HP announces sweeping changes, appoints five new board members

Months after CEO Mark Hurd was forced to resign, Hewlett-Packard announced a major shake up of its board Thursday, the latest in a series of leadership changes at the Californian computer titan.

The company has named five new directors including former eBay chief executive Meg Whitman, who failed in her bid last year to be elected California governor.

Four of the current directors will step down in what amounts to the first major shakeup since Leo Apotheker took charge of the company at the end of September last year.

The move clears out much of the board that oversaw Hurd’s departure, which is now being investigated by the firm and the Securities and Exchange Commission.

In a recent filing with a US District Court in northern California, HP said it would look into the circumstances surrounding Hurd’s August departure as well as the multi-million-dollar severance package approved by the board.

Each of the new members “is a widely respected and deeply experienced business leader,” said Raymond Lane, non-executive chairman of the board.

“Together they will provide our board and management team with new insight and perspectives relating to HP’s business and the rapidly changing technology industry.”

The other newly appointed board members are: Patricia Russo, former chief executive of Alcatel-Lucent; Dominique Senequier, chief executive officer of AXA Private Equity; Shumeet Banerji, chief executive officer of Booz & Company and Gary Reiner, former chief information officer of General Electric. – AFP