Meg Whitman named new HP CEO

 　　SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- Former eBay Chief Executive Officer and California governor candidate Meg Whitman on Thursday was named Hewlett-Packard's new CEO, replacing Leo Apotheker who served 11 months on the job.

　　"We are fortunate to have someone of Meg Whitman's caliber¹ and experience step up to lead HP," said the California-based company in a statement.

　　"We are at a critical moment and we need renewed leadership to successfully implement² our strategy and take advantage of the market opportunities ahead," said the troubled tech giant.

　　It noted³ that the job of the HP CEO now requires additional attributes to successfully execute on the company's strategy, adding Whitman "has the right operational and communication skills and leadership abilities to deliver improved execution and financial performance."

　　"I am honored and excited to lead HP. I believe HP matters -- it matters to Silicon⁴ Valley, California, the country and the world," said Whitman in a statement.

　　Whitman, 55, joined the HP board in January and served as president and CEO of eBay from 1998 to 2008, when she led the company through its initial public offering and massive growth.

　　During her last years at eBay, she is blamed for not being able to halt the sales slowdown and overpaying for the 2005 acquisition of Skype with 4.1 billion dollars. In 2009, Skype was sold by eBay at a valuation of 2.75 billion dollars.

　　Whitman won the Republican nomination⁵ for governor of California in 2010. She lost the election to Gov. Jerry Brown after spending more than 140 million dollars of her own fortune on the campaign. Enditem

　　HP said the appointments are effective immediately, following the decision that Apotheker stepped down as president and CEO and resigned as a director of the company.

　　Multiple U.S. media reported on Wednesday that Apotheker was to be ousted⁶, sending HP shares soaring on the market and in the after-hour trading.

　　Apotheker, 58, was named HP CEO 11 months ago to replace Mark Hurd, who was ousted due to a scandal over a personal relationship with a company contractor⁷ and then became co-president of Oracle⁸. Before HP, Apotheker had served as CEO of German software giant SAP for 10 months.

　　On Aug. 18, Apotheker announced that HP will shut down its mobile business, spin off its core personal computer business and transfer into a cloud-based software and services provider for businesses including a 10.3 billion-dollar acquisition of British software company Autonomy.

　　Shares of the company plunged⁹ 20 percent the following day, the worst one-day loss since Black Monday in 1987.

　　On Sept. 30, 2010, the day before Apotheker's appointment as HP CEO, the tech giant's stock closed at 42.04 dollars. On Tuesday, the price closed at 22.47 dollars, a decrease of 46.6 percent in less than a year.

　　On Monday, HP was reported to begin sending over 500 employees pink slips in the WebOS division, after announcing to stop making WebOS devices in August.

1 caliber   

n.能力；水准

参考例句：

• They ought to win with players of such high caliber.他们选手的能力这样高,应该获胜。
• We are always trying to improve the caliber of our schools.我们一直在想方设法提高我们学校的水平。

2 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

3 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

4 silicon   

n.硅(旧名矽)

参考例句：

• This company pioneered the use of silicon chip.这家公司开创了使用硅片的方法。
• A chip is a piece of silicon about the size of a postage stamp.芯片就是一枚邮票大小的硅片。

5 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

6 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

7 contractor   

n.订约人，承包人，收缩肌

参考例句：

• The Tokyo contractor was asked to kick $ 6000 back as commission.那个东京的承包商被要求退还6000美元作为佣金。
• The style of house the contractor builds depends partly on the lay of the land.承包商所建房屋的式样，有几分要看地势而定。

8 oracle   

n.神谕，神谕处，预言

参考例句：

• In times of difficulty,she pray for an oracle to guide her.在困难的时候，她祈祷神谕来指引她。
• It is a kind of oracle that often foretells things most important.它是一种内生性神谕，常常能预言最重要的事情。

9 plunged   

v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• The train derailed and plunged into the river. 火车脱轨栽进了河里。
• She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death. 她没有站稳，从100英尺的高处跌下摔死了。