Fiorina Says Her Next Role May Involve Politics
Carly Fiorina, former chief executive of Hewlett-Packard Co., says she might want her next job to involve politics or some other form of "public service."
In an interview yesterday, Ms. Fiorina said that it is also possible she will look for a chance to run another public company. But she opened the door further than she has in the past to the notion of renewing her career outside the corporate world. While speculation about her political ambitions has swirled since she took office at H-P in 1999, she has consistently brushed aside such talk.
Ms. Fiorina, 52 years old, is currently promoting her autobiography, "Tough Choices," which was released yesterday.
Ms. Fiorina also said that she had breakfast with her successor, current H-P CEO Mark Hurd, in April, and that he complained about some of his directors. "He said he was frustrated with this board," Ms. Fiorina said.
Ms. Fiorina blames what she calls a "dysfunctional board" for her firing as CEO in February of last year. In particular, she blames venture capitalist Tom Perkins and director George "Jay" Keyworth, a former science adviser to President Ronald Reagan, for pushing personal agendas on the board. "I think Jay clearly was a driving force, that Tom was his ally, and that Tom's entry in the board changed the dynamics," she said. "They were the most egregious in wanting to dominate the [board's] conversation with their pet projects."
Ms. Fiorina said Mr. Hurd's concerns about the board were similar to hers. An H-P spokesperson confirmed that the breakfast occurred, but said Mr. Hurd wouldn't comment on the discussion.
At the time of the breakfast, Mr. Hurd had received the results of a controversial investigation into boardroom leaks, completed in March, that identified Mr. Keyworth as a source for some of those leaks. Mr. Perkins subsequently contacted the California attorney general, who has brought charges against former H-P Chairman Patricia Dunn and others for their roles in the leak investigation. Mr. Hurd was not charged.
Concern over boardroom leaks at H-P began while Ms. Fiorina was still CEO. She launched an investigation into one leak, but she says that investigation only involved having attorney Larry Sonsini interview each director, and didn't involve obtaining private phone records or any of the other controversial tactics used in the later probe.
Asked about the controversy over the leak investigation, Ms. Fiorina, who was dismissed in February 2005, said: "My reaction to the whole thing when it first came out was to be shocked and appalled. It makes me sad. It's a breakdown in character and ethics and judgment."
费奥瑞娜表示下一步可能从政
惠普公司(Hewlett-Packard Co.)前首席执行长卡丽?费奥瑞娜(Carly Fiorina)表示，她的下一份工作可能与政治有关，或者是某种形式的“公共服务”。
费奥瑞娜相关报导
? 费奥瑞娜自传揭秘离职内幕
费奥瑞娜在周一接受采访时称，她出掌另一家公众公司的可能性也是存在的。不过她对职业前景的打算已经比以往开阔得多，她说，可能会考虑企业界以外的发展机会。虽然自从她1999年执掌惠普以来有关其政治野心的传言一直不绝于耳，但她对此始终不予理睬。
现年52岁的费奥瑞娜目前正在推销她的自传《艰难抉择》(Tough Choices)，这本书周一刚刚面市。
费奥瑞娜说，4月份时她曾经与她的继任者、惠普现任首席执行长马克?赫德(Mark Hurd)共进早餐，后者对惠普公司的一些董事颇有怨言。“他说这个董事会简直让他头疼，”费奥瑞娜说。
费奥瑞娜抱怨说，她去年2月被解除首席执行长一职完全是因为这个“功能紊乱的董事会”。她还特别表示了对风险投资家汤姆?帕金斯(Tom Perkins)和公司董事乔治?肯沃斯(George 'Jay' Keyworth)的不满，称他们经常把个人意愿带进董事会。肯沃斯曾经担任美国前总统里根(Ronald Reagan)的科学顾问。
她说，“我认为肯沃斯明显起到了主导作用，汤姆是他的同党，汤姆的加入改变了董事会的运作机制。”她说，他们在左右董事会方面做得最过分，他们总是希望董事会重点讨论他们自己的方案。
费奥瑞娜表示，赫德对董事会的看法基本与她类似。一位惠普发言人证实两人曾经共进早餐，但表示赫德不愿就此发表评论。
在赫德与费奥瑞娜共进早餐前，他已收到了一项有关惠普董事会泄密问题的调查报告。这一颇有争议的调查表明，肯沃斯应为部分泄密行为负责。帕金斯此后曾与加州司法部长接触过，后者已就惠普前董事长帕特里夏?邓恩(Patricia Dunn)以及该公司其他一些管理人士在此次泄密调查中所扮演的角色对他们提出了指控。赫德未被指控。
在费奥瑞娜担任首席执行长时有关惠普董事会泄密的问题就已浮出水面。她曾经对其中的一次泄密事件展开调查，但她表示，调查仅局限于由律师拉里?桑西尼(Larry Sonsini)与公司各位董事举行面谈，并未调出私人电话记录，也未采取任何上述调查中所用的那些有争议做法。
当被问及由泄密调查引发的争议时，费奥瑞娜称：“这件事曝光时，我对整个事件感觉特别震惊。我很难过。这是惠普在道德和判断上的一大败笔。”
Alan Murray / George Anders
