HP names SA job candidates
The New York-listed company has not made a definite decision on whether it ought to appoint a local black boss, and may opt for a foreign candidate who has experience in the global markets.
The local subsidiary was unexpectedly left without a head after the surprise resignation of Oliver Fortuin last month after just seven months in the job.
“We have a short list of good candidates, both internal and external,” said regional vice-president Lucio Furlani last week. “Generally speaking, we always try to have a local person in the country as the MD because they know the people better and understand the culture. But there is the opposite view that companies are becoming more global, so it can be a good opportunity to appoint someone with a global view,” he said.
“We will try to make the best business decision and do something which is well accepted by the community.”
HP was the first hi-tech multinational that openly chose not to comply with pressure to sell shares in its local operations to black investors, and became the first to win exemption from the government by committing to invest R150m in training black staff and graduates keen to enter the sector.
It was impossible to say when the local boss would be named, Furlani said, as the decision partly lay with a regional manager who was himself new to the job.
One of the first duties facing the new boss may be the unpleasant task of making some staff redundant. HP has announced a wave of 5700 job cuts to be imposed in Europe, the Middle East and Africa to cut its running costs, but it has yet to specify how badly each country will be hit. Furlani said those details had still not been finalised.
HP SA Country Manager discussion
Business Day
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