NEW YORK -- President-elect Donald Trump on Friday announced the formation of an advisory group of more than a dozen CEOs and business leaders who will offer input on how to create jobs and speed economic growth.
The President's Strategic and Policy Forum will hold its first meeting at the White House in the first week of February, shortly after Trump takes office on Jan. 20.
Stephen Schwarzman, CEO of the Blackstone Group investment firm, will lead the group.
Trump has vowed to keep manufacturing jobs from leaving the country, and set a goal of growing the economy at 4 per cent a year, about twice the average of recent years.
"This forum brings together CEOs and business leaders who know what it takes to create jobs and drive economic growth," Trump said in a statement. "My administration is committed to drawing on private sector expertise and cutting the government red tape that is holding back our businesses from hiring, innovating, and expanding right here in America."
The forum will meet "frequently" with the president to offer views on how government policy impacts growth and jobs, according to the statement.
Trump has been reaching into the ranks big business and Wall Street to fill his cabinet posts. He has tapped former Goldman Sachs partner Steven Mnuchin as Treasury secretary and investment banker Wilbur Ross to head the Commerce Department.
President Barack Obama set up a similar non-partisan advisory group -- the President's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness -- to help shape his economy policies and help create jobs.
Members of Trump's forum include Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors; Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase; Doug McMillon, CEO of Wal-Mart Stores; Ginni Rometty, CEO of IBM; Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock; and Bob Iger, CEO of Walt Disney.
