Four months after Michael Holston left his GC position at Hewlett-Packard Co., the company announced that it has finally filled the role.
Last week, HP promoted John Schultz to executive vice president and general counsel. Schultz joined HP’s legal department in 2008 after stints at firms such as Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, Drinker Biddle & Reath, and Latham & Watkins. He will report directly to HP’s CEO Meg Whitman.
“John will only continue to elevate HP’s standards of excellence and integrity,” Whitman said in a company statement.
In a memo to Bloomberg, Whitman said that her appointment of Schultz reflects her drive to elevate internal managers. “I have said many times that my goal is to promote from within HP and today’s announcement is a great example,” she told Bloomberg. Whitman had commented in February that HP’s next CEO would likely come from within.
As for Holston, he’s moving on to Merck & Co. come June. Last month, the pharmaceutical giant named the former HP GC its new chief ethics and compliance officer.
