Carly Fiorina
Born 1954 · Age 71
American businesswoman and politician; former CEO and Chair of Hewlett-Packard (1999–2005); first woman to lead a Fortune Top-20 company; later political candidate and author.
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Life & Career Timeline
Birth
Born Cara Carleton Sneed in Austin, Texas, daughter of Joseph T. Sneed III and Madelon Montross Juergens.
High school graduation (approx.)
Graduated from Charles E. Jordan High School in Durham, North Carolina (attended multiple high schools including one in Ghana and Channing School in London). Year inferred from later Stanford graduation.
Bachelor's degree, Stanford University
Received a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy and medieval history from Stanford University; worked summers as a secretary for Kelly Services.
Attended UCLA School of Law (dropped out)
Entered UCLA School of Law but left after one semester.
Early jobs: receptionist / broker
Worked as a receptionist at Marcus & Millichap real estate firm, later promoted to a broker position.
Marriage to Todd Bartlem
Married Todd Bartlem; they later divorced (1977–1984). Moved to Bologna, Italy where she tutored English to Italian businessmen.
Joined AT&T as management trainee
Began career at AT&T selling telephone services to large federal agencies; entry-level management trainee role.
MBA, University of Maryland
Received an MBA in marketing from the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, College Park.
Marriage to Frank Fiorina
Married Frank Fiorina (later became her longtime husband and stepfather to his two daughters).
MS, MIT Sloan (Sloan Fellows)
Completed a Master of Science in management at the MIT Sloan School of Management under the Sloan Fellows program.
First female officer at AT&T
Named AT&T's first female officer as senior vice president overseeing the company's hardware and systems division; later headed North American operations.
Head of AT&T's North American operations (by age 40)
By age 40 Fiorina was leading AT&T's North American operations (statement in biographies; year inferred as 1994).
Transition to Lucent Technologies leadership
Led corporate operations for Lucent Technologies after AT&T spun off its equipment and labs divisions into Lucent (1995).
Appointed president, Lucent consumer products
Named president of Lucent's consumer products sector later in 1996.
Lucent Technologies IPO (oversaw)
Played a key role planning and implementing Lucent's 1996 initial public offering, which raised about US$3 billion.
Named group president, Lucent global service-provider business
Oversaw marketing and sales for Lucent's largest customer segment (the ~US$19 billion global service-provider business).
Chaired Philips Consumer Communications JV
Chaired a US$2.5 billion joint venture between Lucent and Royal Philips Electronics called Philips Consumer Communications (PCC).
Named 'Most Powerful Woman in American Business' (Fortune)
Featured in Fortune magazine as the most powerful woman in U.S. business (first time; continued ranking multiple years).
Oversaw separation of Agilent Technologies
One of her first responsibilities at HP was overseeing the spin-off of the company's analytical instruments division into Agilent Technologies.
Hired as CEO of Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard named Fiorina chief executive officer (first woman to lead a Fortune Top-20 company). Signing package included US$65M restricted stock, US$3M signing bonus, US$1M salary and other benefits.
Named Chair of Hewlett-Packard Board
HP named Fiorina chairman of the board (in addition to CEO duties).
Proposed acquisition of PwC consulting arm (withdrawn)
Proposed acquiring PricewaterhouseCoopers' consulting arm for nearly US$14 billion but later withdrew the bid after investor pushback; IBM later bought that unit for less than US$4B.
Announced intent to cut additional 15,000 jobs if merged with Compaq
Stated in September 2001 that an additional 15,000 layoffs could occur in connection with an HP–Compaq merger.
HP layoffs: 1,700 marketing employees
HP laid off 1,700 marketing employees amid restructuring efforts.
Provided HP servers to NSA after 9/11
In the weeks after the September 11 attacks, Fiorina said she complied with a request from NSA Director Michael Hayden to redirect HP servers to the NSA for surveillance and analysis.
Employee pay-cut/vacation program saved US$130M
Fiorina asked employees to take pay cuts or use vacation time; over 80,000 employees signed up, saving HP about US$130 million.
Announced 6,000 job cuts (largest in HP history)
Announced that HP would cut 6,000 jobs (part of larger restructuring; actual timing tied to later events).
Announced plan to acquire Compaq (US$25B in stock)
In early September 2001 Fiorina announced HP would acquire PC-maker Compaq in a US$25 billion stock transaction; the deal triggered intense board and shareholder debate.
Shareholder proxy fight and approval for Compaq merger
Survived a high-profile proxy fight waged by Walter Hewlett and others; shareholders approved the Compaq merger by a narrow margin (51.4%), creating the world's largest PC maker by units shipped.
Compaq acquisition closed (company consolidation milestone)
The merger effectively consolidated Compaq into HP (closing/implementation dates in spring 2002); created combined company with substantially larger PC market share. (Closing date commonly reported as May 2002.)
Continued recognition: Fortune Most Powerful Woman (multiple years)
Named by Fortune as the most powerful woman in business multiple years (Fortune listed her repeatedly through the early 2000s).
HP employee count grew post-merger
Employee numbers rose from about 84,800 in 1999 to ~145,000 after the Compaq merger and to ~150,000 by Fiorina's resignation, reflecting acquisitions and global hires.
iPod+HP partnership announced with Apple
Announced January 2004 an agreement with Apple to sell a co-branded iPod through HP retail channels and pre-install iTunes on HP computers; agreement restricted HP from selling competing MP3 players until Aug 2006.
HP performance mixed: cashflow, patents up; stock and profit concerns
During Fiorina's tenure HP's cash flow increased (around US$6.8B, a ~40% increase), patent filings rose, and revenue doubled, but stock price fell ~50% and net income underperformed peers.
Severance package / 'golden parachute'
Received a severance package reported around US$21 million (2.5x salary/bonus plus accelerated vesting); some reports indicate total compensation during HP tenure exceeded US$100M.
Joined boards and advisory roles post-HP
Served on the boards of Revolution Health Group and Cybertrust (2005); joined MIT Corporation (2004–2012) and became a member of the World Economic Forum Foundation Board (2005).
Forced resignation as HP CEO and Chair
Following boardroom disagreements and disappointing earnings, HP's board forced Fiorina to resign as CEO and Chair (February 2005); stock jumped ~6.9% on news of her departure.
HP ends iPod+HP agreement under new CEO Mark Hurd
In July 2005 Mark Hurd, Fiorina's successor, terminated HP's agreement with Apple for co-branded iPods.
Appointed to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) board
Became a member of the board of directors of TSMC in 2006; attendance and later resignation noted (resigned Nov 30, 2009 to focus on Senate run).
Published autobiography 'Tough Choices'
Published Tough Choices (October 2006), an account of her career, leadership philosophy, and time at Hewlett-Packard.
Joined Fox Business Network as commentator
Signed as a business commentator with the Fox Business Network (October 2007).
Advisor to John McCain's presidential campaign
Served as an economic adviser to Republican presidential nominee John McCain during his 2008 campaign.
Breast cancer diagnosis
Diagnosed with breast cancer (February 20, 2009); later underwent double mastectomy, chemotherapy, radiation, and was declared cancer-free.
Announced candidacy for U.S. Senate (California)
Announced run for the U.S. Senate seat held by Barbara Boxer (late 2009); campaigned through 2010.
Resigned from TSMC board to focus on Senate campaign
Resigned from TSMC board effective November 30, 2009, citing plans to devote full time and energy to her Senate run.
Won Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in California
Defeated Republican rivals (including Tom Campbell and Chuck DeVore) to win the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate (June 8, 2010).
Lost general election for U.S. Senate to Barbara Boxer
Ran in the general election but was defeated by incumbent Democrat Barbara Boxer (Nov 2, 2010).
Finance Chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC)
Served as Finance Chair of NRSC starting December 17, 2011 (tenure approximately into 2012).
Launched Unlocking Potential Project (PAC)
Launched the Unlocking Potential Project, a political action committee to inform and recruit female voters for conservative positions (2014).
Named member of James Madison University Board of Visitors
Became a member of the James Madison University Board of Visitors and gave talks on leadership (JMU events 2014).
Carly for America super PAC launched
Supporters launched 'Carly for America' super PAC to support a potential presidential bid (late Feb 2015).
Announced candidacy for U.S. President (Republican primary)
Formally announced her run for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination (May 4, 2015).
Published 'Rising to the Challenge: My Leadership Journey'
Released a leadership book timed with her 2016 campaign launch (May 5, 2015).
Suspended presidential campaign
After disappointing finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire, Fiorina suspended her campaign for the Republican presidential nomination (Feb 10, 2016).
Endorsed Ted Cruz for President
Endorsed Texas Senator Ted Cruz in the Republican primary (March 9, 2016).
Named as Ted Cruz's potential running mate
Ted Cruz announced Fiorina would be his vice-presidential running mate should he secure the Republican nomination (April 27, 2016).
Cruz suspended campaign; VP pick moot
Ted Cruz suspended his campaign (May 3, 2016), nullifying the vice-presidential arrangement.
Endorsed Donald Trump for President (general election)
Initially endorsed Donald Trump for the 2016 general election (public reporting in Sept 2016).
Withdrew endorsement of Donald Trump
Withdrew her endorsement after the release of a 2005 tape of Trump's lewd remarks (Oct 8, 2016); called for him to step aside.
Announced she would not run for U.S. Senate in Virginia (2018)
Publicly stated she would not seek the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate in Virginia's 2018 election (announced Sept 8, 2017 in reporting).
Published 'Find Your Way: Unleash Your Power and Highest Potential'
Released a self-help/leadership book in 2019 offering personal-development advice.
Appointed Distinguished Clinical Professor (Catholic University)
Appointed Distinguished Clinical Professor in Leadership at the Busch School of Business, The Catholic University of America (reported March 2019).
Endorsed Joe Biden for President (2020)
Publicly stated she would vote for and endorsed Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.
Chair of Board of Trustees, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (role cited in public bios in 2023).
Named National Honorary Chair, Virginia 250 Commission
Appointed National Honorary Chair of the Virginia 250 Commission and fund/leadership roles related to the U.S. Semiquincentennial (May 2023).
Ongoing leadership, speaking, philanthropic roles
Active as founder/executive of multiple initiatives (Carly Fiorina Enterprises, Unlocking Potential Foundation, Pathway to Promise), frequent speaker, LinkedIn newsletter with ~500,000 subscribers (reported in bios).
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