Ken Howery
Ken Howery | |
---|---|
United States Ambassador to Sweden | |
In office November 7, 2019 – January 20, 2021 | |
President | Donald Trump |
Preceded by | Azita Raji |
Succeeded by | Erik Ramanathan |
Personal details | |
Born | Kenneth Alan Howery November 4, 1975 |
Alma mater | Stanford University (BA) |
Known for | Co-founder and CFO at PayPal; Co-founder and partner at Founders Fund |
Kenneth Alan Howery (/ˈhaʊəri/; born November 4, 1975) is an American entrepreneur and diplomat. He is a co-founder of PayPal[1] and Founders Fund.[2] He served as the U.S. Ambassador to Sweden from 2019 to 2021 under President Donald Trump.[3]
Early life and education
Howery was born in 1975 in Texas.[4][5] Later graduating from Stanford University in 1998 with a B.A. in economics. While at Stanford, he was managing editor of The Stanford Review, a student-run newspaper founded by Peter Thiel.[6]
Career
The same year he graduated, he co-founded
In March 2012, the World Economic Forum named Howery a Young Global Leader,[7] a community of “socially-minded men and women selected under the age of 40, who operate as a force for good to overcome barriers that elsewhere stand in the way of progress."[8] He is also a member of the Selection Committee for the World Economic Forum Technology Pioneers Program.[9]
In 2005, Howery and Thiel, along with fellow PayPal alumnus, Luke Nosek, started Founders Fund, a San Francisco-based venture capital firm with over $3 billion under management, where he served as co-founder and partner. He has served on the boards of Quantcast and ZocDoc. In 2010, Venture Capital Journal named Howery one of the Top 10 VCs under 36.[10] He has lectured on entrepreneurship at Harvard Business School and Stanford, and has helped students at UC Berkeley and the McCombs School of Business develop business models.
Howery is a member of The Explorers Club, a non-profit group that promotes scientific exploration.[11]
Howery serves as an advisor to Kiva, a 501(c)(3) charity organization which enables people to lend money via the Internet to low-income entrepreneurs and students in over 80 countries. He is a member of the U.S. Council on Competitiveness, which has a stated goal of increasing the United States' economic competitiveness in the global marketplace.[9]
Howery's net worth stands at $1.5 billion.[12]
Diplomacy
On January 16, 2019, Howery was nominated by President Donald Trump to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Kingdom of Sweden.[13][14] Following a confirmation hearing on May 16, 2019, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee favorably reported Howery's nomination to the Senate, which confirmed Howery on September 17, 2019, by a vote of 62–32.[15][16] In his confirmation hearing, Howery stated his priorities as ambassador would include pursuing expanded economic and trade relationships, advancing mutual security commitments, and promoting science, technology and entrepreneurship opportunities.[17]
Howery was sworn in as ambassador on October 10, 2019,[18] and presented his credentials to His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf on November 7, 2019.[19]
As ambassador, Howery was active across a number of policy areas.[20] Howery engaged with Swedish officials on defense issues and military strategy, including pressing for increased interoperability of U.S. and Swedish military systems.[21][22] He also advocated for the longstanding U.S. goal of increased European defense spending; Sweden approved a 40% increase in defense spending over five years during Howery's tenure - the largest increase in more than 70 years.[23]
Howery strongly advocated for clean 5G technology,[24] promoting the official U.S Department of State position that encourages the use of equipment made by Swedish manufacturer Ericsson and asserts that Huawei-made products are a security risk to democracies. Howery met with senior Swedish officials on 5G security in September, 2020,[25] and Sweden subsequently announced a ban on equipment from telecommunication companies Huawei and ZTE in its 5G network.[26] Howery also promoted increased cooperation, including on security issues, between the U.S. and Sweden in the Arctic.[27] In October 2020, Sweden published its first new Arctic Strategy in a decade, highlighting concerns about deteriorating global relations and the growth of military activity in the Arctic.[28][29] His Arctic advocacy included helping establish a partnership between the Arctic Initiative at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and Sweden's Luleå University of Technology.[30]
As Sweden serves as the protecting power for the United States in North Korea,[31] Howery worked to maintain a strong communication channel for the push for denuclearization, and worked with Swedish officials to counter disinformation, and promote democracy, human rights, free trade, and regional security.[22]
Howery advocated for the importance of transparency and information-sharing between countries to respond effectively to the COVID-19 pandemic.[32] He led efforts by U.S. Embassy Stockholm to assist Swedish manufacturer Getinge with supply chain issues, helping it to expand production of ventilators for the benefit of COVID-19 patients in the United States and around the world.[33]
Howery has engaged with the Swedish academic community, including on the role universities can play in entrepreneurship and the importance of academic integrity.[34][35] He has conducted outreach to the U.S. and Swedish business communities in Sweden,[36][37][38][39][40] including delivering speeches at the Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce and the American Chamber of Commerce.[41][42] He has also engaged with top Swedish scientific research institutes, science parks, and Sweden's Innovation Agency.[43][44][45][46][47]
References
- ^ Kelly, Makena (2018-10-16). "Peter Thiel associate named as ambassador to Sweden". The Verge. Retrieved 2020-08-04.
- ^ "Ken Howery". Forbes. Retrieved 2020-08-04.
- ^ "USA:s ambassadör i Sverige har lämnat in avskedsansökan". SVT. January 13, 2021. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
- ^ "The U.S. Ambassador visits Chalmers". January 9, 2020. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
- ^ "PN127 116th Congress". September 17, 2019. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
- ^ "Life After the Stanford Review". The Stanford Review. February 10, 2012. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
- ^ "List of 2012 Young Global Leaders Honourees" (PDF). World Economic Forum. July 20, 2012. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
- ^ "Young Global Leaders". World Economic Forum. Retrieved 2017-07-28.
- ^ a b "Board and Advisors | Kiva". blog.kiva.org. Retrieved 2017-07-28.
- ^ Staff (August 2, 2010). "Hot prospects: Top 10 VCs under 36". Reuters. Archived from the original on August 3, 2010.
- ^ "Behind the Scenes with PayPal Co-Founder Ken Howery". IVY MAGAZINE. October 11, 2016. Archived from the original on August 15, 2017. Retrieved August 15, 2017.
- ^ "PayPal net worth has surpassed parent company eBay - Compelo". NS Business. 2018-02-01. Retrieved 2020-06-17.
- ^ "Nominations Sent to the Senate". The White House. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
- ^ "Sweden one step closer to getting a US ambassador – after more than two years". www.thelocal.se. May 29, 2019.
- ^ "U.S. Senate: U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 116th Congress - 1st Session". www.senate.gov.
- ^ "PN127 — Kenneth A. Howery — Department of State". Congress.gov. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
- ^ "Statement of Kenneth A. Howery" (PDF). Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
- ^ "Ambassador Kenneth A. Howery". U.S. Embassy in Sweden. Retrieved 2020-12-22.
- ^ "The King receives foreign ambassadors - Sveriges Kungahus". www.kungahuset.se. Archived from the original on 2021-01-11. Retrieved 2020-12-22.
- ^ ""USA:s och Sveriges militära samarbete har aldrig varit tätare än under Trump"". DN.SE (in Swedish). 2020-12-21. Retrieved 2020-12-22.
- )
- ^ a b "A Farewell Message from Ambassador Howery". U.S. Embassy in Sweden. 2021-01-20. Retrieved 2021-02-16.
- ^ "Sweden ups defense budget 40% due to regional tensions". Defense News. Associated Press. 2020-12-15. Retrieved 2020-12-22.
- ^ Piauger, Alexander (2020-01-23). "USA:s ambassadör om Kinas investeringar i Göteborg: "Det kan ni få ångra"". gp.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 2020-12-22.
- ^ Ken Howery [@USAmbSweden] (September 9, 2020). "Secure 5G, Arctic issues, and eastern Europe are just some of the issues the U.S. and Sweden cooperate on hand-in-hand. Thanks @SweMFA State Secretary Rydberg and @SweAmericas Head Veronika Wand-Danielsson (@AmbVWD) for a great discussion" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 9 September 2020 – via Twitter.
- ^ Soderpalm, Supantha Mukherjee, Helena (2020-10-20). "Sweden bans Huawei, ZTE from upcoming 5G networks". Reuters. Retrieved 2020-12-22.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ISSN 1101-2412. Retrieved 2020-12-22.
- ^ Regeringskansliet, Regeringen och (2020-11-10). "Sweden's strategy for the Arctic region 2020". Regeringskansliet. Retrieved 2020-12-22.
- ^ Bye, Text Hilde-Gunn. "Sweden Launches New Arctic Strategy". www.highnorthnews.com. Retrieved 2020-12-22.
- ^ "Arctic Innovation Lab: New Ideas For a Better Arctic". Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. Retrieved 2020-12-22.
- ^ "North Korea International Travel Information". travel.state.gov. Retrieved 2021-02-16.
- ^ "DEBATT. USA:s ambassadör: Vi måste förenas i kampen mot corona". www.expressen.se (in Swedish). 2 April 2020. Retrieved 2020-12-22.
- ^ "Remarks for the October 1, 2020 SACC-USA Executive Forum". U.S. Embassy in Sweden. Archived from the original on 2021-01-13. Retrieved 2020-12-22.
- ^ "US Ambassador Kenneth Howery highlights the university's importance for entrepreneurship - Luleå University of Technology". www.ltu.se. 2020-02-14. Retrieved 2020-12-22.
- ^ Ken Howery [@USAmbSweden] (December 8, 2020). "Delighted to have leaders of several of Sweden's top universities join me for a wide-ranging discussion today with @STASatState Dr. Mung Chiang about ensuring academic integrity while promoting cutting-edge research" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 19 January 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ Ken Howery [@USAmbSweden] (October 20, 2020). "Enjoyed talking about #entrepreneurship and #innovation with #Malmö tech investor Hampus Jakobsson (@hajak) at Malmö Business Day" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
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value (help) - ^ Ken Howery [@USAmbSweden] (February 14, 2020). "Impressed by @SSAB_AB's innovative initiatives to pilot (and eventually scale up) carbon free steel production. Also excited to find out how SSAB Americas is bringing their technology to #Iowa and #Alabama. Private sector innovation will lead the way" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 14 February 2020 – via Twitter.
- ^ Ken Howery [@USAmbSweden] (January 22, 2020). "Thank you to Henrik Henriksson and the entire team at @scaniagroup in #Södertälje for a wonderful day learning about #Scania!" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 19 January 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ Ken Howery [@USAmbSweden] (January 15, 2020). "Honored to be invited to @AstraZeneca incubator, @BioVentureHub, which houses some fascinating bio- and medtech startups. I hope to see them invested in the U.S. one day soon!" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 15 January 2020 – via Twitter.
- ^ Ken Howery [@USAmbSweden] (December 9, 2019). "Thanks to @Ericsson CEO Börje Ekholm for showing me how Ericsson provides secure 5G technology to networks around the world. #USSwedishTrade" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 9 December 2019 – via Twitter.
- ^ "EXECUTIVE FORUM 2020 [WASHINGTON, D.C.]". SACC-NE. October 2020. Retrieved 2020-12-22.
- ^ "A Conversation with Ambassador Kenneth A. Howery". American Chamber of Commerce in Sweden. Archived from the original on 2021-01-12. Retrieved 2020-12-22.
- ^ European Spallation Source [@essneutron] (October 20, 2020). "We were happy to host the US Ambassador to Sweden on site yesterday! We look forward to seeing you at #ESSneutron again soon @USAmbSweden!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ MAX IV Laboratory [@MAXIVLaboratory] (October 20, 2020). "We are glad and honored to have welcomed @USAmbSweden to @MAXIVLaboratory. No one better than our director Ian McNulty could showcase the great potential of the world's brightest source of #xray and the opportunities for #research and #collaboration" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Ken Howery [@USAmbSweden] (October 21, 2020). "Exciting to see some of the cutting-edge life science work going on @MedeonSP and Open Lab #Skåne this morning; hope some of these firms will consider investing in and partnering with the United States soon" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 21 October 2020 – via Twitter.
- ^ Lindholmen Science Park [@Lindholmen] (January 21, 2020). "Här är ett förevigat ögonblick från det intressanta och givande besöket med ambassadör Ken Howery @USAmbSweden. #gbgftw #lindholmensciencepark #Sweden #collaboration" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Ken Howery [@USAmbSweden] (March 9, 2020). "Interesting briefing by @vinnovase DG Darja Isaksson (@darjaisaksson) on their operations, strategic innovation programs and activities in the U.S." (Tweet). Archived from the original on 9 March 2020 – via Twitter.