Enrique Lores joined HP in 1989 as an intern. At the time, HP held a program to bring European students to the U.S. When Lores’ summer internship ended, the company informed him that it planned to open another center in Spain, and given that he was from the country, HP extended him a full-time offer. “I thought it would be cool to do for a couple of years,” Lores told me. Thirty-five years later, he’s still there. But now, he’s CEO.
Reflecting on his 3½ decades at the Palo Alto-based tech company, Lores says a combination of growth factors contributed to his long-term stay at HP—namely, the prevalence of professional development opportunities. “I was changing jobs almost every two years. And when you change jobs, even in a big company, it’s like going to a different company and learning new skills,” Lores said.
