Christopher P. Liddell was the Vice Chairman and Chief Financial Officer

Chief financial officer

The chief financial officer or Chief financial and operating officer is a corporate officer primarily responsible for managing the financial risks of the corporation. This officer is also responsible for financial planning and record-keeping, as well as financial reporting to higher management...

 (CFO) of General Motors

General Motors

General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...

 (GM). Liddell joined GM in January 2010, and led the company’s global finance operations until March 2011.

Before joining GM, Liddell was a Senior Vice President and CFO of Microsoft

Microsoft

Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...

 where, since 2005, he was responsible for leading their worldwide finance organization. His responsibilities included overseeing corporate strategy, acquisitions, treasury activities, tax planning, accounting and reporting, internal audits and investor relations. Liddell left Microsoft in December 2009.

Prior to Microsoft, from 2003 to 2005, Liddell served as CFO of International Paper

International Paper

International Paper Company is an American pulp and paper company, the largest such company in the world. It has approximately 59,500 employees, and it is headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee.-History:...

. From 1999 to 2002, he was Chief Executive Officer

Chief executive officer

A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...

 (CEO) of Carter Holt Harvey

Carter Holt Harvey

Carter Holt Harvey Limited is an Australasian forest products company, with significant interests in wood products, pulp, paper and packaging. The company employs approximately 10,500 people across Australasia. Carter Holt Harvey's head New Zealand office is located at 173 Captain Springs Road in...

, a forest products firm and then New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

’s second largest listed company. He had been CFO of Carter Holt Harvey from 1995 to 1998.

Liddell holds an Engineering degree with honors from the University of Auckland

University of Auckland

The University of Auckland is a university located in Auckland, New Zealand. It is the largest university in the country and the highest ranked in the 2011 QS World University Rankings, having been ranked worldwide...

 in New Zealand, and a Master of Philosophy degree from Oxford University

University of Oxford

The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...

 in England.

A native of New Zealand, Liddell has served as director of the New Zealand Rugby Union and governor of the New Zealand Sports Foundation. Liddell is a Distinguished Alumni of the University of Auckland and a patron of the University’s fundraising campaign. He was chairman of Project Crimson

Project Crimson

Project Crimson is a conservation initiative to promote the protection of the pohutukawa and the rata which are under threat due to browsing by the introduced Common Brushtail Possum...

, a conservation group, and is active in a number of environmental projects in New Zealand, such as the restoration of Rotoroa Island

Rotoroa Island

Rotoroa Island is an island to the east of Waiheke Island in the Hauraki Gulf of New Zealand. It covers . The Salvation Army purchased it for £400 in 1908 from the Ruthe family to expand their alcohol and drug rehabilitation facility at nearby Pakatoa Island. Men were treated at Home Bay at...

.

He was also a member of the Securities and Exchange Commission's Advisory Committee on Improvements to Financial Reporting.

Liddell married Renee Harbers in March 2011.