidate for the job, according to another person. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because no decisions have been made.
Obama said today that he is nominating Locke to be the next U.S. ambassador to China, succeeding Jon Huntsman, whose resignation is effective April 30.
“The president will consider a range of qualified candidates, but we are at a very early stage in the process and no decisions have been made,” said Jen Psaki, an administration spokeswoman, referring to the Commerce post.
Obama’s aides have been seeking to counter criticism from some corporate leaders over administration policies on regulation and health care. On Dec. 15, after a 4 1/2-hour meeting with 20 company executives, Obama said they were making “good progress” on establishing closer cooperation between government and business.
As top jobs have opened up in the second half of his term, Obama has considered candidates from outside politics and academia. His new chief of staff, William Daley, was an executive at JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) before joining the administration in January.
The Commerce secretary will have a significant role in Obama’s drive to double U.S. exports to $3.1 trillion by 2014 from $1.6 trillion in 2009.
Confirmation Process
A nominee from the business community likely would face scrutiny about corporate practices during Senate confirmation hearings, possibly drawing out the process. Kirk, by contrast, has already been vetted by the administration and was confirmed by the Senate for his current job.
White House press secretary Jay Carney said that the president was focused on naming a replacement for Huntsman and that there isn’t a timetable for selecting a new Commerce secretary.
Kirk declined to comment today when asked by reporters at the U.S. Capitol about his prospects of getting the Commerce Department job.
Kindler, 55, was CEO of New York-based Pfizer, the world’s largest drugmaker, for four years before stepping down in December. He also was part of a presidential advisory board on increasing U.S. exports that Obama named last July. He didn’t return two messages left at his home.
Schmidt, 55, announced in January that he plans to step down as Google CEO in April and become executive chairman. He led the Mountain View, California-based company for 10 years. A Google spokeswoman declined to comment.
He has regularly consulted with Obama on economic matters, including a December meeting with 20 executives in Washington and a smaller dinner with a dozen leaders of the technology industry last month at the California home of venture capitalist John Doerr.
Norman Mineta, who served as Commerce secretary in President Bill Clinton’s administration, said Schmidt would be a good candidate for Obama to consider.
“He is the kind of a person who has the vision and the drive to be able to be a good secretary of commerce,” Mineta said in an interview with Bloomberg Television.