HP names former SAP boss as Hurd successor

Hardware giant appoints former SAP boss Léo Apotheker as chief executive

Léo Apotheker will take over as chief executive of HP on 1 November

HP has named former SAP boss Léo Apotheker as its new chief executive, following Mark Hurd’s resignation in August.

Speculation over who would replace Hurd at HP has raged since he was forced to stand down as chief executive following a sexual harassment claim.

Apotheker will take the reins at the hardware giant in November from Cathie Lesjak, who was assigned the role of interim chief executive in the wake of Hurd’s departure.

Prior to his appointment at HP, Apotheker had spent 20 years at SAP, where he is credited with leading the software applications vendor through 18 consecutive quarters of double-digit revenue growth between 2004 and 2009.

The hardware giant also announced the appointment of Ray Lane, managing partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers, as the non-executive chairman of HP’s board of directors.

Robert Ryan, lead independent director of HP’s board, said Apotheker was a good match for the vendor.

“Léo is a strategic thinker with a passion for technology, wide-reaching global experience and proven operational discipline – exactly what we were looking for in a CEO,” he said.

Apotheker said he was excited about having the opportunity to write the “next chapter in HP’s long and proud history".

He added: “HP has a powerful mix of businesses, products and services, one of the most innovative cultures in the industry, and an accomplished management team who have played a critical role in its success.”