Hewlett Packard
Auckland, 8 November 2000 – Hewlett-Packard today announced the appointment of Norman McCann as managing director of HP
Australasia. The announcement was made in Sydney by acting managing director Hans Neilson.
McCann, aged 52 and currently a member of the Commonwealth Government’s Industry Research & Development Board’s IT committee and the Prime Minister’s Science, Engineering and Innovation council’s IT R and skills working group, will take up his position effective today.
Barry Hastings, managing director, Hewlett-Packard New Zealand, who was appointed to the position in August this year,
said he was looking forward to working with Mr McCann.
“Norman has a thorough understanding of the industry and an enviable track record in business. I look forward to working
with him on developing the region further,” said Mr Hastings.
McCann will sit on the Hewlett-Packard New Zealand board, which is chaired by Sir David Beattie, and is expected to
attend the next board meeting in New Zealand at the end of this month.
He holds a Bachelor of Economics and Diploma of Mechanical Engineering and graduated from the Harvard Graduate School of
Business Advanced Management Program.
McCann came to HP having previously held the position of chief executive officer of Ferntree Computer Corporation. Prior
to taking the role as CEO, McCann led the management buy-out of ACI Computer Services (later named Ferntree Computer
Corporation). He joined the ACI Group in 1969 and subsequently worked in Australia and Asia in a number of senior
executive positions. In 1973 he was seconded from ACI to an investment banking organisation based in Tokyo, Japan.
Speaking at the announcement, McCann said HP offered an extraordinary opportunity to join a renowned industry leader
which is committed to transforming organizations through the provision of information technology products & services.
“Australia is a dynamic and growing market but for HP it is underdeveloped in comparison to other countries in the
region,” he said. “There are exciting innovations emerging, not only from HP, but throughout the IT industry which have
the potential for significant growth in our business in this region.”
“At HP we’re focused on assisting the industry, customers and businesses reach their full potential. Initiatives like
the HP Garage Program are a prime example, facilitating the success of start-ups, dot-coms and other IT ventures and
driving the development of the Internet economy,” McCann said.
“Our priority is our customers and meeting all their technology needs. This is the core of our business and we are
changing the structure of the organisation globally to reflect this.
“I am looking forward to taking on this challenging role and working with our senior management team and employees to
build on HP’s current success,” he said.
As well as managing director, McCann will also act as general manager for the Business Customer Organisation.
About HP
Hewlett-Packard Company -- a leading global provider of computing and imaging solutions and services -- is focused on
making technology and its benefits accessible to individuals and businesses through simple appliances, useful e-services
and an Internet infrastructure that's always on.
HP has 86,000 employees worldwide and had total revenue from continuing operations of $42.4 billion in its 1999 fiscal
year.
HP Australasia has over 1000 employees in Australia and New Zealand. Total revenue was A$1.6 billion in its 1999 fiscal
year. Information about HP and its products can be found on the World Wide Web at:
http://www.hpnz.co.nz.