HP named Cathy Fitzgerald the new worldwide marketing manager for the HP 3000 Commercial Systems Division (CSY), installing a manager who's already developed channel partner and market development experience inside CSY.
In her new position, Fitzgerald will be responsible for product marketing, channel management and market development for the HP 3000 family of systems. She replaces Maria Cannon, who was promoted to general manager of the HP Netserver group.
Fitzgerald, who's been with HP since 1988, was most recently channel and market development manager for CSY as well as marketing manager for HP's Direct Marketing Organization. She said it was a fun time to be plugged into the HP 3000 marketing effort.
"I'm really excited to be in this job," she said. "It's an interesting time for the 3000. HP 3000 users are very practical, and they have very explicit needs. They're more than willing to work with HP to make sure that collectively we continue to make a positive impact on their business."
Fitzgerald said the rise of Windows NT has had a positive impact on HP 3000 customers, who she said are seeing HP's philosophy of coexistence mature.
"NT coming on the scene proves that you could evolve a lot if you kept waiting to evolve to the ultimate answer," she said. "For a lot of customers who were trying to figure out their future-future plans and thought they had a final answer, they realize there will never be a final answer. In a way, [NT] makes being on the 3000 a more comfortable spot to be in. They realize, 'Wow, there's always going to be another platform.' "
Even though the last three CSY marketing managers have been promoted directly to general managers of HP divisions, Fitzgerald said she's focused on the launching HP 3000 sales -- not launching her career from what's become a sweet pad in HP.
"The ability to work within HP to make sure we're taking a forward view, and working closely with customers on the practical aspects of running a business and using IT technology, is very exciting to me," Fitzgerald said. "I think I will have my hands full here for quite a while into the future. I'm zero-focused on the launching aspect of the job."