Meg Whitman

Meg Whitman, Former President & CEO, eBay, 2010 California Gubernatorial Candidate

Meg Whitman served as eBay's president and CEO for 10 years. During her tenure, eBay grew from 30 employees and a little over $4 million in revenue to more than 15,000 employees and $7.7 billion in revenue. Under Meg's leadership, eBay expanded globally and developed a culture and infrastructure that turned eBay into an unparalleled business success story. Using her expertise in brand building and
consumer marketing, Meg turned eBay into a household name and revolutionized the way goods are bought, sold and paid for on line.

Most of all, Meg created a vibrant environment that encourages individuals to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams. Today more than a million people make all or part of their livings selling on eBay, while countless more use the site to find and buy the products they need for their homes and businesses.

Meg is only one of seven women to have repeatedly been ranked among the world's most influential people by Time magazine. The Wall Street Journal named her one of the "50 Women to Watch" in 2005; Fortune ranked her the most powerful woman in business in 2004 and 2005; and BusinessWeek has included her on its list of the 25 most powerful business managers every year since 2000.

Prior to eBay, Meg was general manager of Hasbro Inc.'s Preschool Division, responsible for global management and marketing of two of the world's best-known children's brands, Playskool and Mr. Potato Head. During her tenure at Hasbro, Meg oversaw the reorganization of the Preschool Division and its return to profitability. From 1995 to 1997, Meg was president and CEO of Florists Transworld Delivery (FTD), the world's largest floral products company. While at FTD, Meg oversaw its transition from
a florist-owned association to a for-profit, privately owned company.

Before FTD, Meg served as president of the Stride Rite Corporation's Stride Rite Division, where she was responsible for the launch of the highly successful Munchkin baby shoe line and the repositioning of the Stride Rite brand and retail stores. Meg also held the positions of executive vice president for the Keds Division and corporate vice president of strategic planning.

Meg previously served as senior vice president of marketing for the Disney Consumer Products Division at the Walt Disney Company. She also was a vice president at Bain & Company's San Francisco office for eight years. Meg began her career at Procter & Gamble where she worked in brand management from 1979 to 1981.

During her business career, Meg has served on several boards of directors. Most recently, Meg served on the boards of Procter & Gamble, DreamWorks Animation and eBay.

During the 2008 presidential primary, Meg's friend and former colleague at Bain & Company, Governor Mitt Romney, asked Meg to serve as his national finance co-chair. Following Meg's efforts on behalf of Romney, Senator John McCain selected Meg to be a national co-chair of his campaign for president.

Meg received her bachelor's degree in economics from Princeton University and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School. She is married to Griffith R. Harsh IV and has two sons. Meg and her family live in the San Francisco Bay Area.

On February 9, 2009, she created an Exploratory Committee for the purpose of running for Governor of California in 2010. Committed to rebuilding the state's economy and creating jobs, reforming the budget process, championing public education, and with pride in the state's diverse people, Meg is the right leader for this challenging time. She will dedicate her energy and talent to help create A New California.