Carly Fiorina Appointed as Hewlett-Packard's CEO

Carly Fiorina, a 44-year-old senior executive at Lucent Technologies, has taken over as the chief executive of Hewlett-Packard (HP), marking a significant milestone in the company's history. Fiorina has replaced Lew Platt, who will stay on as chairman until the end of the year. As HP's new CEO, Fiorina aims to reinvigorate the company's operations by introducing a "sense of speed, urgency, and determination to win". Her appointment comes at a time when HP has been criticized for lacking the aggressiveness of its competitors in the computer industry.

Key Takeaways:

• Carly Fiorina, 44, has been appointed as the new CEO of Hewlett-Packard (HP), replacing Lew Platt.
• Fiorina is a 20-year veteran of AT&T and Lucent Technologies, where she was most recently president of the company's $20 billion services business.
• Her appointment marks several firsts, including being the first woman to head a leading US computer company and the first outsider to be picked for the prime job at HP.
• Fiorina aims to reinforce HP's corporate culture while injecting a "sense of speed, urgency, and determination to win" in the company's operations.
• Lew Platt will stay on as chairman until the end of the year, after which he will be replaced by Dick Hackborn, a former HP executive and member of the board.
• Fiorina has become a member of HP's board and will lead the company's efforts to focus on computing and printing products and services.

Statistics:

• HP's measurement equipment business will be separated later this year to focus on computing and printing products and services.
• Fiorina's experience in leading Lucent's $20 billion services business is expected to benefit HP in its future growth plans.
• HP is one of the most admired companies in the US, but has been criticized for lacking the aggressiveness of its competitors in the computer industry.

Sources:

• "Carly Fiorina Appointed as Hewlett-Packard's CEO" by Financial Times Limited, 1999.