Ms Hartley started her career working for the Democratic National Convention before briefly serving as an official in the Jimmy Carter administration in the 1970s, but spent much of the next few decades in the private sector, working leading two international economic policy consultancies – the Observatory Group and the G7 Group.
New York-born Ms Harley, who is married to investment banker and Evercore Partners chief executive Ralph Schlosstei, served brief stints as ambassador to France and Monaco between 2014 and 2017.
Following the 2015 massacre at the Charlie Hebdo office, Mrs Hartley proposed that Jeff Koons create an artwork to be offered to the City of Paris in homage to the victims. The resultant work, “Bouquet of Tulips”, raised objections in the French art world for being “inappropriate”.
Mr Bruen told The Telegraph that the US “absolutely needs someone more seasoned” to nurture the so-called Special Relationship.
“This is an essential relationship for restoring America’s credibility and influence across the globe. We need someone with exceptional skills and decades of experience,” said Mr Bruen, President of Global Situation Room consulting firm. “Because if we get this wrong, if we make one mistake in London, it will reverberate around the world. We need to understand how much has changed since Trump.
“These aren’t the good ole’ days when Hartley and I served under President Obama. Our position in the world has weakened significantly and we no longer have the luxury of sending amateur diplomats abroad.”
The UK posting is traditionally seen as one of the least demanding due to the countries’ close ties.
However, it comes at a critical time as Mr Biden and Prime Minister Boris Johnson try to cement ties with one of its closest allies despite differences over Brexit.
The US president has in recent months made a number of formal nominations to top diplomatic positions, tapping a mix of career foreign service officers, prominent donors and politicians from both parties.
