HP Partners, Employees Mourn Loss of Industry Icon Lew Platt

Platt, 64, a 33-year HP veteran who served seven years as HP president and CEO from November 1992 to 1999, was hailed as an industry icon who personified the family culture created by HP founders William Hewlett and David Packard. In 1993, Platt succeeded Packard as chairman, a position he retained, along with the president and CEO titles, until his retirement in 1999.

The cause of death had not been released at press time.

"He will be missed by not just partners but by the industry as whole," said Don Richie, the CEO of Sequel Data Systems, an HP exclusive partner in Austin, Texas. "He followed in the footsteps of the founders and carried the business philosophy forward of HP employees and partners as family."

"There was a caring during his tenure that wasn&t just about being responsible to Wall Street," said Richie, a 30-year computer industry veteran. "There was a caring that very much took into account employees and partners. That is seldom seen in this industry these days."

Platt, who was a strong supporter of HP channel partners, was profiled in CRN's 1996 Top 25 issue as a "down to earth" executive who often jotted personal notes to employees and answered virtually every email and phone call himself.

Platt started at the company as an entry-level engineer and moved up the ranks to take the reins as HP CEO. When one former classmate asked Platt the secret to his success, Platt simply replied: "I just worked hard and did the best I could."

"Lew cared deeply for HP and its people, and his loss is being felt widely across our company," said HP Chief Executive Mark Hurd in a prepared statement. "He was a natural leader who was enormously well liked and made an enduring impression on those he encountered. The way he treated people and how he ran the company set an exceptionally high standard of personal decency."