UPDATED: Can a new ethics czar renew the
tarnished HP image? CEO Mark Hurd certainly hopes so.
HP named Jon Hoak, a
former NCR general counsel, vice president and chief ethics and compliance officer, replacing former ethics chief Kevin Hunsaker.
In his new role, Hoak will assist outside counsel Barry Schwartz’s assessment of HP’s current
investigative practices and to help develop future best practices, according
to HP.
Before coming to HP, Hoak served as senior vice president and general
counsel for NCR from 1993 to May 2006. HP CEO Hurd is also an NCR alum.
“HP has traditionally led the industry in adherence to standards of ethics,
privacy and corporate responsibility, and with Jon’s help, we will lead
again,” Hurd said in a statement.
Hoak, who started his new role on Wednesday, will report directly to Hurd until a general counsel is hired.
“Mark Hurd wanted to make a prompt hire,” HP spokeswoman Emma Wischhusen
said in explaining why Hoak was quickly hired.
She said Hoak was given the more senior title of vice president
to reflect the high-profile position.
Ann Baskins, who was the HP general counsel, resigned
in September, hours before she was scheduled to testify before Congress
about her part in the spying scandal.
Hunsaker quit his
post in September in the wake of revelations about his role in the scandal
over tactics used to determine the source of leaks to the media.
Earlier this month, Hunsaker was among several HP executives and outside
investigators indicted as part of a California probe into the computer maker’s spying.
Hunsaker is awaiting a December arraignment date.
Patricia Dunn, another casualty of the leak scandal, stepped down as HP board chairwoman in September.
