I met for the first time this afternoon with Leo Apotheker, the new CEO and president of Hewlett-Packard (HPQ). We agreed not to discuss HP matters, given that he isn’t quite ready to discuss his grand plan for the company. (Yes, I traveled halfway around the world to meet the guy next door.)
Apotheker is as charming and pleasant as I’d been told. If he has any ill will for my first-day assessment of him in September based on my reporting as opposed to any first-hand knowledge, he didn’t show it. I observed to him that I’ve now covered many HP chief executives, and he said he’s well aware of that, having read my articles.
HP chiefs have a notable history with Davos. Carly Fiorina was much criticized for being the toast of Davos, for enjoying seeing herself on a world stage while HP needed operational attention at home. Mark Hurd stayed away from Davos altogether, maybe, or maybe, not in reaction to the sentiment around Fiorina.
Apotheker is clear on why the World Economic Forum is valuable for an executive running a global company. It simply is an efficient way to meet many people in a short period of time, he said. What’s more, he said, “I always hear something interesting.” Such as? He says he had a meeting where his eyes were opened to long-term structural issues in India, where he’s traveling next week. (He didn’t elaborate on what those issues were.)
Leaders also use WEF to meet in industry councils to discuss common issues. Apotheker told me the tech, telecom and consumer industry councils had a joint workshop Thursday that was productive for understanding how closely interlinked the industries are.
As for risks, a major theme of this year’s conference, Apotheker said his biggest concern is overoptimism. “The good news is that everyone is optimistic,” he said. “But it doesn’t take a lot to go back into the hole.” He cites inflation, rising commodity prices and Europe’s growth challenges as particular concerns.