US Billionaire Meg Whitman approved as Ambassador to Kenya

United States Senate has confirmed the appointment of former CEO of Hewlett Packard (HP) Margaret C. Whitman (Meg) as the US Ambassador to Kenya. 

The Senate which was earlier split 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans made the approval on Thursday since her nomination to the position by President Joe Biden in December last year.

The 65-year-old billionaire will now become the second US female envoy to Kenya in since Prudence Bushnell's appointment in 1999.

Meg takes over from Kyle McCarter, a son of evangelicals who became known for his controversial tweets railing against government officials for corruption.

She is also a former CEO of Quibi, a streaming content platform for mobile devices, and a former President and CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise, the Hewlett Packard Company, eBay, and FTD, the US IT and online shopping platforms.

The corporate hotshot has previously held senior leadership positions at Hasbro and StrideRite Corporation. 

Ms Whitman acquired her undergraduate degree from Princeton and later her MBA from Harvard. She then worked for a number of major US corporations, including P&G, Disney, and Hasbro, before joining eBay in 1998.

Among her numerous honours, Meg is said to have been inducted into the Bay Area Business Hall of Fame and the U.S. Business Hall of Fame.