Former White House staffer Eric Pelletier has been appointed by Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba as the company’s head of government affairs (outside of China).
Pelletier, who joins from GE Capital, where he was Global Executive Leader for Government Affairs and Policy, previously served George W. Bush as Deputy Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs.
Pelletier will report to both Alibaba Group Senior VP and Head of International Corporate Affairs Jim Wilkinson, as well as Alibaba Group General Counsel and Corporate Secretary Tim Steinert.
“Eric is a proven leader who is respected on both sides of the aisle in Washington and around the globe,” said Wilkinson in a statement.
Before moving to the White House, Pelletier had U.S. Congress career that saw him as serve in the U.S. House of Representatives as Deputy Staff Director for the Committee on Rules, at the House Rules Committee, and as a legislative assistant to Congressman Gerald B.H. Solomon (R-NY).
Alibaba listed on the New York Stock Exchange in September last year.