Carly Fiorina

Carly Fiorina is an American business executive and politician who led Hewlett-Packard from 1999 to 2005 and sought the Republican presidential nomination in 2016.

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Hewlett-Packard: An American technology company founded in 1939 that became a major producer of computers, printers, and enterprise systems. Fiorina led the company as chief executive from 1999 until the board dismissed her in 2005.
HP–Compaq merger: The 2002 acquisition of Compaq by Hewlett-Packard, approved after a contentious shareholder vote. Fiorina championed the deal as a way to strengthen HP’s position in personal computers and enterprise technology.
Hewlett-Packard–Compaq merger vote: The 2002 shareholder vote that narrowly approved Hewlett-Packard’s acquisition of Compaq. The close result exposed deep disagreement over Fiorina’s strategy among shareholders and the Hewlett family.
Corporate governance: The systems and practices through which companies are directed, monitored, and held accountable. The HP board’s clashes with Fiorina made governance and CEO oversight central to debate about her tenure.
Walter Hewlett: An American musician and philanthropist who served on Hewlett-Packard’s board and opposed its 2002 merger with Compaq. His proxy campaign against the merger became a defining conflict during Fiorina’s leadership.
2001 dot-com crash: A sharp decline in technology-company stock prices that followed the late-1990s internet investment boom. The downturn shaped the business conditions surrounding Fiorina’s early years at HP.
Hewlett-Packard layoffs of 2001: A large round of Hewlett-Packard job cuts announced amid the technology downturn in 2001. The layoffs intensified criticism of Fiorina’s leadership and the human cost of restructuring.
Chief executive officer: The highest-ranking executive responsible for managing an organization’s operations and strategy. Fiorina’s public identity was shaped by the demands and visibility of the CEO role.
Mark Hurd: An American business executive who succeeded Fiorina as Hewlett-Packard’s chief executive in 2005. Hurd took over after Fiorina’s departure and pursued a different management approach.
2004 Hewlett-Packard spying scandal: A corporate investigation at Hewlett-Packard that used pretexting to obtain directors’ and journalists’ phone records. The scandal unfolded during Fiorina’s tenure and later raised questions about board oversight.