George Keyworth Resigns as HP Director

George Keyworth Resigns as HP Director

George A. (Jay) Keyworth II, who has served on the HP board of directors since 1986, has resigned from the board, effective immediately. Following up the statement HP issued earlier today, Keyworth, Tom Perkins, former director of HP, HP Chief Executive Officer and President Mark Hurd and the rest of the HP board made the following comments.

Keyworth said: “Today I have announced my intention to resign from the HP board after more than 21 years of service. It has been one of the greatest honors and pleasures of my life to serve on the board, and I have sought to conduct myself in a way that would make our co-founder and my friend and mentor, David Packard, proud. The invasion of my privacy and that of others was ill-conceived and inconsistent with HP’s values.

I acknowledge that I was a source for a CNET article that appeared in January 2006. I was frequently asked by HP corporate communications officials to speak with reporters – both on the record and on background – in an effort to provide the perspective of a longstanding board member with continuity over much of the company’s history. My comments were always praised by senior company officials as helpful to the company – which has always been my intention. The comments I made to the CNET reporter were, I believed, in the best interest of the company and also did not involve the disclosure of confidential or damaging information.

There is but one issue that matters now and that is that Mark Hurd and the company have every opportunity to move beyond and above the current morass. While I intend to remain a member of the HP family, and to advise Mark where I can help, it is best for the company that every aspect of this unfortunate matter be put in the past.” Perkins said: “I believe in HP. I believe in Mark Hurd. I applaud Jay Keyworth for his courage in stepping down today and thank Patricia Dunn for her grace in letting HP move on. This too shall pass.”

Read the complete Press Release