Obama’s inner circle

President-elect Barack Obama has nominated his cabinet and other senior members of the administration who will take over on January 20. All cabinet members have to be ratified by the Senate. Click on the names to find short profiles of each of the team.

• Vice President: Joe Biden

• Secretary of State: Hillary Clinton

• Secretary of Defence: Robert Gates

• Attorney General: Eric Holder

• Secretary of the Treasury: Timothy Geithner

• Secretary of Homeland Security: Janet Napolitano

• Secretary of Veterans' Affairs: Eric Shinseki

• Secretary of Energy: Steven Chu

• Secretary of Education: Arne Duncan

• Secretary of Health and Human Services: Tom Daschle

• Secretary of Housing and Human Development: Shaun Donovan

• Secretary of Labour: Hilda Solis

• Secretary of Transportation: Ray LaHood

• Secretary of the Interior: Ken Salazar

• Secretary of Agriculture: Tom Vilsack

• Chief of Staff: Rahm Emanuel

• Director of National security: James Jones

• Director of the CIA: Leon Panetta

• Director of National Intelligence: Dennis Blair

• Ambassador to the United Nations: Susan Rice

• Director of National Economic Council: Lawrence Summers

• White House Press Secretary: Robert Gibbs

The Senate is due to begin confirmation hearings for cabinet members on Thursday, January 8. It is unlikely all hearings will be concluded by January 20, the day of Barack Obama's inauguration as 44th President.

The list above does not include Secretary of Commerce. Bill Richardson withdrew his name on January 4 in light of a federal investigation and no replacement has yet been announced.