Outsource Magazine Issue 26 - (Page 12)

this issue: new hp ceo; uk public sector strikes; sap buys successfactors news & comment Newly appointed HP CEO, Meg Whitman HP: Apotheker out, whitman in as ceo Hewlett-Packard (HP) has a new face at the top, following the departure of erstwhile CEO Léo Apotheker on September 22 after a 40 per cent decline in the company’s stock and huge divisions internally over Apotheker’s plans to scale down some of the company’s traditionally core activities, including potentially spinning off HP’s personal computer unit. Apotheker – previously CEO of enterprise software giants SAP – had only been in the role since November 2010. Former eBay CEO (and California gubernatorial candidate) Meg Whitman took over from Apotheker and almost immediately announced plans to reverse or reassess some of her predecessor’s policies, with an about-turn on the move away from PCs making headlines around the business world. “I know we didn’t live up to expectations in 2011… We need to articulate a clear direction,” Whitman told analysts. That “clear direction” will, according to the new CEO, include less of a focus on large-scale acquisitions, following HP’s $10-billion acquisition of UK software firm Autonomy: Whitman said that there will be “no large acquisitions in 2012... Nothing the size of Autonomy, and maybe more like sub$500 million.” “We cannot continue to rely on acquisitions alone at HP It’s just the wrong ... thing to do. We have a lot of runway with our own internal R&D capability, if we run it right,” Whitman added. “To remain static is to lose ground” – David Packard 12 www.outsourcemagazine.co.uk it industry commentary Jamie LiddeLL, outsource At a time of great change in the outsourcing space and in the global economy, HP could have done without experiencing such tumult at the very top. However, there’s no point crying over spilt milk: Whitman must look to the future whilst at the same time assuring stakeholders that the mistakes of the past won’t be repeated. In the near term, clarification of HP’s strategy is essential to reassure nervous markets; Whitman finds herself at the helm when competitors are making great strides into new markets and technologies. ●● http://www.outsourcemagazine.co.uk

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Outsource Magazine Issue 26

News & Comment
2012 in outsourcing
Fine – but what does it all mean?
Steering Steria
Separate Ways?
Getting Smart
Northern Lights
Heads in the Cloud
Connecting Service
Bigger and Better
NOA Round-Up
Breaking Through
You Cannot be Serious!
Back to the Future
Accounts Payable
The Power of Two
Public-Private Partnerships
Kill or Cure
Public Problems
Head-to-Head
Top Ten
The Legal View
HfS Research
Online Round-Up
Inside Source
The Last Word

Outsource Magazine Issue 26