Obama to hire former P&G CEO Robert McDonald
Head of the Department of Veterans Affairs
Obama is rooting for McDonald to turn around the beleaguered agency, whose health system has been charged with the mismanagement of more than 8 million veterans a year.
The President accepted the resignation of Eric Shinseki last month – a retired four-star general who had been in that position since 2009. The position has been looked after by Sloan Gibson since Shinseki's resignation in May.
Robert McDonald
Arguably, the decision to nominate a CEO of a consumer-driven business indicates that Obama has customer service on his mind for the agency in the future.
61-year-old McDonald is a West Point graduate and served in the Army for 5 years – achieving the rank of captain in the 82nd Airborne Division – before going on to work at P&G, eventually retiring from the company in June 2013. McDonald's appointment must now be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
