HP names Walmsley CEO

HP has appointed Emma Walmsley, former CEO of GSK, as CEO effective January 4, 2027, succeeding interim CEO Bruce Broussard, who becomes chair of the board that same day, replacing Chip Bergh.

The board appointed her unanimously after what it described as a comprehensive global search. Walmsley led GSK from April 2017 to December 2025. During nearly nine years as CEO she led a transformation of the biopharmaceutical company, sharpened its focus on specialty medicines and vaccines, reinvigorated its R&D pipeline and strengthened its balance sheet after separating its consumer healthcare business. She joined GSK in 2010, became CEO of GSK Consumer Healthcare in 2015, and earlier spent 17 years at L'Oréal. She has also sat on Microsoft's board for seven years.

'HP has tremendous potential at an important inflection point in technology, and we need a leader who can build on our innovation heritage and strengths to boldly shape the company's future. Emma is a proven CEO with a track record of leading organizations at scale and guiding them through significant change. She has the experience and skills to bring HP's businesses, capabilities and people together to capture the opportunities ahead as AI moves to the edge,' said Broussard, who has been interim CEO since February 2026.

'HP is an iconic company with a defining role in shaping the future of work on a global scale. I'm excited to join the team and, together, move forward with clarity and conviction. We will focus on harnessing the power of the AI era and putting HP's creativity and innovation to work to unlock new sources of growth and deliver lasting value for our customers, shareholders, partners and people,' explained Walmsley.

Bergh has been chair since 2017 and a director since 2015, and will remain chair until Broussard takes over. 'Emma stood out for the strength of her leadership experience across multiple industries, the clarity of her strategic thinking and her ability to translate customer insights into new growth. I also want to thank Bruce for his strong leadership, which has enabled the Board to conduct an intentional and rigorous search,' added Bergh.