Meg Whitman
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Margaret C. Whitman (born August 4, 1956) has been the President and CEO of the online marketplace eBay since March 1998. She has turned the eBay online auction site into a powerhouse of the World Wide Web's business. Whitman joined eBay when the company had 30 employees and operated solely in the United States; eBay is now a global organization with over 11,000 employees. In addition to managing eBay, she currently serves on the Board of Directors of Procter & Gamble and DreamWorks Animation. According to Forbes Magazine, Whitman was worth an estimated $1.3 billion in 2007. She is one of only five women on Earth to have been repeatedly ranked among the world's most influential people by Time magazine.
Contents |
[edit] Background and education
Whitman grew up in Cold Spring Harbor, New York, USA. After high school, from which she graduated a year early, she attended Princeton University, where she earned a degree in economics in 1977. She completed her education with an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1979.
[edit] Career
Whitman began her working career at Procter & Gamble from 1979 to 1981, when she built her experience in brand management. She then spent eight years working for the consulting firm Bain and Company, eventually becoming a vice-president.
From 1989 to 1992, Whitman was at the Walt Disney Company, where she served as the Senior Vice President of Marketing for the Disney Consumer Products Division.
From 1992 to 1995 she served as President of the Stride Rite Corporation's Stride Rite Childrens Division.
From 1995 to 1997, Whitman was President and CEO of Florists Transworld Delivery (FTD), but left to become the General Manager of Hasbro Inc.'s Preschool Division.
In 2005, she was interviewed by Disney's board of directors to succeed Michael Eisner as CEO, but dropped out a week later, prompting the board to give the job to Robert Iger.
[edit] Philanthropy
Whitman donated a significant sum of money to her alma mater, Princeton University, said to have totaled more than $30 million. Her large contributions have allowed the construction of the university's sixth residential college which is to be named Whitman College and is scheduled to open in Fall 2007.
[edit] Political donations
As reported at Newsmeat.com, Whitman has made numerous political donations to various candidates and PACs. While these have gone to both Republican and Democratic beneficiaries, the donations seem to be weighted to Republican politicians such as Orrin Hatch, Charles Pickering, and George Allen.
Whitman is known as a supporter of Massachusetts' Republican governor Mitt Romney's prospective presidential campaign in 2008. She was recently present at Mitt Romney's "National Call Day" on Monday, January 10, 2007. She is now on Mitt Romeny's "National Finance Team". This might be explained by the fact they are both alumni of Bain & Co.
[edit] External links
- Official introduction on eBay
- Listing of Whitman's donations to both Republican and Democratic candidates and PACs, 1994-2006
- Forbes article
| Procter & Gamble Co. | |
|---|---|
|
Corporate Directors: Norman Augustine | Bruce Byrnes | R. Kerry Clark | Scott D. Cook | Joseph Gorman | A. G. Lafley | Charles R. Lee | Lynn M. Martin | W. James McNerney, Jr. | Johnathan Rodgers | John F. Smith, Jr. | Ralph Snyderman | Robert Storey | Margaret Whitman | Ernesto Zedillo |
|
|
Brands: Always | Ariel | Aussie | Bounty | Braun | Charmin | Cheer | Clairol | CoverGirl | Crest | Downy | Dreft | Duracell | Eukanuba | Fairy | Febreze | Folgers | Gillette | Head & Shoulders | Herbal Essences | Iams | Ivory | Joy | Luvs | Max Factor | Metamucil | Noxzema | Olay | Old Spice | Oral-B | Pampers | Pantene | Pringles | Puffs | Pur | SK-II | Swiffer | Tampax | Tide | Vicks | Zest |
|
|
Annual Revenue: $55.4 billion USD ( |
