President Obama is set to announce his choice for the new Secretary of Veterans Affairs Monday to replace the recently ousted Eric Shinseki. His nominee: Robert McDonald, a veteran and former executive at Procter & Gamble who after 33 years abruptly resigned in 2013 amid pressure from investors over his failure to boost the company’s performance.
An administration official said that Obama will announce McDonald’s appointment as the new VA Secretary Monday. The president hopes that McDonald’s appointment will provide some much needed management expertise to address the VA’s crippling systemic problems. Time reports:
In tapping McDonald for the post, Obama is signaling his desire to install a VA chief with broad management experience. McDonald also has a military background, graduating near the top of his class at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and serving as a captain in the Army, primarily in the 82nd Airborne Division.
McDonald’s managerial background, however, is not without its own controversy. The former CEO abruptly left Procter & Gamble amid pressure from investors, announcing his retirement after 33 years in May 2013—a move he said at the time was due to the distraction of the constant pressure about his job status.
McDonald led Procter & Gamble from 2009 to 2013. During that time, the company website states: “P&G realized annual sales of over $84 billion. The company had more than 120,000 employees, 120 plants and 200 brands in 35 categories, of which 25 brands generate over $1 billion in sales each year.” [...] But under McDonald’s leadership, P&G struggled to grow under increased competition and global economic challenges. Critics suggested he was having trouble getting the 150-year-old-plus company to fire on all cylinders.
Despite the setback at the end of his time with Procter & Gamble, his appointment has been praised in both the public and private sectors. House Speaker John Boehner called McDonald a “good man, a veteran and a strong leader with decades of experience in the private sector,” while The Boeing Company CEO Jim McNerney described him as an “outstanding choice for this critically important position.”
McDonald’s peers in the military likewise speak highly of him. General Stanley McChystal, who served with McDonald, praised his “business acumen” and his “dedication and love of our nation’s military.”
