Former Hewlett-Packard Director Calls on Dunn To Quit
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
Former Hewlett-Packard Co. director Tom Perkins, who resigned over an investigation of leaks of company information to the press, today called on Chairwoman Patricia Dunn to step down.
“I acted not from any ill will toward Ms. Dunn but to protect the best interests of HP,” Mr. Perkins said in an emailed statement. “I think the past months and days have shown that those interests are best served if Ms. Dunn would resign from the board.”
Hewlett-Packard’s board will meet today by phone to discuss an investigation of leaks about board deliberations that date back to at least January 2005, before the ouster of Chief Executive Officer Carly Fiorina. Director George Keyworth, who admitted to divulging information, was asked to resign and declined.
The handling of the probe led venture capitalist Mr. Perkins to quit the board in protest in May and press for an investigation of how private phone records were obtained. Ms. Dunn authorized an investigation of directors to determine the source of news leaks.
Investigators hired by Ms. Dunn in mid-2005 used fake identities to obtain the phone records of directors and nine journalists as part of a probe of boardroom leaks to the media dating back to early 2005. California Attorney General Bill Lockyer last week said the scandal could result in criminal charges.
Ms. Dunn, 53, is also vice chairwoman of Barclays Global Investors in San Francisco. “If the board asks me to resign, absolutely I will,” she said in an interview September 8. “As chairman, I work for the board, I serve at their pleasure.”
She said that she “feels” she has the confidence of the board and trusts its judgment. “The same cannot be said of an individual who leaked over the years or an individual who wanted me to cover it up — that’s Tom Perkins, who didn’t want to see the disclosure to the full board, given that it was his friend,” she said.
Mr. Perkins is a co-founder of venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. Hewlett-Packard spokesman Ryan Donovan didn’t immediately return calls seeking comment.
