President Barack Obama has nominated British-born businesswoman Sally Jewell to oversee the United States' natural spaces as the Secretary of the Interior.

Jewell, who moved to the US at the age of three, will oversee 500m acres of public land - including Yellowstone Park and the Grand Canyon - pending the Senate approving her nomination.

Since 2005 she has been chief executive and president of outdoor retailer REI, nearly doubling the company's turnover to almost US$2bn during her tenure, adding 71 new stores and expanding the business online.

At the announcement of her appointment at the White House Obama described Jewell as an expert on energy and climate issues.

"She knows that there's no contradiction between being good stewards of the land and our economic progress; that in fact, those two things need to go hand in hand," he said.

Jewell, who would take over from current Secretary Ken Salazar, had worked as an engineer on the oil fields of Oklahoma and Colorado and spent 19 years in banking before her appointment at REI.