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Meg Whitman Replaces Apotheker As CEO At HP: Page 2 of 2

Whitman ran for governor of California as a Republican but lost to Democrat Jerry Brown in 2010. Coincidentally, one of her chief rivals for the Republican nomination was Carly Fiorina, who served as HP CEO from 1999 until she was forced out in 2005.

Fiorina was replaced by Mark Hurd, who was also forced to resign in 2010--in his case, for questionable expense reports for dinners with a woman who was a marketing contractor for HP. Whitman has also been on HP's board since January of this year. Lane said the company will appoint a lead independent director to its board "promptly." Apotheker also lost his board seat.

With Whitman in charge, executive chairman Lane has someone who can execute on HP's strategy in a way Apotheker couldn't, says Rob Enderle, principal analyst with the Enderle Group, a tech research firm. "Ray Lane had to bail him out," Enderle says of Apotheker. "Lane was basically the acting head of HP, and Apotheker was his executive vice president."

Now, Lane can give broad direction to Whitman about the company's strategy and she will execute it, Enderle says. And as a one-time politician, Whitman will be good at staying on message as a high-profile CEO.

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