IN THE OVAL OFFICE
Trump’s Kiwi aide
High-flying Kiwi businessman Chris Liddell will be a pivotal figure in Donald Trump’s Administration, serving as assistant to the United States president and director of his strategic initiatives.
Matamata-born Liddell, 58, who now lives in New York, had already scaled the heights of the business world.
He served as chief executive of Carter Holt Harvey, chief financial officer of Microsoft and General Motors, and chairman of Wellington software firm Xero, a position he still holds but may now need to relinquish.
His new role will put him at the centre of the West Wing.
Labour Party MP David Cunliffe, who first met Liddell at Carter Holt Harvey in the 1990s, said Liddell was determined, intelligent and very focused on what he wanted to achieve career-wise.
Cunliffe said Liddell’s ‘‘good judgment’’ could be a very important part of the mix in helping stabilise the Trump Administration. ‘‘Trump needs all the help he can get – he hasn’t got a lot of political experience.’’
Cunliffe said Liddell had always struck him as ‘‘a decent sort of bloke and very much a Kiwi’’.
‘‘He has always cared about New Zealand and the community as well as being very focused on his business objectives, so I trust that he will retain both sides of his character in his new role.
‘‘I certainly wouldn’t describe Chris as a left-winger but I would say that he likes to do what works – that he is data-driven and pragmatic.’’
Cunliffe noted Liddell had described Trump as drawing ideas from both the Republican and Democrat side of politics.
‘‘I think that is Chris’ way of saying that as head of the longterm initiatives team, he would bring an innovative and pragmatic approach. The whole world is watching to see what the Trump Administration will look like.’’
Xero chief executive Rod Drury said he had spoken to Liddell about the appointment over the past few weeks and Liddell was excited.
‘‘The opportunity to do interesting things globally is incredibly exciting.’’
"I am delighted that [Liddell's skills] will be part of my executive team." US President-elect Donald Trump
Drury said Liddell wasn’t nervous about how his role would go down in New Zealand.
‘‘Chris is a real Kiwi with clear values and he’ll be a great person to have in there,’’ he said.
Drury noted the work Liddell had done as chairman of the philanthropic Next Foundation, which supports educational and environmental projects, and his support for Predator Free New Zealand.
‘‘He is someone who cares about a lot of things and generally wants to make the world a better place.’’
"Chris is a real Kiwi with clear values and he'll be a great person to have in there." Xero chief executive Rod Drury
In November, Liddell appeared on TVNZ’s Breakfast programme to stress the importance of talking to babies and toddlers in their first 1000 days – one of the Next Foundation’s initiatives to foster child development.
Drury agreed people associated Kiwi values with being fair. Xero had displayed those values and Liddell had been a great chairman of the company, he said.
He did not see ‘‘explicit’’ advantages for NZ Inc in having the high-profile businessman in such a key US position. ‘‘I don’t think it will make a huge difference but it is always good to have a Kiwi in those sorts of roles.’’