Meta has appointed former Trump administration adviser Dina Powell McCormick to a newly created senior leadership role, highlighting the tech giant’s commitment to accelerating its expansion into artificial intelligence infrastructure.
The owner of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp announced that Powell McCormick will join as president and vice chairman, overseeing global strategy, government engagement, and capital partnerships, with a particular emphasis on funding and scaling Meta’s extensive AI ambitions.
The appointment follows Powell McCormick’s recent departure from Meta’s board, a decision that initially surprised investors since she had joined less than a year earlier. She will now report directly to Meta founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg, the company confirmed.
In a statement, Zuckerberg emphasised Powell McCormick’s suitability for the role, citing her experience in global finance and her extensive international relationships. “Dina’s experience at the highest levels of global finance, combined with her deep relationships around the world, makes her exceptionally well placed to help Meta navigate this next phase of growth,” he said.
Meta has positioned itself as one of the leading investors in AI infrastructure, competing with companies such as OpenAI, Microsoft, and Oracle to develop increasingly powerful systems. The company is constructing multiple gigawatt-scale data centres across the United States, including a flagship site in Louisiana, which former US president Donald Trump highlighted. This project is expected to cost up to $50 billion.
Zuckerberg has committed to spending up to $600 billion on infrastructure over the coming years and has begun raising tens of billions of dollars in external financing to support the programme. Meta has also established long-term energy partnerships, making it one of the world’s largest corporate buyers of nuclear power to meet the vast electricity demands of AI.
Powell McCormick will play a central role in securing and managing those capital relationships. She brings over three decades of experience in global finance, including 16 years at Goldman Sachs, where she led the firm’s global sovereign investment banking business. Most recently, she served as president and head of global client services at investment firm BDT & MSD Partners. She is expected to remain on BDT & MSD’s advisory board following her move to Meta.
Her appointment also signifies Meta’s increasing engagement with governments as scrutiny of AI, data centres, and energy use intensifies. Powell McCormick previously served as deputy national security adviser during Trump’s first term and held senior roles in the George W. Bush administration. Her husband, Dave McCormick, is currently a Republican senator for Pennsylvania.
Meta’s move comes amid growing competition in AI infrastructure, with rivals such as Elon Musk’s xAI, which recently announced a $20 billion expansion of data centre capacity near Memphis, and OpenAI-backed projects aiming to reshape global computing power.
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