Rex Tillerson: What you need to know about Donald Trump's pick for Secretary of State
Jamie Roberton
Former Health and Science Producer
Rex Tillerson - the Exxon Mobil boss with extremely close ties to Vladimir Putin - has won the race to be Donald Trump's secretary of state.
The nomination is controversial and likely to leave many on Capitol Hill nauseating at the idea of someone with links to a man they view as America's enemy becoming the nation's top diplomat.
Here's what you need to know about Rex Tillerson.
He's pals with Putin
Friends of the 64-year-old Texan told the Wall Street Journal that few US citizens are as close to the Russian president as him.
Tillerson has enjoyed a two-decade long relationship with Putin, who even bestowed on him an Order of Friendship award in 2013.
Tillerson has been the mastermind behind many of Exxon's business ventures in Russia, negotiating multi-billion dollar deals with its state oil firm Rosneft.
Therefore it is no surprise that he has been a vocal critic of international sanctions against Russia over its actions in Ukraine.
America's relationship with Russia is at its lowest point since the Cold War. The two superpowers have clashed over Ukraine, Syria and, even more recently, claims Russia deliberately interfered in the presidential election to boost Trump's chances.
Tillerson's nomination is the first step in thawing relations, potentially representing - as our Washington correspondent Robert Moore writes - a dramatic and unprecedented pro-Russian tilt in American foreign policy.
He has no government experience
Trump is choosing a seasoned dealmaker who has been at the helm of one of the biggest multinationals for more than four decades.
He has spent his entire career at Exxon, working his way up from production engineer to chief executive.
But Tillerson has no government experience and, if his nomination is approved by the Senate, he will face an almighty learning curve in becoming America's diplomat-in-chief and dealing with the multitude of global problems such as Russian aggression, the Syrian conflict and North Korea.
He could face a battle to win Senate backing
Tillerson has to win the Senate's backing if he is to be confirmed as secretary of state and judging by the initial reaction from Democrats and some wary Republicans, that is no foregone conclusion.
John McCain, the former presidential nominee, said on Saturday that the choice of Tillerson was a "matter of concern" as he branded Putin "a thug, bully and murderer".
Others are already depicting Tillerson as a Kremlin stooge.
He can expect a brutal confirmation hearing, where he will inevitably be questioned on his connection to Putin and his desire to see Exxon succeed in Russia.