Patricia Dunn will be stepping down as chairwoman of Hewlett Packard. Her resignation comes following a controversy in which an investigator allegedly obtained phone records improperly in an attempt to identify boardroom leaks.

Mark Hurd, currently chief executive and president of the company, will be the new chairman, in addition to his current positions. Dunn will continue to be a director of the company after stepping down in January next year. HP's investigations into boardroom leaks date back to 2005.

In a statement Dunn said, "The recent events that have taken place follow an important investigation that was required after the board sought to resolve the persistent disclosure of confidential information from within its ranks. These leaks had the potential to affect not only the stock price of HP but also that of other publicly traded companies. Unfortunately, the investigation, which was conducted with third parties, included certain inappropriate techniques. These went beyond what we understood them to be, and I apologize that they were employed.'

Her successor, Hurd said that "I am taking action to ensure that inappropriate investigative techniques will not be employed again. They have no place in HP.' He then expressed his desire for HP to fully resume focus on the business.

Mark Hurd