Robert Wayman
Robert P. Wayman | |
|---|---|
| Born | 5 July 1945 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | 22 July 2022 (aged 77) |
| Occupation | Business executive |
| Years active | 1969–2006 |
| Known for | Chief Financial Officer and interim CEO of Hewlett-Packard |
Robert P. Wayman (July 5, 1945 – July 22, 2022) held the position of chief financial officer (CFO) at Hewlett-Packard Company from 1984 until 2006. In addition to his CFO responsibilities, he briefly took on the role of interim chief executive officer in 2005, served as an executive vice president, and was a member of the board of directors at HP.
Early life and education
A native of Chicago, Wayman earned a bachelor's degree in science engineering and later completed an MBA at Northwestern University.
Career
Wayman began his career at Hewlett-Packard in 1969, initially working as a cost accountant in Loveland, Colorado. He subsequently transferred to HP’s headquarters in Palo Alto, where he occupied multiple finance-related positions before being appointed CFO in 1984, reporting directly to then-CEO John Young. His tenure on HP’s board spanned from 1993 to 2002, with a return in 2005.
In the aftermath of Carly Fiorina’s resignation under pressure from the board in February 2005, Wayman was named interim CEO while maintaining his CFO role until Mark Hurd assumed the CEO position in March 2005. For his brief 52-day leadership as CEO, the board granted him a $3 million bonus—a decision that was uncommon and sparked discussion but was supported by HP.
After dedicating 37 years to Hewlett-Packard, Wayman retired at the end of 2006, with Cathie Lesjak succeeding him. Although he had intended to retire since 2002, he postponed this plan due to the company’s acquisition of Compaq.
Following his departure from HP, Wayman joined the board of Affymetrix in 2007 and remained until its acquisition by Thermo Fisher Scientific in 2016. He also held board positions at Sybase until its sale in 2010, Con-Way Inc., and CareFusion.
Wayman contributed to nonprofit organizations by serving on the board of the V Foundation for Cancer Research and providing advisory support to Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
External links
- HP biography (archived)