Breaking up is hard to do! Lessons Learned from Separating Contracts in the Largest Tech Split in History

Todd Sulger, Vice President and Associate General Counsel, HP Inc, USA

In recent years, a number of large companies have undertaken corporate separations as a way to unlock shareholder value, increase focus, accelerate growth, and reduce operational complexity. On October 6, 2014, Hewlett-Packard Company announced its plans to do just that - separate into two new publicly traded companies: Hewlett Packard Enterprise, which would comprise HP’s enterprise technology infrastructure, software and services businesses, and HP Inc., which would comprise HP’s personal systems and printing businesses. This transaction remains the largest technology company separation in history and was completed in 391 days, no small accomplishment for a US-based company with subsidiaries in over 110 countries!

Todd A. Sulger is Vice President and Associate General Counsel for the Americas Region and US/Canada Commercial and Public Sector Sales at HP Inc. He and his team provide legal support for the Americas go-to-market and sales teams, as well as provide general legal support for HP Inc.’s corporate entities located in Canada and the Latin America region. Todd joined Hewlett-Packard Company, the predecessor to HP Inc., in 2005. While at Hewlett-Packard Company, Todd held a number of leadership roles supporting the company’s software, LaserJet printing and business PC groups. He also served as the lead commercial attorney in a number of strategic acquisitions and divestitures. In 2015, he was the lead commercial attorney for HP Inc. in the split of Hewlett-Packard Company. Before joining Hewlett-Packard Company, Todd was senior counsel for Peregrine Systems, Inc. and worked in regulatory compliance at Sempra Energy. He holds a J.D. from California Western School of Law and a BBA in Marketing from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee.

HP Inc. creates technology that makes life better for everyone, everywhere. Through our portfolio of printers, PCs, mobile devices, solutions, and services, we engineer experiences that amaze.