CEO scandal; to step down.
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Hurd Set To Get Eight-Figure Severance Package - Source >HPQ
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-201 ... 15953.htmlSAN FRANCISCO (DOW JONES)--Mark Hurd is set to receive an "eight-figure" severance package after agreeing to step down as chief executive of Hewlett-Packard Co. (HPQ) amid an ethics scandal prompted by sexual harassment allegation, said a source familiar with the situation.
The source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Hurd was blindsided by the harassment allegations and has denied having sexual relations with the marketing contractor at the center of the scandal.
Hurd, however, has acknowledged that he became a "social acquaintance" with the unidentified marketing event host, occasionally dining with her during events, the person told Dow Jones Newswires.
Hurd was in the midst of negotiating a three-year contract extension with the company several weeks ago when the contractor made her allegations against the CEO, the source said.
H-P said Friday that a subsequent probe found no indication that Hurd violated the computer giant's sexual-harassment policy, "but did find violations of H-P's Standards of Business Conduct."
Hurd is poised to get a severance payment of $12.2 million, according to a regulatory filing. Along with options and other benefits, Hurd's severance package could be worth more than $35 million.
The company said Hurd had "a close, personal relationship" with an H-P contractor who was hired by the office of the CEO to provide marketing services. Hurd never disclosed that relationship to the board, the company said, and an investigation revealed numerous instances where the contractor received compensation and/or expense reimbursements where there was not a legitimate business purpose.
The amounts in question were no greater than $20,000 over the two-year period in which the contractor performed work for H-P, the source said. Hurd did not prepare his own expense reports while CEO and offered to repay the amount in question, but he was never provided details by the company, the person added.
"He did not at any point attempt to conceal or hide expenses," the source said. But the two sides mutually agreed that he would resign once it became clear that Hurd and the board had lost confidence in each other, the source said.
Hurd's abrupt resignation is an embarrassing end to his tumultuous tenure, marked by dramatic change and impressive growth. In his five years as H-P CEO, Hurd took an iconic company known for its computers and printers, and turned it into an information technology services and software giant worth twice as much as when Hurd started.
Think no good for HPQ.