Christopher Burnham

Christopher Bancroft Burnham (born 1956)[1] is and American business executive, public servant, and politician. He is the chairman and chief executive officer of Cambridge Global Capital, LLC[2] and chairman of the board of EN+ Group.[3] He has served as Under Secretary General for Management of the United Nations, Assistant Secretary of State for Resource Management and chief financial officer of the U.S. Department of State. He was a three-term Member of the Connecticut House of Representatives, Connecticut State Treasurer[4] as well as vice chairman of Deutsche Bank Asset Management and global co-head of private equity.[5]

Chris Burnham
Under Secretary General of the United Nations for Management
In office
June 1, 2005 – November 15, 2006
Secretary GeneralKofi Annan
Preceded byCatherine Bertini
Succeeded byAlicia Bárcena Ibarra
Under Secretary of State for Management
Acting
In office
February 4, 2005 – June 1, 2005
PresidentGeorge W. Bush
Preceded byGrant S. Green Jr.
Succeeded byHenrietta H. Fore
Assistant Secretary of State for Resource Management
In office
January 30, 2002 – February 4, 2005
PresidentGeorge W. Bush
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byBradford Higgins
Treasurer of Connecticut
In office
January 4, 1995 – July 22, 1997
GovernorJohn G. Rowland
Preceded byJoseph M. Suggs Jr.
Succeeded byPaul J. Silvester
Member of the Connecticut House of Representatives
from the 147th district
In office
1987–1993
Preceded byChris Shays
Succeeded byMichael Fedele
Personal details
Born
Christopher Bancroft Burnham

1956 (age 66–67)
Political partyRepublican
EducationWashington and Lee University (BA)
Harvard University (MPA)

Early life and education

Burnham was raised in Stamford, Connecticut. His father, Alexander O. Burnham, was the managing editor of Dodd, Mead & Company and an author.[6]

Burnham earned an undergraduate degree from Washington and Lee University and a master's degree in public administration from Harvard Kennedy School.[7]

Career

Burnham is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps and a veteran of the first Gulf War. He led one of the first infantry units to reach and liberate Kuwait City in 1991.[7] From 1987 to 1992 he was a representative in the Connecticut General Assembly.[6]

Burnham was elected Connecticut State Treasurer in 1994,[8] defeating the Democratic incumbent Joseph M. Suggs Jr. Burnham resigned effective July 22, 1997, to become president and chief executive officer of Columbus Circle Investors, an investment firm based in Stamford, Connecticut. Because Burnham had previously hired the firm to manage $150 million of the state's pension funds, his decision to join the company came under criticism.[9]

Burnham was an investment banker with Credit Suisse First Boston and Advest Corporate Finance. He was elected to the Connecticut House of Representatives three times, and served as assistant minority leader.[7]

In 2020, Burnham was nominated by President Donald Trump to be the member of the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board (FRTIB).[10][11]

United Nations

Burnham joined the United Nations in 2005[12] after serving as acting Under Secretary of State for Management for Secretary Condoleezza Rice, and as Assistant Secretary of State for resource management and chief financial officer of the State Department for General Colin Powell. He established the first UN Ethics Office, the first United Nations Independent Audit Advisory Committee, the adoption of new International Public Sector Accounting Standards, the first comprehensive consolidated annual report in the history of the United Nations, and a new whistleblower protection policy that received independent recognition as the “gold standard.”[13]

During his time as under secretary general for management at the UN, Burnham uncovered extensive evidence of fraud involving the purchase of equipment for peacekeeping operations amounting to tens of millions of dollars.[14] The investigation led to the suspension with pay of eight officials from the offices of peacekeeping and management.[15]

Personal life

Burnham married Courtney Anne Bauer in 1993.[6]

Burnham was a resident of Stamford and Greenwich, Connecticut. He served on President Donald Trump's transition team at the U.S. State Department in 2016.[8]

References
  1. "Christopher Bancroft Burnham (1956–)". Department of State. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
  2. Jaeger2019-01-29T11:15:00+00:00, Jaclyn. "Treasury lifts sanctions on Rusal, En+, ESE". Compliance Week. Retrieved 2022-05-17.
  3. Drummond, James (2022-03-31). "Russian aluminium giant En+ warns of 'difficulties' as war rages in Ukraine". Evening Standard. Retrieved 2022-05-17.
  4. "SECRETARY-GENERAL APPOINTS CHRISTOPHER BANCROFT BURNHAM OF UNITED STATES AS NEW UNDER-SECRETARY-GENERAL FOR MANAGEMENT". United Nations. May 17, 2005.
  5. Philip Rucker (2011-10-06). "Mitt Romney taps foreign policy, national security advisers". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C. ISSN 0190-8286. OCLC 1330888409.
  6. "WEDDINGS; Courtney Bauer, C. B. Burnham". The New York Times. 1993-06-20. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-05-17.
  7. Department Of State. The Office of Electronic Information, Bureau of Public Affairs. "Burnham, Christopher B." 2001-2009.state.gov. Retrieved 2022-05-17.
  8. Vigdor, Neil (2016-11-21). "CT Politics: Bush pals choreograph Trump's State Department transition". Connecticut Post. Retrieved 2022-05-17.
  9. Levin, Alan (1997-08-11). "Treasurer's Post Draws Scrutiny". The Hartford Courant. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
  10. "S.Hrg. 116-495 — NOMINATIONS OF JOHN GIBBS, HON. JOHN M. BARGER, HON. CHRISTOPHER B. BURNHAM, AND FRANK DUNLEVY". www.congress.gov. Retrieved 2022-05-17.
  11. "TSP Board Nominees Skeptical of China Investment, but Pledge Independence". Government Executive. 10 September 2020. Retrieved 2022-05-17.
  12. Marilyn V. Swartz (2007). United Nations in Focus: Issues and Perspectives. Nova Publishers. pp. 8–. ISBN 978-1-60021-471-4. In May 2005, the Secretary-General appointed Christopher Burnham to be U.N. Under Secretary-General for Management.
  13. Volcker, Paul; Burnham, Christopher (January 9, 2008). "In the Right Direction". The New York Sun. Retrieved 2019-01-10.
  14. Lynch, Colum (2006-01-24). "U.N. Finds Waste in Peacekeeping Work". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2022-05-17.
  15. Hoge, Warren (2006-01-24). "U.N. Looking at Charges of Fraud in Procurement". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-05-17.
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