The software vendor Oracle has added former US defence secretary and former CIA director Leon Panetta to its board of directors.
The appointment is the latest in a series of changes at Oracle, whose founder Larry Ellison stepped down as chief executive last year, and who is currently chair of the board and CTO of the firm.
Michael Boskin, independent chair of the nomination and governance committee at Oracle, said: "Secretary Panetta is a dynamic leader with a distinguished record of public service at the highest levels of government."
"He will add deep expertise and brings a fresh perspective to our board."
Panetta previously served under US president Barack Obama as defence secretary between 2011 and 2013, following on from his work at the CIA between 2009 and 2011. He also served as former president Bill Clinton’s Chief of Staff.
He joins a number of Americans politicians turning to the technology sector at the end of their careers, among them former US foreign secretary Condoleezza Rice, who joined the board of storage service Dropbox last year amid controversy over her past support for state wiretapping programmes.
Board members at Oracle are elected on one-year terms, with all of the directors expected to stand at the firm’s next shareholder meeting in November.
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