Patti Hart (Associated Press)
Yahoo nominating committee chair Patti Hart is a legendary telecom executive with Internet chops (currently CEO of IGT) and is precisely the right person to push this iconic portal into a new era of investor satisfaction. Hart brings both outstanding management skills and a very deep level of board experience to the task. She’s as tough as they come when necessary but is also a realist. So Hart knows turning Yahoo around or finding a reasonable exit strategy will not be simple. Technology companies’ rise and fall makes Wall Street’s “eat their young” look like an aggressive form of badminton. New Year’s prediction: Hart will make it happen.
Jeff Cunningham writes about leadership and business, boards and corporate governance. He is the founder of Directorship magazine and currently serves as managing director and senior advisor to NACD. Previously, he was president of the Internet venture firm CMGI, publisher of Forbes and managing partner of the U.K. private equity firm Schroders. He has served as an independent board chair or director of 10 public companies. The views expressed are his own.