Lewis E. Platt

Lewis Emmett Platt (April 11, 1941 – September 8, 2005) was an American businessman and corporate director, who was chairman, president and chief executive officer of Hewlett-Packard.

Personal life and education Platt was born in Johnson City, New York, the son of Margaret (Williams) and Norval Lewis Platt. He earned his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Cornell University in 1964 and his MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in 1966. He was granted an honorary doctorate in Engineering Science by Santa Clara University. He was a member of the Alpha Tau Omega National Fraternity and served on its National Foundation Board of Governors.

Platt was widowed early in 1981. His wife died of cancer, and leaving him to raise two young daughters. This life change is said to have informed policies accommodating employee needs that he later implemented as chief executive of Hewlett-Packard.

Career at Hewlett-Packard Platt joined Hewlett-Packard (HP) as an engineer in the medical products division. In the 1980s, he rose through the ranks in HP's Computer Systems Organization (CSO), becoming executive vice president overseeing HP's Computer Products Sector in 1988, and head of the CSO in 1990. Under Platt's watch, HP made a major investment in RISC/Unix which brought tens of billions in revenue and made the company a major IT provider.

Platt succeeded John A. Young as president and chief executive officer of Hewlett-Packard in 1992, and then succeeded co-founder David Packard as the company's chairman of the board in 1993.

Under Platt's tenure as CEO, HP's sales went from $20 billion in 1993 to $38 billion in 1996. During his seven years as CEO, revenues increased 187 percent to $47.1 billion. Despite his corporate successes, Platt was not considered media-savvy due his thick glasses and hulking frame and generally kept a low profile, although he did agree to sit atop of a bunch of crates on the roof of an HP building for a BusinessWeek cover story in 1995.

In March 1999, HP's board had initiated a search for Platt's successor as CEO which would eventually be Carly Fiorina who came from Lucent Technologies. Although Platt was instrumental in hiring Fiorina, he was viewed as a "has been" as she reportedly stopped seeking his advice a few weeks after she joined HP. Fiorina's firing was also viewed as a vindication of Platt's previously-derided style, as a reporter remarked "While big egos and business cycles come and go, the values Platt held dear are timeless, and should not be easily dismissed".

Career after 1999 Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates After retiring from HP he served as CEO of Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates

Boeing Company On December 1, 2003, director Platt was named as the non-executive chairman of Boeing, after Phil Condit resigned as chairman and CEO. In 2005, Platt was instrumental in forcing out President and CEO Harry Stonecipher for violating company rules, after it was revealed that Stonecipher was having an extramarital relationship with a female executive.

Legacy A resolution of the state legislature named a section of California State Route 87 the Lewis E. Platt Memorial Highway.