Hewlett-Packard Adds Whitworth to Board to Boost Credibility

Hewlett-Packard Co., the largest computer maker, is adding activist shareholder Ralph Whitworth to its board to help shore up investor confidence shaken by strategy shifts and slashed sales forecasts.

Whitworth, whose Relational Investors LLC held about 17.5 million Hewlett-Packard shares as of Sept. 30, is joining the board’s compensation committee and its finance and investment committee, Hewlett-Packard said in a statement yesterday.