Carly Fiorina to Keynote High Tech Entrepreneur Event

Carly Fiorina, the chair of the Unlocking Potential Project, former chairman and CEO of Hewlett-Packard, author, community change agent and political activist will be the keynote speaker for the New Hampshire High Tech Council’s (Council) Entrepreneur of the Year (EOY) award event. The celebration, which has a 27-year history of honoring New Hampshire’s most innovative and entrepreneurial leaders, is on Friday, May 8 at the Radisson Center of New Hampshire in Manchester.

The Council is now accepting applications and nominations for the honor; nomination forms and more information can be found online.

Fiorina, who started her career as a secretary for a small real estate business and an entry-level sales person at AT&T, shattered glass ceilings as she became a top executive at AT&T’s spin-out Lucent Technologies and its North American operations 15 years later. In 1999, she was recruited to HP, where she became the first woman to lead a Fortune 50 business.

In her six years as chairman and CEO of HP, she doubled its revenues to $90 billion; more than quadrupled its growth to 9 percent; tripled the rate of innovation to 11 patents a day; achieved market leadership in every market and product category; and quadrupled cash flow. 

She is the chairman of the American Conservative Union Foundation, a political activism group, chairman of Good360, the world’s largest product philanthropy organization, and the chairman of Opportunity International, a Christian-based organization that lifts millions out of poverty through micro-finance.

“We’re thrilled to have Carly Fiorina as our 2015 keynote speaker. As the first woman to lead a Fortune 50 company and an individual who climbed ladders and broke barriers in internationally-known tech companies, her experience, stories, wisdom and advice will make this year’s Entrepreneur of the Year event quite memorable,” said Matt Cookson the Council’s executive director.

In addition to Fiorina’s technology and business-focused accomplishments, she credits her family and faith for inspiring her to help unlock the potential in others through leadership and fighting for one’s beliefs. Her best-selling memoir, Tough Choices, credits her parents with providing her an unshakable foundation for life.

The Council’s EOY event, regularly attracts hundreds of influential leaders of tech-based companies from throughout New England. Since its inception in 1988, the Council has recognized more than 60 New Hampshire entrepreneurs for their leadership, ingenuity, innovation and contributions to the technology sector. At the event, the Council will announce and recognize the 2015 winner of the prestigious award.

Major sponsors for EOY include: Dyn, FairPoint Communications, Autodesk, Nanocomp Technologies, Cook Little, Rosenblatt & Manson, and Baker Newman Noyes. Additional sponsorship opportunities are available.

The High Tech Council engages, connects, and supports member companies throughout New Hampshire. Since 1983, the Council has supported education, research, innovation, and economic development efforts that have helped New Hampshire become a national leader in entrepreneurship and business.