Hewlett ousted from HP board

NEWS Hewlett Packard has decided not to nominate Walter Hewlett for re-election to the company's board, marking an end to his 15-year stint as a director. Walter, the son of founder William Hewlett, has been an outspoken critic of the proposed HP/Compaq merger, and according to HP won't be a candidate for director this year because of his "ongoing adversarial relationship" with the company. He has tried to block the merger since it was first mooted, and has even filed a lawsuit against HP, claiming it used "improper means" in securing votes in favour of the tie-up. The move means Hewlett will leave his position at the company's AGM on 26 April, bringing and end to an era: the Hewlett and Packard families have had representatives on the board since HP's inception in 1938.