A senior executive at Hewlett-Packard Co. is getting a new role, and one with a significant channel role.
HP said Tuesday that Todd Bradley will leave his role as executive vice president of its printing and personal systems (PPS) group – created last year through the merger of HP’s PC and printing and imaging business – to become executive vice president of strategic growth initiatives.
Bradley will report directly to HP president and CEO Meg Whitman with the new position. His mandate will include growing HP’s business in China, identifying “potential partnership opportunities with early-stage companies that can contribute to HP’s long-term growth” and extending HP’s relationship with its channel partners.
“There’s nothing more important to HP than our channel partners and the future of our business in China,” said Whitman, in a statement. “I’ve asked Todd to use his expertise to focus on these areas. I’ve also asked him to study the landscape of small companies and startups that could partner with HP to spur growth.”
HP in the middle of a multi-year reorganization and rebuilding process under Whitman, highlighted last year by the merger of several business groups and the departure of several senior executives, as well as company-wide layoffs. HP maintained its position as the top global PC vendor under Bradley, but it is under pressure from its competitors.
With Bradley moving into the new role, he’ll be replaced as head of the PPS group by Dion Weisler, who currently leads the PPS business for HP in Asia Pacific and Japan. Weisler is a relative newcomer to HP, joining the company in January 2012 from Lenovo, a key competitor to HP in the PC arena in China and around the world. He also spent 11 years another PC vendor, Acer.
“Dion is one of our very best executives and his background is perfect given the challenges we face in the marketplace,” said Whitman, in a statement. “Todd has left Dion a great legacy to build on. Today’s announcement is about putting our best qualified leaders into roles focused on restarting HP’s growth. HP is extremely fortunate to have a strong bench to draw on as we rebuild and restore the company.”
