Just before Christmas, Ivanka Trump, advisor to her father, President Donald Trump, was quietly named one of several keynote speakers at the upcoming CES Jan. 7-12, 2020, in Las Vegas.
Ms. Trump will take the keynote stage with Gary Shapiro, CEO of CTA, on Jan. 7 at 2 p.m. PT in the Venetian’s Palazzo Ballroom. They will discuss employer-led strategies to reskill workers, create apprenticeships and develop K-12 STEM education programs.
“CES has consistently proven to be one of the most influential technology events in the world and I am excited to join this year for a substantive discussion on the how the government is working with private sector leaders to ensure American students and workers are equipped to thrive in the modern, digital economy,” Trump said in a statement.
In her White House role, Trump reportedly focuses on the economic empowerment of women and their families, skills-training and workforce development. Her work includes serving as co-chair of the National Council for the American Worker with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, which helps shape administration efforts to develop a competitive workforce for the future, according to a PR statement.
“As a business leader and entrepreneur, Ivanka Trump is an advocate for creating family-sustaining jobs through workforce development, education and skills training,” said Shapiro.
Trump joins other CES keynote speakers, including Samsung CEO of Consumer Electronics Division Hyun-Suk Kim; Daimler Chairman Ola Källenius; Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian; NBC Universal Chairman of Advertising and Partnerships Linda Yaccarino, Quibi CEO Meg Whitman and founder Jeffrey Katzenberg, Salesforce Chairman and co-CEO Marc Benioff and Unilever CEO Alan Jope.
Befitting her father’s tumultuous presidency, Ivanka has been criticized for myriad — often partisan issues — not the least of which is her limited tech background.
“It would be better if the background of the keynote speaker actually fit the industry it is serving and inspirational rather than talking heads and political,” Cindy Chin, CEO of the consultancy CLC Advisors, told The Guardian.
Regardless, Shapiro said Trump was more than welcome at the world’s largest consumer electronics show to share “her vision for technology’s role in creating and enabling the workforce of the future.”