Who is Peter McMahon?
Peter McMahon was born on 6 June 1954, in Blackpool, Lancashire, England, and is a business executive, but better known for being the husband of political commentator Dana Perino, who is known for her work with Fox News, and from her previous position as the White House Press Secretary under then-President George W. Bush.
The Net Worth of Peter McMahon
As of early-2020, Peter McMahon’s net worth is estimated to be over $8 million, earned through a successful career in business.
He’s worked in various positions for several big companies, now serving as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company Shopko.
Early Life, Education, and Career Beginnings
Peter spent most of his youth in England, and at a young age developed an interest in pursuing business, as it was a career that he believed would help him earn lots of money quickly. After matriculating from high school, he enrolled at the University of Liverpool where he took up a Business Administration and Management degree. The university is known for its high profile alumni, some of whom have won Nobel prizes, while others have become the heads of corporations.
After completing his degree, he then set his sights on gaining experience, and got his first job with the company Sainsbury’s, the second largest in grocery chains in the UK, though at one point in history, it was the largest. It competes directly with other retail chains such as Asda and Tesco, the former of which it nearly merged with. Its largest shareholder is the country of Qatar holding 21% of its stock. He quickly worked his way up, becoming the distribution and supply chain director of the company.
Journey to Shopko
McMahon stayed with Sainsbury’s for the next eight years, and his work meant that he had to travel to various parts of the UK, including Scotland and Ireland while he was also responsible for Northern England.
In 2000, he left the company and took a break from work for two years. When he returned, he joined Sainsbury’s competitor Tesco managing most of its branches in Central Europe. He only stayed for two years, and then moved to Walmart as the company was now expanding its reach into Europe, a move that later proved to be a failure.
His job at Walmart led him to move to Germany, and he stayed with the company for another two years, leaving after he was offered the CEO position by the Canadian Loblaw Companies. The company is the largest food retailer in the country, holding numerous supermarkets while also managing brands such as No Name, Joe Fresh, President’s Choice, and Teddy’s Choice.
After seven years serving as the company’s CEO, he moved to join Shopko as its CEO, remaining until it ceased operations in 2019 following a declaration of bankruptcy, leading to all of its branches closing.
Wife – Dana Perino
Dana grew up in Denver, and is of Italian descent. She enrolled at Colorado State University-Pueblo and took up a degree in mass communications; she also had courses in Spanish and political science which would later set her path in politics. While in university, she worked for the PBS affiliate on campus, and was also a part of the school’s forensic team.
After graduating, she continued her studies at the University of Illinois – Springfield, taking-up a master’s degree in public affairs, and while doing so, she continued her work with the media.
After completing her master’s, she then moved to a career in politics, heading to Washington DC to serve as a staff assistant for Congressman Scot McInnis, a position which she held for the next four years. She then became the press secretary for the head of the House Commerce Sub-committee on Energy and Power Dan Schaefer. After he retired, she took a break from politics, moving to the UK to spend more time with her husband.
After three years, she made her return to the US, and took a job with the Department of Justice.
The Success of Dana Perino
After building her experience within government, she was hired to become the White House chief of staff just a few months after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. She worked her way up, and became the Deputy Press Secretary in 2005, eventually becoming Acting White House Press Secretary, replacing Tony Snow. Two years later, she was assigned by President George W. Bush to the position permanently, and stayed with the administration until the end of his run in 2009.
After leaving her career in the government, she moved to Fox News as a political commentator. She’s been seen mostly as a part of the show “The Five”, and was later assigned by President Barack Obama to become a member of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, while also teaching part-time at George Washington University.
One of her recent projects is becoming the co-host of the show “I’ll Tell You What” which is a part of the Fox News Channel programming.
While she has had a prolific career, she’s also had a few controversies in the past. One of the biggest is her belief that climate change doesn’t exist, calling scientists who support it as frauds.
Personal Life
Peter met Dana during a flight to Chicago – it was Dana who made the first move during the trip, somewhat surprisingly as he didn’t think that someone 18 years younger than him would approach him. They hit it off shortly, and within a few months of dating, they married in 1988. Their honeymoon was held in the popular Greek tourist destination Santorini. His marriage to her gained him a lot of attention within the US, due to his wife’s role within the government for many years.
This was his third marriage – he has children and is even a grandfather. His wife is very close to his children, even supporting them in several events. The couple spends most of their time in a home in Manhattan, New York City. They own two pet dogs.