Doug Hickey
{{Short description|American businessman and diplomat}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Doug Hickey
| image = Douglas Hickey, U.S. Ambassador.jpg
| office = United States Ambassador to Finland
| term_start = May 11, 2022
| term_end = September 20, 2024
| president = Joe Biden
| predecessor = Robert Pence
| successor = Christopher Kraft
(Chargé d'affaires)
| birth_name = Douglas Thomas Hickey
| spouse = Dawn Ross
| party = Democratic
| education = Siena College (BA)
| residence = San Francisco, California, U.S.
}}
Douglas Thomas Hickey{{Cite web |date=May 11, 2022 |title=The President of the Republic of Finland received credentials from a new ambassador |url=https://www.presidentti.fi/en/news/president-of-the-republic-of-finland-received-credentials-from-a-new-ambassador-4/ |access-date=2022-05-11 |website=Presidentti |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=March 24, 2022 |title=PN1253 - Nomination of Douglas T. Hickey for Department of State, 117th Congress (2021-2022) |url=https://www.congress.gov/nomination/117th-congress/1253 |access-date=May 11, 2022 |website=www.congress.gov}} is an American businessman and diplomat who served as the United States ambassador to Finland from 2022 to 2024. He has more than 30 years of operational experience holding senior-level positions in the telecom, internet, and technology industries.
Education
Hickey earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics in 1977 from Siena College.{{Cite web|title=Douglas T. Hickey '77|url=https://www.siena.edu/alumni-and-friends/alumni-relations/awards-recognitions/honorary-degree-recipients/douglas-t-hickey-77/|access-date=2021-06-17|website=Siena College|language=en}}
Career
From 1989 to 1994, Hickey was the president of Metropolitan Fiber Systems. He later joined GlobalCenter, a web hosting service, before it was acquired by Exodus Communications. From 1998 until his resignation in 2001, Hickey was the president and CEO of Critical Path, Inc.{{Cite web|title=Doug Hickey critical path - Google Search|url=https://www.google.com/search?q=Doug+Hickey+critical+path|access-date=2021-06-17|website=www.google.com}} From 2000 to 2010, Hickey was a partner at Hummer Winblad Venture Partners in San Francisco. He was later the president and CEO of BinWise, Inc.,{{Citation |title=DOUG HICKEY - Mentor Minds |url=https://vimeo.com/135311653 |language=en |access-date=2022-04-18}} a company that provides software used to track beer, spirits, and wine inventory to businesses in the food and beverage industry.{{Cite web |title=Complete Bar Inventory Software System {{!}} BinWise |url=https://home.binwise.com/ |access-date=2022-04-18 |website=home.binwise.com}}
In 2014, Hickey was appointed to serve as the United States Ambassador and commissioner general to Expo Milano by President Barack Obama.{{Cite web|last=Rights|first=Robert F. Kennedy Human|title=Ambassador Doug Hickey|url=https://rfkhumanrights.org/people/doug-hickey|access-date=2021-06-17|website=Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights|language=en-US}}{{Cite press release|last=Milano 2015|first=Friends of the USA Pavilion|title=Doug Hickey Named the Commissioner General for the USA Pavilion at Milan Expo 2015|url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/doug-hickey-named-the-commissioner-general-for-the-usa-pavilion-at-milan-expo-2015-300003639.html|access-date=2021-06-17|website=www.prnewswire.com|language=en}}
=Ambassador to Finland=
Despite initial reports that President Joe Biden was considering to nominate him as Ambassador to Italy and San Marino, he was eventually nominated as Ambassador to Finland on October 8, 2021.{{cite tweet |last=Moynihan |first=Lydia |user=LJMoynihan |number=1402774732173463552 |date=2021-06-09 |title=SCOOP: Doug Hickey—a top Biden donor and VC is expected to be offered the ambassadorship to Italy imminently; former Republican Senator Jeff Flake expected to be offered ambassadorship to New Zealand imminently |language=en |access-date=2021-10-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211008221949/https://twitter.com/ljmoynihan/status/1402774732173463552 |archive-date=2021-10-08 |url-status=live}}{{Cite web|date=2021-10-08|title=President Biden Announces Key Nominations|url=https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/10/08/president-biden-announces-key-nominations-4/|access-date=2021-10-08|website=The White House|language=en-US}}
Hearings on Hickey's nomination were held before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on March 3, 2022. The committee favorably reported his nomination to the Senate floor on March 23, 2022. Hickey was confirmed by the entire Senate via voice vote on March 24, 2022. Because of pandemic protocols related to COVID-19, Hickey took his oath of office in Sun Valley, Idaho.{{Cite web |title=Sun Valley Man Takes Oath as Ambassador to Finland |url=https://eyeonsunvalley.com/Story_Reader/9347/Sun-Valley-Man-Takes-Oath-as-Ambassador-to-Finland/ |access-date=2024-07-07 |website=eyeonsunvalley.com}}
He presented his credentials to President Sauli Niinistö on May 11, 2022.
During Hickey's tenure, major developments in U.S.-Finland relations include Finland's ascension to NATO and a joint statement on U.S.-Finland Science and Technology Cooperation, including biotechnology, climate science, and health science.{{Cite web |title=A View from the Front Line: U.S. Ambassador to Finland Speaks at Tufts {{!}} Gordon Institute |url=https://gordon.tufts.edu/news-events/news/view-front-line-us-ambassador-finland-speaks-tufts |access-date=2024-07-07 |website=gordon.tufts.edu}}{{Cite web |last=Ferran |first=Lee |date=2024-05-24 |title=Once a key behind-the-scenes player on a Cold War stage, US Embassy Helsinki steps into the spotlight |url=https://breakingdefense.com/2024/05/once-a-key-behind-the-scenes-player-on-a-cold-war-stage-us-embassy-helsinki-steps-into-the-spotlight/ |access-date=2024-07-07 |website=Breaking Defense |language=en-US}} Hickey retired from his post on September 20, 2024.{{cite web|url=https://fi.usembassy.gov/former-ambassadors-and-ministers/|title=Former Ambassadors and Ministers|work=U.S. Embassy in Finland|date=26 January 2023 |access-date=October 31, 2024}}
Awards and recognitions
In 2016, Hickey received an honorary doctorate degree from Siena College.{{Cite web |title=Douglas T. Hickey '77 |url=https://www.siena.edu/alumni-and-friends/alumni-relations/awards-recognitions/honorary-degree-recipients/douglas-t-hickey-77/ |access-date=2024-07-07 |website=Siena College |language=en}}
Personal life
Hickey and his wife, Dawn Ross, have been prominent financial supporters of Democratic presidential candidates, including John Kerry, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Joe Biden.{{Cite web|last=ABC7|title=Vice President Joe Biden's visit for Democratic fundraiser snarls Sea Cliff traffic {{!}} ABC7 San Francisco {{!}} abc7news.com|url=https://abc7news.com/archive/9139268/|access-date=2021-06-17|website=ABC7 San Francisco|language=en}}{{Cite news|last=Buckman|first=Rebecca|date=2008-01-22|title=Democrats Woo Silicon Valley|language=en-US|work=Wall Street Journal|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB120096748793705395|access-date=2021-06-17|issn=0099-9660}}{{Cite web|last=Schwartz|first=Brian|date=2019-06-13|title=Former Twitter executive and Obama financiers will host Joe Biden during Bay Area fundraising blitz|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2019/06/13/biden-bay-area-fundraising-tour-includes-ex-twitter-executive.html|access-date=2021-06-17|website=CNBC|language=en}} They have two sons.
References
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{{US Ambassadors to Finland}}
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Category:Businesspeople from California
Category:American venture capitalists