Turning Around an Old-School Tech Company

At his company’s local customer support and research and development center in Bangalore, Antonio Neri got a reception that’s tough to square with the image of Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co. Four thousand employees stood under a tent in India’s sticky, 97-degree March heat to cheer their new chief executive officer, and waited in line for hours to take photos with him 10 at a time. Wearing a traditional yellow garland over his dark suit, Neri set an easy smile on his face. Close to six months after he officially succeeded Meg Whitman as CEO, Neri has received versions of this star treatment at offices throughout Asia, Europe, and elsewhere.