Penny Pritzker

Penny Sue Pritzker ( born 1959 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American entrepreneur and politician. She is a member of one of the richest families in the country. Pritzker is the daughter of Donald Pritzker (1932-1972), who founded together with his brother Jay Pritzker (1922-1999) in 1957, the Hyatt Group. On 2 May 2013, it was officially nominated by U.S. President Barack Obama for the Office of the Minister for Trade, which she has held since 26 June of the same year.

Entrepreneur

A graduate of the universities of Harvard and Stanford is according to the list of billionaires of the Forbes Magazine one of the richest people in the United States. So it was, for example, 2007 with assets of $ 2.8 billion to place 135 ( 2009 assets: $ 1.1 billion ). The assets derive, inter alia, from the Hyatt hotel group. Penny Pritzker is Miteignerin the Superior Bank of Chicago. She is also an entrepreneur in various business fields, including with the Pritzker Realty Group, in the operation of car parks (from The Parking Spot ) or one of the largest credit bureaus in the country, TransUnion.

Political and philanthropic activities

Penny Pritzker is one of the most well-known philanthropists in the country and is involved with various organizations and foundations in the areas of education, child Help and art. Despite her social engagements is criticized for the previous activity in the part family's Superior Bank, which was closed due to dealing with bad mortgages ( subprime ). Pritzker is also accused by critics that it has invested part of their wealth in tax havens. Critical also their handling of the Hyatt staff is seen.

Pritzker is a member of the Democratic Party and was ahead of the 2008 presidential election CFO in Barack Obama's campaign team. Also in previous elections it was fundraiser. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and an advisor to the Obama administration in the economic sphere ( a member of the President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board ).

On May 2, 2013, President Obama nominated Pritzker for the Office of the U.S. Trade Minister ( " United States Secretary of Commerce "). The post, which provides for the care relationship between the government and the domestic business community, in contrast to the Treasury applies (Jacob Lew ) or trade representative of the President as less influential. On 25 June 2013, the Senate confirmed the nomination with 97:1 votes. As the only Senator Bernie Sanders from Vermont voted against her appointment.