Lewis E. Platt | |
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Lewis Emmett Platt April 11, 1941 Johnson City, New York |
Died | September 8, 2005 | (aged 64)
Cause of death | Intracranial aneurysm |
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Lewis Emmett Platt (April 11, 1941 – September 8, 2005), commonly known as Lew Platt, was an American businessman and corporate director, who was chairman, president and chief executive officer of Hewlett-Packard.
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 of Business 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.
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.