HP names new CEO to replace Lew Platt
Hewlett-Packard Co. announced last month that Carleton (Carly) Fiorina was appointed to the role of president and CEO. She will also join the HP board, the company said in a statement. The appointment ends an almost five-month search to replace 58-year-old Lew Platt, who announced his intention to retire as HP’s CEO amid a complete restructuring of the company in March. “Carly was our first choice and the only candidate presented to the board,” Platt said in a teleconference. Fiorina will take charge of the computer and imaging-related parts of HP. According to plans revealed in March, HP’s test and measurement business will be spun off into a separate company. Fiorina most recently served two years as president of Lucent Technologies Inc.’s Global Service Provider Business. She also spearheaded the planning and execution of Lucent’s 1996 initial public offering and subsequent spin-off from AT&T Corp. The new CEO will spend her first weeks getting to know the HP operations, employees and customers, “getting my arms around all the challenges,” Fiorina said, adding that she therefore will refrain for the time being from making pronouncements about any major changes, possible spin-offs and acquisitions.
