HP Inc hires former GSK boss as CEO

HP Inc. has appointed Emma Walmsley, a former executive at pharmaceutical giant GSK, as their new CEO. Walmsley has eight years of experience at GSK and previously held various marketing and general management positions at L'Oreal. Although she lacks a background in technology, she served on Microsoft's board. HP's board praised Walmsley's strong leadership experience across multiple industries and her ability to translate customer insights into new growth opportunities.

In HP's first nine months of fiscal 2026, revenue jumped 10% year-on-year to $44.5 billion. However, the print business saw a decline, while PCs drove growth. Analysts are concerned about a memory crunch due to DRAM shortages, which could lead to a contraction in the PC market. Walmsley's appointment comes amid a challenging market for PC makers, with global shipments expected to decline by 20% in the third quarter of 2026.

Walmsley previously stated that she transformed GSK into a company with a new platform, momentum, talent, and culture. She also dealt with activist investor Elliot Management, which called for her to reapply for the CEO role at GSK due to her lack of science background. Walmsley expressed her excitement about joining HP and moving the company forward with clarity and conviction.

She emphasized focusing on the AI era and leveraging HP's creativity and innovation to unlock new growth and deliver value for customers, shareholders, partners, and employees.