The merger of Hewlett Packard (HP) with its rival Compaq was the largest technology merger in history. Announced in September 2001, the board of HP successfully withstood attempts by a group of disgruntled shareholders – led by Walter Hewlett, a member of the founding family – to scupper their vision of an IT giant to rival IBM.
The scale of the deal in the UK and Ireland alone was impressive enough, putting together 7,400 employees into a business that would be ranked in the upper reaches of the Ftse 100.
