THE OUTLOOK : DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
Vision for Tomorrow , Today
Marie Myers , Chief Transformation Officer and interim CFO , talks about what brought her back to HP and how she is helping position the company as a digital leader .
BOOMERANG EMPLOYEE is what Marie Myers calls
A herself — she worked at HP for more than 20 years in various finance leadership roles , most recently as the company ’ s Global Controller , until 2018 when she left to be CFO at a startup . She returned to HP at the beginning of 2020 to take on her new role as Chief Transformation Officer .
Myers grew up in Queensland , Australia , and moved to the United States in 1997 to join Compaq before it merged with HP . She now makes her home in Houston , Texas , with her family , including her three school-aged children . She brings both her passion and firsthand experience with automation to help the company transform , to become even more customer-centric and improve the way we work .
1 / Tell us a little bit about why you came back to HP . Returning to HP was really about the opportunity to drive digital transformation , which I ’ m personally very passionate about . The time I spent at a robotic process automation startup gave me tremendous insights into how innovative technologies can deliver real value within an enterprise .
I also learned a great deal about system architecture when I was HP ’ s Controller . And prior to that , I spent many years as an auditor doing process work . Those experiences allowed me to understand how HP is wired from the ground up . Having the opportunity to come back and transform all that wiring , along with a strong customer view , was really motivating .
Then there is our culture — at HP it just shines and rises to the top . It is real and authentic . And to work where my personal values are so aligned with HP ’ s values — that ’ s something you just can ’ t trade off .
2 / What is most challenging about starting a new role while working remotely ? What is going well ? I was less than two weeks into my new role when travel was restricted and most of us were required to work remotely because of the pandemic . None of what we ’ ve experienced over the past six months has been easy . Whether it ’ s trying to carve out a quiet place to work , ensuring the continued education of our children , or worrying about what the future holds , this has been an incredibly stressful time .
While I personally miss being able to walk around the office and chat with colleagues , we are making this “ new normal ” work at HP . As a global company , HP has always recognized the importance of teamwork and fostered it across multiple countries and time zones . Now that commitment to collaboration is even more important .
Since the onset of the pandemic , we ’ ve all learned how to get a lot done working remotely . In spite of the daily Zoom calls and the added challenge of having young children at home , there have also been positives . I have been able to spend more time with my family , and I don ’ t have a long commute into the office .
3 / How has your experience dealing with other crises informed what you are doing today ? My favorite perspective on dealing with crisis comes from Winston Churchill , who famously said , “ Never let a good crisis go to waste .”
Whether it ’ s a hurricane , which we ’ ve weathered several times in Texas , or a global pandemic , it ’ s been my experience that you can look at a crisis as a negative and be overwhelmed , or you can look at it as an opportunity for organizational and personal growth , change , and transformation . I prefer a growth mindset — as a chance to
PHOTOGRAPH BY KATY ANDERSON PHOTOGRAPHY ; ILLUSTRATION BY DERRICK SCHULTZ
HP / INNOVATION / FALL 2020 8