( CNN ) -- Bob McDonald , President Barack Obama 's pick to head the troubled Department of Veterans Affairs , has been in the hot seat before . That 's when he led global consumer products giant Procter & Gamble in the throes of the Great Recession , gaining praise and criticism for aggressive management before being replaced by the board . Now , if confirmed by the Senate , he must leverage his military and corporate credentials to at least begin restructuring a sprawling agency the Obama administration now concludes has serious problems delivering adequate health care mainly due to ineffective leadership . P & G . McDonald attended West Point and served a stint in the Army before earning an MBA from the University of Utah . He worked his way up the ranks of P & G over three decades before landing the top job . There , his role was to restructure and streamline the conglomerate with 120,000 employees , 25 brands and $ 1 billion in revenue . Its diverse and recognizable brand lineup included Bounty paper towels , Duracell batteries , Pampers diapers and Tide detergent . His bio says his leadership strategically improved performance and that the company 's stock rose 60 % during his four-year tenure . By the time McDonald landed in the top `` C-suite '' job , his prescription was to shrink the company . His plan was to save about $ 10 billion over four years , including significant marketing cuts and a 10 % workforce reduction . He was rewarded with a $ 15.9 million salary during 2013 , his last year . Ultimately , he was ousted with critics arguing the company was n't moving fast enough to improve efficiency . Chief among them was hedge fund investor Bill Ackman , who contended McDonald served on the boards of too many other organizations to focus properly on P & G 's needs . The company said Ackman 's claims were overstated . Despite the investor controversy , P & G won several awards under McDonald 's tenure . It was twice named best company for leaders by Chief Executive Magazine , and ranked first among over 2,000 companies in a leadership study by the management consultants at Hay Group . Military credentials . McDonald also served five years in the Army , rising to captain following his military academy training . He has maintained close ties to West Point , establishing a conference to teach leadership skills . But McDonald 's relatively light military experience is concerning to some veterans groups . Paul Rieckhoff , President of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America , called Obama 's choice `` surprising . '' `` He 's been away from the military for quite a while , and will have to move quickly to show he is committed to and understands the post-9/11 generation of veterans , '' he added . By contrast , his predecessor , Eric Shinseki , had been an Army general . Shinseki resigned under pressure in May with the VA engulfed in searing controversy over delayed care with deadly results , allegations of coverup , and revelations of severe management shortcomings . Political savvy . While a businessman , McDonald has been familiar with the ways of Washington . He was appointed by President George W. Bush and reappointed by Obama to be a member of the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy . He has also engaged in the political process with campaign contributions totaling $ 30,000 made exclusively to Republicans . Half of that went to Mitt Romney 's 2012 presidential campaign and political action committee , according to Federal Election Commission records . Not long after that news emerged , House Speaker John Boehner praised McDonald , calling him `` a good man , a veteran , and a strong leader . '' `` With those traits , he 's the kind of person who is capable of implementing the kind of dramatic systemic change that is badly needed and long overdue at the VA , '' Boehner said . McDonald has contributed to Boehner 's coffers as well . McDonald currently serves on the board of the Xerox Corporation as well as U.S. Steel and several advisory groups . If confirmed , McDonald will take over an agency still under investigation by the VA inspector general and the FBI . The VA provides medical care and other services to more than 8 million veterans . CNNMoney 's Zain Asher and CNN 's Erin McPike contributed to this report .
President Obama is expected to nominate Bob McDonald to head the VA . He led Procter & Gamble during the Great Recession . He was forced out of his job after four years but received high marks from some . Comment: