HP Inc. said Wednesday that its board unanimously appointed Emma Walmsley as chief executive officer, effective Jan. 4, 2027. She will succeed Bruce Broussard, who has been interim CEO since February 2026 and will become chair of the board the same day Walmsley starts, HP said in a newsroom release.
Walmsley led GSK as CEO from April 2017 through December 2025 and has sat on Microsoft’s board for seven years, according to HP. Chip Bergh, HP’s chair since 2017, will remain chair until Broussard takes that role on Jan. 4, 2027, and will stay on the board afterward.
“Emma is a proven CEO with a track record of leading organizations at scale and guiding them through significant change,” Broussard said in the release. Bergh said the appointment followed a comprehensive global search and that Walmsley “stood out for the strength of her leadership experience across multiple industries.”
The hire closes a succession gap that opened when Enrique Lores left HP for PayPal earlier this year. PayPal appointed Lores as president and CEO in February, the same month HP named Broussard interim chief. Broussard’s interim stretch has lasted since February.
Pay package and Microsoft board exit
In an 8-K filed Nov. 4, HP said it entered an offer letter with Walmsley on Nov. 3. The filing lists an annual base salary of $1,450,000 and an annual target bonus of 200% of base pay, prorated for fiscal 2027. She will also receive a one-time inducement equity award with an aggregate grant-date value of $30,000,000, split evenly between time-vesting RSUs and performance-adjusted RSUs at target, plus a $2,500,000 sign-on bonus and relocation benefits of up to $2,500,000 in her first year.
The same 8-K says Walmsley, 57, will join HP’s board on her start date and that HP amended its bylaws to raise authorized board seats from 12 to 13. It also notes she served as an advisor to GSK’s board and CEO from January through September 2026 after stepping down as Group CEO.
Microsoft said Wednesday that Walmsley will not stand for re-election at its Dec. 8, 2026, annual meeting, citing the HP appointment. “We look forward to continuing our partnership with Emma and with HP,” Microsoft chairman and CEO Satya Nadella said in that statement. Walmsley has been a Microsoft director since 2019 and sits on its Compensation and Environmental, Social and Public Policy committees.
In HP’s release, Walmsley said she wants the company to put “creativity and innovation to work” in the AI era for customers, shareholders, partners and people. Her start date is Jan. 4, 2027.
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