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Technology Stocks : Compaq -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: rudedog who wrote (62371)	6/2/1999 7:58:00 PM
From: Elwood P. Dowd	Respond to of 97611

Enrico Pesatori: Will he ever be No.1? By Charles Cooper, ZDNet Call him the ultimate No. 2. Enrico Pesatori, whose career has included senior tours of duty at Olivetti, Zenith Data Systems, Digital Equipment Corp. and Tandem Computers, emerged on Wednesday one heartbeat closer to the top job at Compaq Computer Corp. (NYSE:CPQ - news) Once the heir-apparent at Digital Equipment, Pesatori replaces John Rose as head of the company's Enterprise Computing Group. On Compaq's new org chart, Pesatori thus becomes the No. 2 executive with operational responsibilities behind Michael Capellas, who is the acting chief operating officer. Still, it's unlikely that Pesatori, who had been the No. 2 executive at Digital before he was ousted in 1996, will be considered as a replacement for Eckhard Pfeiffer, who was ousted as chief executive in April. Blow up Pesatori, an elegant Italian national who wanted the top job at Digital, oversaw the company's entry into the PC business in 1993. But Pesatori's aggressive plans -- "No. 5 in '95" was the catch phrase -- blew up as the company's computer systems division wracked up huge losses. After losing an internal battle with Digital's chief financial officer, who argued that profitability should take precedence over market growth, Pesatori found himself out of a job by 1996. But Pesatori, who spent 21 years working at Olivetti before joining Zenith, didn't spend much time in retirement. Later that year, he was hired by Tandem as president and chief operating officer, again the No. 2 executive -- this time behind CEO Roel Pieper. Pesatori, who is returning from a business trip to Europe, was not immediately available, according to Compaq. Janet Waxman, an analyst with IDC, said Pesatori's elevation should not be construed as a clue to the board of directors' thinking about a replacement CEO. No. 2 before No. 1 "It's a little strange to appoint a No. 2 before they appoint a No. 1," said Waxman, who worked at Digital Equipment during Pesatori's tenure. "Still, I can't say, based on Pesatori's track record, that he was part of the winning team." Another former Digital executive, Tony Amico, suggested that the departure from Compaq of ex-DEC officials like Rose and John Rando, who used to head up services, pointed up a larger issue that would weigh against Pesatori's further climb. "Maybe he has the mindset to do the job, but I think there's culture clashes between the old Digital people and the veterans at Compaq," said Amico. " See Also: Top headlines on ZDNN Financial news and market view Killer downloads in AnchorDesk Search News Stories Search News Photos Archives by date: [ Tue Jun 1 \| Mon May 31 \| Fri May 28 \| Thu May 27 \| Wed May 26 ] Home \| Full Coverage \| Top Stories \| Business \| Tech \| P

To: rudedog who wrote (62371)	6/3/1999 12:10:00 PM
From: Harry Landsiedel	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 97611

rudedog. Re: "I don't see the COO as really adding another layer" I see your point. The COO could be part of the new Office of the CEO. Of course, that would mean that Rose would not be part of that group. And he could have said sayonara. These changes, along with all the others, indicate that the board was not happy with almost the entire top management group, for one reason or another. If there was "bad blood" due to internecine fighting or just lack of confidence by the board, this could be good news for the managers right below the top. Hopefully, they are up to the task. Re: "I also heard that EP might be under consideration for that slot." I wonder. Would EP would "fit" with the HP culture? Also, with all the bad publicity about EP's downfall and the poor relations between EP and the Wall St. community, his appointment could be a mixed blessing for HP. HL HL