Ellen Hancock
Encyclopedia
Ellen Hancock is a technology
manager from the United States who has worked for IBM and Apple, among others.
Hancock was born in the Bronx, New York City
and raised in Westchester
. She graduated from the College of New Rochelle, and obtained a master's degree in mathematics from Fordham University
.
Among PC users, she is best known for her 29-year tenure at IBM
, where she rose to the position of senior vice president in charge of network hardware and software. She ran the networking hardware division through the first half of the 1990s, at a time when it produced double digit losses in market share year after year. (The same division was ultimately sold to Cisco in 1999.) She was also a member of the IBM Corporate Executive Committee and the IBM Worldwide Management Council.
In September 1995 she started with National Semiconductor
as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer (COO), after being lured from IBM by Gil Amelio
. She worked closely with Amelio to move National Semiconductor to profitability. During that time Hancock worked with National's CompactRISC architecture, which was a predecessor to the successful ARM7 architecture
Not long after that Amelio left to take the CEO position at Apple Computer
, and in May 1996 he hired her to join him there.
At Apple she took over the Chief Technology Officer role in the midst of the floundering Copland
project. She was largely responsible for the decision to cancel Copland. To replace it, Hancock had favored Sun's Solaris over NeXT and was against the eventual purchase of NeXT
. Even after the deal was done, she wanted to use at least the kernel of Solaris. With NeXT came Steve Jobs
, who publicly lampooned her on several occasions calling her a "bozo
". When the Apple board of directors fired Amelio, Jobs reorganized the company leaving her with a much reduced role in charge of quality assurance
as former NeXT executives took over many positions in Apple. She soon resigned.
After Apple she took a CEO position with Exodus Communications
in March 1998 and became chairman of the board in 2000. Exodus set a Nasdaq record of 19 consecutive quarters of 40 percent quarter-over-quarter revenue growth. In 2000, the $29 Billion market cap exceeded even that of her ex-employer, Apple Computer. However, in 2001 the company became part of the dot-com crash
, the stock plummeted and Hancock stepped down as CEO in September of 2001. The company filed for bankruptcy that same month, followed by an asset purchase by Cable & Wireless in February 2002. More recently, Savvis Communications purchased the related assets from C&W in November 2004.
Hancock served as President, COO
, and secretary to the board of Acquicor, a company she co-founded with former Apple-CEO Gil Amelio
and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak
. The company serves as a 'blank check' holding company. Most recently, Acquicor acquired Jazz Semiconductor
. Hancock resigned on July 7, 2007.
Hancock is a member on the boards of several companies and institutions of higher education, including Aetna
, Colgate-Palmolive
, Electronic Data Systems
, Ripcord Networks
, Marist College
and Santa Clara University
.
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
manager from the United States who has worked for IBM and Apple, among others.
Hancock was born in the Bronx, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and raised in Westchester
Westchester County, New York
Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...
. She graduated from the College of New Rochelle, and obtained a master's degree in mathematics from Fordham University
Fordham University
Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
.
Among PC users, she is best known for her 29-year tenure at IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
, where she rose to the position of senior vice president in charge of network hardware and software. She ran the networking hardware division through the first half of the 1990s, at a time when it produced double digit losses in market share year after year. (The same division was ultimately sold to Cisco in 1999.) She was also a member of the IBM Corporate Executive Committee and the IBM Worldwide Management Council.
In September 1995 she started with National Semiconductor
National Semiconductor
National Semiconductor was an American semiconductor manufacturer, that specialized in analog devices and subsystems,formerly headquartered in Santa Clara, California, USA. The products of National Semiconductor included power management circuits, display drivers, audio and operational amplifiers,...
as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer (COO), after being lured from IBM by Gil Amelio
Gil Amelio
Gilbert Frank Amelio is an American technology executive. He grew up in Miami, Florida and received a bachelor's degree, master's degree, and Ph.D. in physics from the Georgia Institute of Technology...
. She worked closely with Amelio to move National Semiconductor to profitability. During that time Hancock worked with National's CompactRISC architecture, which was a predecessor to the successful ARM7 architecture
Not long after that Amelio left to take the CEO position at Apple Computer
Apple Computer
Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs and markets consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. The company's best-known hardware products include the Macintosh line of computers, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad...
, and in May 1996 he hired her to join him there.
At Apple she took over the Chief Technology Officer role in the midst of the floundering Copland
Copland (operating system)
Copland was a project at Apple Computer to create an updated version of the Macintosh operating system. It was to have introduced protected memory, preemptive multitasking and a number of new underlying operating system features, yet still be compatible with existing Mac software...
project. She was largely responsible for the decision to cancel Copland. To replace it, Hancock had favored Sun's Solaris over NeXT and was against the eventual purchase of NeXT
NeXT
Next, Inc. was an American computer company headquartered in Redwood City, California, that developed and manufactured a series of computer workstations intended for the higher education and business markets...
. Even after the deal was done, she wanted to use at least the kernel of Solaris. With NeXT came Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs
Steven Paul Jobs was an American businessman and inventor widely recognized as a charismatic pioneer of the personal computer revolution. He was co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Apple Inc...
, who publicly lampooned her on several occasions calling her a "bozo
Bozo
Bozo or bozo may refer to:*The Bozo people, a fishing people of the central Niger delta in Mali*The Bozo languages, languages of the Bozo people*Bozo the Clown, a clown character very popular in the United States...
". When the Apple board of directors fired Amelio, Jobs reorganized the company leaving her with a much reduced role in charge of quality assurance
Quality Assurance
Quality assurance, or QA for short, is the systematic monitoring and evaluation of the various aspects of a project, service or facility to maximize the probability that minimum standards of quality are being attained by the production process...
as former NeXT executives took over many positions in Apple. She soon resigned.
After Apple she took a CEO position with Exodus Communications
Exodus Communications
Exodus Communications was an Internet hosting service and Internet service provider to dot-com businesses. It went broke, along with many of its customers, during the bursting of the dot-com bubble. It declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2001 and was purchased by Cable and Wireless in November...
in March 1998 and became chairman of the board in 2000. Exodus set a Nasdaq record of 19 consecutive quarters of 40 percent quarter-over-quarter revenue growth. In 2000, the $29 Billion market cap exceeded even that of her ex-employer, Apple Computer. However, in 2001 the company became part of the dot-com crash
Dot-com bubble
The dot-com bubble was a speculative bubble covering roughly 1995–2000 during which stock markets in industrialized nations saw their equity value rise rapidly from growth in the more...
, the stock plummeted and Hancock stepped down as CEO in September of 2001. The company filed for bankruptcy that same month, followed by an asset purchase by Cable & Wireless in February 2002. More recently, Savvis Communications purchased the related assets from C&W in November 2004.
Hancock served as President, COO
Chief operating officer
A Chief Operating Officer or Director of Operations can be one of the highest-ranking executives in an organization and comprises part of the "C-Suite"...
, and secretary to the board of Acquicor, a company she co-founded with former Apple-CEO Gil Amelio
Gil Amelio
Gilbert Frank Amelio is an American technology executive. He grew up in Miami, Florida and received a bachelor's degree, master's degree, and Ph.D. in physics from the Georgia Institute of Technology...
and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak
Steve Wozniak
Stephen Gary "Woz" Wozniak is an American computer engineer and programmer who founded Apple Computer, Co. with Steve Jobs and Ronald Wayne...
. The company serves as a 'blank check' holding company. Most recently, Acquicor acquired Jazz Semiconductor
Jazz Semiconductor
Jazz Semiconductor is a US based pure-play semiconductor wafer foundry that serves customers targeting wireless, optical networking, power management, storage, aerospace/defense and other high-performance applications...
. Hancock resigned on July 7, 2007.
Hancock is a member on the boards of several companies and institutions of higher education, including Aetna
Aetna
Aetna, Inc. is an American health insurance company, providing a range of traditional and consumer directed health care insurance products and related services, including medical, pharmaceutical, dental, behavioral health, group life, long-term care, and disability plans, and medical management...
, Colgate-Palmolive
Colgate-Palmolive
Colgate-Palmolive Company is an American diversified multinational corporation focused on the production, distribution and provision of household, health care and personal products, such as soaps, detergents, and oral hygiene products . Under its "Hill's" brand, it is also a manufacturer of...
, Electronic Data Systems
Electronic Data Systems
HP Enterprise Services is the global business and technology services division of Hewlett Packard's HP Enterprise Business strategic business unit. It was formed by the combination of HP's legacy services consulting and outsourcing business and the integration of acquired Electronic Data Systems,...
, Ripcord Networks
Ripcord Networks
Ripcord Networks is a voice and video cryptographic security company. Their worldwide headquarters is in San Mateo, California in the United States. The company offers secure solutions for voice and video calling and conferencing from PC software, desk phones, cellular/mobile phones, femtocell, and...
, Marist College
Marist College
Marist College is a private liberal arts college on the east bank of the Hudson River near Poughkeepsie, New York. The site was established in 1905 by Marist Brothers, and the college was chartered in 1929...
and Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University is a private, not-for-profit, Jesuit-affiliated university located in Santa Clara, California, United States. Chartered by the state of California and accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, it operates in collaboration with the Society of Jesus , whose...
.