Prith Banerjee (bio) started full time as the Director of Labs on August 1 and he has been a whirlwind with his listening tour and launch of the strategic planning process to define the future of HP Labs. I have been lucky enough to work with him on quite a few occasions and here are some impressions.

One of the themes of his career has been moving from highly rated research institutions to ones down the ladder. Prith then worked to raise the visibility and ranking of his new university department by bringing in top researchers, recruiting sought after grad students and encouraging larger inter-disciplinary research projects that garner bigger grants. This is a great trait for HP Labs as we continue to battle to retain our research talent and recruit top grad students.

One of his passions is technology transfer that benefits society.

One of his characteristics is embracing risk. This would not be useful except he also tolerates failure that provides a personal and organizational learning. Of course, a researcher should not make a habit of failure.

One example of his pragmatic approach is his understanding the importance of getting the word about what his organization is doing. He cautioned researchers "don't take the moral high ground that marketing doesn't matter." Prith mentioned that he has been a PR machine at past jobs. Hurrah! >>grin<< Even better yet, even though Prith did not interact much with the IT industry analysts in the past, he quickly picked up their relevance and influence in the marketplace. So it will not be a struggle getting his support to work with the analysts. Double hurrah! >>grin<<

Bottom Line: Dynamic leader who brings knowledge, skills, Rolodex, passion and pragmatism. Prith is a great catch for Labs and HP as a whole.

Stop right there!  I am sure that every analyst reading this is getting ready to send me an e-mail requesting a briefing. You would be a bit premature. Right now the plan is not have Prith talking externally until his new strategic plan is ready. So please be patient, check back here for future updates and be on the lookout for an invitation to a briefing.