Who is Chris Liddell?

Chris Liddell is a Kiwi businessman who was born in Matamata on April 24, 1958. He is now a US citizen and deputy chief of staff to US President Donald Trump.

BUSINESS CAREER

Liddell began his career in investment banking before ascending to chief executive of Carter Holt Harvey. Having reached a pinnacle in New Zealand, Liddell got on the radar of international firms and moved to the US as chief financial officer of General Motors and then Microsoft. Liddell was appointed chairman of Wellington software company Xero in 2014 but was forced to relinquish the role last year when he was appointed to the White House. His most recent US corporate job was to oversee finances at American talent agency and media company William Morris Endeavour, best known for owning the Miss Universe pageant.

POLITICAL VIEWS

Liddell supported Sir Bob Jones’ New Zealand Party in the 1980s. His first foray into US politics was in 2012 when he was earmarked for a job in the White House during Republican Mitt Romney’s unsuccessful 2012 Presidential campaign.

CHARACTER

Liddell is politely spoken. It is hard to imagine him having a Trumplike tantrum. People who have worked with him closely describe him as focused and business-like. One former colleague who had known him for more than a decade said he couldn’t name any interests or hobbies Liddell had outside of his professional career, and assumed he did not have time for distractions.