Former HP CEO Lew Platt died on Thursday, September 8th. Platt worked for Hewlett-Packard starting in 1966 as an engineer in the medical products division. He retired from HP in 1999 as chairman, CEO and president.
For most people, that would be enough but Platt then went on to run Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates from 2000 to 2001 and after that moved to Boeing to help steer them through some of their ethical issues. He was put on the board of directors at Boeing in 1999 and became the non-executive chairman from December 2003 to June 2005.
Other caps he wore varied, including being a member of President Clinton’s Advisory Committee on Trade Policy and Negotiations and chairman of the World Trade Organization and was a member of the Business Council.
He claimed Business Week’s Top Manage Award in 1995 and received the Catalyst Award in 1991, which cites corporations for advancing women in business. He was a trustee of the Packard Foundation, a member of Metalmark Capital, Rein Capital and Marakon’s advisory boards. He also served on the Wharton School board of Overseers and was chairman of the Wharton West Advisory Board.
He received an honorary doctorate from Santa Clara in Engineering Science. He was married to Joan Redmund Platt and had four children, one grandchild. (source: Boeing.com)
HP had this to say:
HP and its employees extend their deepest sympathies to the family of Lew Platt.
Mr. Platt served 33 years at HP from 1966 through 1999, rising from an entry-level engineer in the company’s medical products group to serve seven years as president and chief executive officer. In 1993, he succeeded David Packard as chairman, a position he retained, along with the president and CEO titles, until his retirement.
Widely admired for his personal energy, openness and humor, Mr. Platt successfully led HP during a period of rapid growth and technological change.
Mark Hurd, HP president and chief executive officer, said: “Lew cared deeply for HP and its people, and his loss is being felt widely across our company. He was a natural leader who was enormously well liked and made an enduring impression on those he encountered. The way he treated people and how he ran the company set an exceptionally high standard of personal decency.”
John Stith is a staff writer for Murdok covering technology and business.
