Conference 7.286::digital

    What a shame !  
    
    PCF has done an outstanding job in Europe and has great management 
    ability and style. He is one the relatively few top managers who knows
    how to "tell it as it is".  Listening and talking to him is always a
    morale boost.
    
    John
    

    This message is sent to:
    All EHQ and SA employees.

    From: Communications - Europe
    Friday July 17, 1992 - 14:00


            DIGITAL ANNOUNCES RESIGNATION OF PIER CARLO FALOTTI

    									   
    The Corporation announced today, in Maynard, that Pier Carlo Falotti 
    had tendered his resignation as president and chief executive officer 
    of Digital Equipment Corporation International (Europe).  

    The text simply said the following:

    Maynard, MA -- July 17, 1992 -- Digital Equipment Corporation announced 
    today that Pier Carlo Falotti, President-Digital Europe, has resigned 
    from the company. John F. Smith, senior vice-president, Operations, to 
    whom Mr. Falotti reported, will assume his duties in the interim.

    "Pier Carlo has been a valued and respected manager and has contributed 
    markedly to Digital's success," said Smith. "His legacy is a strong 
    management team and a healthy business focused on industry and customer 
    solutions." 

    [end of statement]

    Pier Carlo joined Digital in 1969 as field service manager for 
    Digital's Italian subsidiary. In 1972, he transferred to European 
    headquarters in Geneva as field service manager, Southwest Europe 
    Region (Belgium, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland and 
    Yugoslavia).

    He held this position until 1977, when he was named head of the entire 
    European Field Service function, with responsibilities for all hardware 
    service and support activities in Europe. 

                                   - 2 -







    He was named a vice-president of Digital Equipment Corporation in 1981. 
    Two years later, in 1983 he was appointed as head of all European field 
    operations. He became president and chief executive officer of Digital 
    Equipment Corporation International (Europe) in 1985 and immediately 
    assumed responsibility for all of Digital's operations in Europe, 
    Africa, and the Middle-East. 

    Pier Carlo's legacy includes many significant contributions to 
    Digital's business, most notably in the areas of investment in growth 
    market sectors and the successful development of new geographic 
    regions. He was highly regarded within Digital for his leadership 
    qualities and widely respected within the European business community.

    [ends]



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Does anyone know where Falotti has gone to?   There's a rumour around here
that he has gone to Olivetti.

Maybe to protect Digital's investment there???

    Re. -1:
    >Maybe to protect Digital's investment there ??
    
    PCF could not be paid by Olivetti and protect DEC's investment in
    there. He, as an Italian, would only protect Olivetti!!
    
    I rather think this is a reaction to KO's decision of electing Rob. 
    Palmer as his successor; although he would have asked too much from DEC 
    (as an US Company) to be considered as KO's follower!!?? 
    
    It wasn't the case at Chrysler and certainly won't be the case at DEC. 
    
    Arnold

Copyright � Dow Jones & Co. 1992
Source: DJ International Financial News Wire
Headline: Ask Cos. CEO-2: Falotti Named Director, Boosts Bd To 6 >ASKI
Time: Jul 17 1992 1501


Story: 
  MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -(AP-DJ)-- Ask Cos. (ASKI) said it has appointed Pier 
Carlo Falotti chief executive, effective Sept. 1. 
  In a press release, Ask said Falotti also will become a director, boosting 
its board size to six, from five. 
  Current Chief Executive Sandra L. Kurtzig, who founded Ask in 1972, will 
remain chairman of the board. 
  Falotti has been president and chief executive of Digital Equipment Corp.'s 
European operations since 1983. 
 
-0- 1900GMT
categoryIndustry I/CPR I/SOF
categorySubject N/INV N/WER
categoryMarketSector M/TEC
categoryGeographic R/CA R/MA
categoryCompany ASKI DEC WNEWS

Copyright � Dow Jones & Co. 1992
Source: Business Wire
Headline: 
 Pier Carlo Falotti, DEC's European president, named chief executive officer 
of The ASK Companies
Time: Jul 17 1992 1516


Story: 
  MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sandra L. Kurtzig, chairman and 
chief executive officer of The ASK Companies (NASDAQ:ASKI), Friday announced 
the appointment of Pier Carlo Falotti as her successor as the software 
company's chief executive officer.
  Falotti, 50, has been president and chief executive officer of Digital 
Equipment Corp.'s European operations since 1983.
  Kurtzig, 45, who founded ASK in 1972, said she will relinquish her chief 
executive role, effective Sept. 1, 1992, but will remain chairman of The ASK 
Companies' board of directors.  Falotti will become a director of The ASK 
Companies.
  ``Pier Carlo Falotti is a standout in the computer industry and the right 
person to lead our company through its next period of growth,'' said Kurtzig, 
who took a hiatus from managing ASK in the mid-1980s, returning in 1989 to 
execute the successful turnaround of ASK and the acquisition of Ingres Corp.  
Today, The ASK Companies is one of the 10 largest software companies in the 
world.  Almost 50 percent of its more than $400 million in sales are outside 
of the United States.
  Falotti, who has been with Digital for 23 years, is credited with 
masterfully organizing and leading DEC Europe through a high-growth, 10-year 
period that saw it go from $900 million to $7 billion in sales and from 25 
percent to 50 percent of Digital's worldwide revenues to become second only to 
IBM as the top computer supplier.
  ``Pier Carlo's demonstrated success as a customer-oriented, motivating 
leader makes him an outstanding individual to run and grow The ASK 
Companies,'' Kurtzig said.  ``His track record is impressive by every measure. 
 Besides the tremendous European growth in revenue and profitability which 
Pier Carlo led, he executed the first and some of the largest of Digital's 
joint ventures and acquisitions.''
  Falotti, an electrical engineer by education, joined Digital's Italian 
subsidiary from Sperry-Univac Inc. in 1969 and rose through the ranks of the 
company's European field service organization, becoming responsible for 
Digital's European field service operations in 1978. In 1981 he became a 
Digital vice president and was elevated in 1983 to president and chief 
executive officer of DEC Europe, based in Geneva.
  As chief executive officer of DEC Europe, which currently has about 34,000 
employees, he has been the innovator of many new selling, service, training 
and organizational methodologies and models that have later become corporate 
standards throughout Digital.
  ``It's clear the growth, innovation and excitement in the computer business 
in the coming years will be on the software side of the house,'' Falotti said. 
 ``My discussions with ASK over the past five months have convinced me ASK is 
well positioned as the premier business-to-business software supplier.
  ``I'm impressed with the solid foundation Sandy has built, her vision and 
the progress the management team has made in recent years. I'm very excited to 
have a significant role in ASK's future.''
  Falotti will take over an ASK that is much different than the ASK Computer 
Systems of three years ago, when Kurtzig returned to turn around the company's 
slowing growth and profitability after a four-year break from active 
management of the company she founded.
  Since her return, the company's revenue has more than doubled and 
international sales have tripled, due primarily to the acquisition of Ingres, 
the relational database management system (RDBMS) pioneer based in Alameda, 
Calif.
  Kurtzig installed a new management team and, a year ago, reorganized The Ask 
Companies into three focused, decentralized business units -- Ingres, ASK 
Computer Systems and Data 3.  This organizational structure will continue 
under Falotti.  The presidents of the business units are Eric Carlson of ASK, 
Dennis McGinn of Ingres, and David Sohm of Data 3.
  They, along with Chief Financial and Administrative Officer Les Wright, will 
report to Falotti.
  ``We've achieved a number of important milestones, including the development 
of significant new products in each of the businesses,'' Kurtzig said.
  ``We have a very strong management team and a very exciting future. Due to 
excellent cash flow and profitability, we were able recently to pay off, ahead 
of schedule, bank borrowings incurred in 1990 to acquire Ingres.''
  Born in Turin, Italy, Falotti moved to Geneva in 1973.  He and his wife, who 
have two children, will be relocating to California.

    
    Variety of interesting points about PCF's move, discounting the reasons
    why....
    
    	- he's relocating to California, but was widely rumoured in DEC
    Europe to have not wanted to relocate to US for DEC in the past
    
       - he's very clearly stating that software is where the action is
    
       - all the plus points listed in the ASK PR note about his
         personality would be endorsed by the overwhelming mass of European
         staff -- just highlights the loss to DEC 
    
       - not at all clear who will step into his shoes as the charismatic
         man-manager & leader -- We're not over-burdened with those job skills
    
       - for many inside & outside DEC, the two announcements re Ken & PCF
         have different connotations -- 1 seen has having a glorious past, the
         other credited with having the potential for a glorious future.
    
       - wouldn't be at all surprised for PCF's departure to encourage exit
         by other ambitious & competent senior staff -- which we cannot
         afford to see happen
    
       - hope there is some very public, competent, team-building done with
         great speed. What's the old saying? "Nature abhors a vacuum" -- so
         should DEC if it intends to convey to all of us urgency in the
         implementation of a well-defined battleplan for survival 
                                            
    
    Colin

I'm very sad to see PCF go. He's been visibly supporting the software
business in Europe over the last couple of years, efforts largely diffused
on the management chain down.

I once wrote to Olsen asking to post a note about "Why he hates databases",
and had corporate security mail me back to decline the request. The one time
I mailed PCF after he publicly forgot to mention "software" as one of the
key profit growth areas here, I got a personal reply back in two days with
his action plan to fix things.

My old boss once mailed PCF a courtesy copy of DECdirect's annual report,
which included all the frustrations they had with internal pieces of the rest
of the company. The mail came back in paper form with all the fix actions -
involving many senior DEC managers - handwritten point by point. That guy was
all action, and will be badly missed by us.
								- Ian W.

    Well Ian,
    
    If what you say about PCF is true, and I have absolutely no reason to
    doubt it, we have indeed lost yet another very valuable person. It is
    really scary to see, from all areas of the company, some of our very
    best just saying to hell with it and moving on. The "brain drain" must
    stop. And soon.
    
    Best of luck.
    
    Rgds,
    
    gene.

From:	NAME: Pier Carlo FALOTTI @GEO       
	FUNC: EUROPE                          
	TEL: 821-4961/Public:(41)22 7094961   <FALOTTI AT AMISA1 @EHQMTS @GEO>
Date:	20-Jul-1992
Posted-date: 20-Jul-1992
Precedence: 1
Subject: My departure from Digital
To:     See Below
CC:     See Below


         To:  European Country Managers -   for your information & distribution
              European Management Board -   For your information & distribution
         
         cc:  Gordon Moultrie
         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
         
         
         It is with my deepest regrets that I leave Digital and the tremendous 
         people that make it the company that it is.  After 23 years this 
         company, you and your people are part of my life, and always will be.
         
         Personal reasons have led me to take this very difficult decision.  I 
         have to be true to the principles I have tried to share with you during
         these years, and to myself.  You still have the full potential to 
         realise the Dream we have shared and I want to ask a last favor from 
         all of you.
         
         Please continue to improve the values that we believe in and have 
         worked hard to instill in the organisation during our years together.  
         Digital still has great potential, yet to be realised, and it is you 
         and your people who will make Digital great once more. 
         
         Together, you must continue to grow and develop the tremendous company 
         we have built.  If you follow our direction and stay together, you will
         remain a winning organisation.
         
         I know that in the future, I will be able to look at Digital in Europe,
         under your guidance, still as a leading company and an example to the 
         market.
         
         I leave with a lot of emotions, a lot of good memories and also a deep 
         pride and certainty that you will continue to fight to be the best both
         as individuals and as a group.  You must stay a close team.
         
         Thanks for what you have given me.  I have certainly learnt a lot from 
         all of you.  It has been a fantastic time.
         
         Good luck.
         Ciao
         PCF/dc

    RE: .10
    
    Goodbye sir and the best of luck.
    
    Your words are right on the money. I for one,
    however how long I last at DEC, will take
    your words to heart.
    
    Fight and fight hard this company is not dead yet.
    And only we can safe it. We have the vested concern.
    Not Wall Street. Maybe not even our customers. But
    US, the people of Digital. If WE win then they win.
    
    CHARGE !, or get out of my way.
    
    Luck to all,
    
    Rick A

Article in the Wall Street Journal, p B8

Falotti resigns for personal reasons.

    Are there other details for those of us without a copy of the WSJ
    handy?
    
    			Alfred

         News Article: ASK Group announces resignation of CEO
 
          9-FEB-1994   Length: 21   lines           Businesswire

   SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 9, 1994--The ASK Group 
 Inc. (NASDAQ:ASKI) Wednesday said that its board of directors had 
 accepted the resignation of Pier Carlo Falotti, the company's president 
 and chief executive officer.

	   Falotti's resignation was for personal reasons.

	   The company said that the board of directors has started a search 
 for Falotti's replacement.  Until a successor CEO is named, the board 
 has designated Leslie E. Wright, executive vice president and chief 
 financial officer, as acting operating officer to manage the company's 
 operating plan and strategy.

	   The ASK Group Inc. is a developer and integrator of strategic 
 business software, providing corporations with the technologies and 
 services to build, connect, manage and maintain information systems.

	   The company achieved revenue of $426 million for the fiscal year 
 ended June 30, 1993, and serves customers worldwide through its more 
 than 2,300 employees in 82 offices.
    

    He probably realized that SAP is going to put ASK and a number of other
    software vendors out of business.

    re: 1993.15
    
    What is SAP?
    
    Thanks,
    
    Jim

    
    I'm taking bets on when Sandy Kurtzig announces she's coming out of
    retirement.
    
    -Ed
    

    SAP is the hottest software company in commercial business applications
    in the US, Europe, and Asia Pacific.  Their new product is client
    server with relationsl DB and GUI front end.  The first to market in
    their market segment. SAP is the 8th largest SW company by revenues
    world wide with approximately $750m in sales. 
    
    SAP brings integrated financials, manufacturing, and sales &
    distribution application software on a UNIX platform into the
    commercial market place.  The software supports 11 languages and
    currencies and multiple tax codes for the international market place.
    
    BTW it runs on Alpha AXP on OSF/1 and OpenVMS and has been chosen for
    the order processing software for DECdirect.  Pier Carlo reviewed the
    Digital business plan around SAP back in 1991 so I know he is familiar
    with them.
    
    Al

    Correction:  R/3 is not supported on OpenVMS any longer, only OSF/1

    Re: -1
    Correction to the correction...R/3 is supported on Alpha AXP OpenVMS. 
    The OpenVMS release lags behind the UNIX releases by 2 to 4 weeks but
    it is out there and we have several customers in the US.  R/3 is no
    longer supported on VAX/VMS.
    
    Al

SAP effectively implements some software features in terms of integration,
dynamicity and flexibility DIGITAL IS and therefore IS deciders do not
understand yet.
    

    
    Careful with the client/server statements on SAP. They are true when it
    comes to hardware configuration, not true in the sense of John
    Donovan's 3 layer model.
    
    At this time, SAP is designed to be internally integrated, or linked to
    specific modules produced by 3rd parties in a partnership scheme. R/3
    is not yet designed to interplay using some of the SAP modules with a
    customer's definition of best-in-class for other modules.
    
    An important distinction, & needs careful positioning to a client who
    has been to CTG etc. SAP understand the issue, & accept that in the
    future they will have to be more open, & offer integration to external
    best-in-class (or whatever the customer wants....)
    
    Colin

Colin,

What matters is how the customers who want SAP R/3 define open client/server.
To them, and my group interacts with several customers and potential customers
every week, they perceive SAP R/3 to be open since it has very few vendor
specific dependencies, and client/server, since it provides three layers
of technology; presentation services, application services, and database
services.  Everything other than the presentation layer is transparent
to the end user.  

I don't know how many of the SAP customers have seen the CTG pitch, but no
customer to my knowledge has ever not purchased SAP because of any
impurity in SAP's client/server implementation.  It solves their business
problems and requires big computes (read Alpha AXP) to run it.

MS

    WHy is it that esnior execs always resign for "personal reasons".
    Never, to take  on a better paying job, or because the *!@( is about to
    hit the  fan in the old one...
    
    q
    

    If, when they took a more lucrative job they stated that, then when
    they had to, er, walk the plank, everyone would see "personal reasons"
    and nod knowingly.
    
    As opposed to now, when it's merely a likely bet.
    
    Dick

                 AT&T NAMES PRESIDENT AND CEO FOR EUROPE

           EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: THIS RELEASE WAS ISSUED IN BRUSSELS, 
           BELGIUM, AT 10 A.M. (BRUSSELS TIME) THIS MORNING (FEB. 14)

           BRUSSELS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 14, 1994--AT&T said today that 
 Pier Carlo Falotti, former president and CEO of The ASK Group, one of
 the world's largest independent software companies, has been appointed 
 president and chief executive officer -- Europe, Middle East, Africa.  

           Before joining ASK in September, 1992, Falotti was president and 
 CEO of Digital Equipment Corporation Europe.  

           Falotti will lead AT&T's operations in Europe, the Middle East,
 and Africa, and will be a member of AT&T's Global Operations Team, 
 which is responsible for implementing the company's strategies, and 
 for AT&T's operations around the world.  

           Falotti will be based in Brussels.  Europe, the Middle East and 
 Africa form one of three regions in AT&T's global structure.  The other 
 two are Asia/Pacific and Latin America.  

           "Because of the profound changes and significant growth in 
 telecommunications and information solutions in the region, it's 
 critical for AT&T and its customers that we have someone with Pier 
 Carlo's special qualifications guiding our operations and informing 
 our planning,"  said Victor A. Pelson, AT&T's chairman of global 
 operations.  

           "His significant leadership experience in high technology and 
 his understanding of regional markets will contribute immediately to the 
 value AT&T can bring to its customers.  

           "We look to Falotti to drive a more synergistic and proactive 
 approach, to expand our presence, and build our relationships with 
 European partners and customers."  

           Falotti's appointment marks another step in implementation of a 
 management approach that enables AT&T to quickly, flexibly and profitably 
 meet its customers' needs worldwide.  Under this new system, which moves 
 decision-making affecting customers closer to those customers, a CEO and 
 president was named for AT&T's Asia/Pacific Region in October 1993, and a 
 similar appointment is planned for Latin America.  

	I wonder if the people at AT&T are complaining about all the
	ex-DECcie's who are joining their executive ranks?

	Roy

    One wonders if PCF is getting these jobs offers before he resigns? Or
    is he just damned fast at ringing around....
    
    q
    

	Re. .29

	Well, he certainly "reached out and touched someone" :-). 

    
    Apparently his "personal" reason for leaving ASK was a better
    job.
    
    Glenn

    
               ORACLE NAMES AT&T'S FALOTTI TO HEAD EUROPEAN ORGANIZATION
    
          Copyright &copy 1996 Nando.net
          Copyright &copy 1996 Bloomberg
    
      REDWOOD CITY, Calif. (Aug 6, 1996 4:00 p.m. EDT) -- Oracle Corp. said
       it named Pier Carlo Falotti, who resigned two weeks ago from AT&T
       Corp., to head the software company's reorganized European business.
    
       Falotti, 54, will take over Sept. 1 as senior vice president of
       Europe, Middle East and Africa. He was AT&T's executive vice president
       of international operations, responsible for the same areas.
    
       For the past few quarters, Oracle's European sales have been weak
       compared with other regions. Oracle, the biggest publisher of database
       computer programs, has been reorganizing its European sales team to
       boost revenue.
    
      "Pier Carlo possesses unique capabilities to operate in this diverse
       part of our business," said Raymond Lane, Oracle president and chief
       operating officer.
    
       Falotti will have the mandate of extending Oracle's business
       internationally, where demand for networking and database software is
       expected to expand. About 40 percent of Oracle's annual revenue of
       $4.2 billion comes from Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the
       company said.
    
       Redwood City, California-based Oracle writes software that helps
       companies store and retrieve huge amounts of information, such as
       customer lists and inventories.
    
       Falotti joined AT&T in 1994 as president and chief executive for
       Europe, Middle East and Africa. John Petrillo, 47, an AT&T executive
       vice president for strategy, will take on Falotti's job until the
       telecommunications company finds a successor.
    
       Before going to AT&T, Falotti was president and chief executive of ASK
       Group Inc., which was bought by Computer Associates International
       Inc., and headed Digital Equipment Corp.'s European operations.
    
    

    What temp agency does HE use?

    
    And to think he gets a *golden* 'golden' parachute every time,
    
     Mark.

    He was our loss..
    
    Chris

    >  He was our loss..
    
    I cannot believe that those writing this are very well informed. It
    seems he was a great personality, but he must carry the can for buying
    PCI and Mannesmann-Kienzle, two blunders which cost megadollars,
    marching us into a dilletantist attack when we should have been
    retreating carefully. We are still paying the penalty.
    
    Also, many people are still curious about the Olivetti deal. Very
    curious.
    
    http://www.atd.co.za/fm/issues/040895/BKS.1.html
    
    Does he still drive a Ferrari??
    
    Kevin
    

	.35 must have meant to say

		"He was our losses"...caused by all reasons in .36

    shall I warn my customers using Oracle? 
    by all means the Philips & Kienzle deals still cost us millions!

re .38

Already before acquiring Philips Digital was loosing ground. 

It's easy to blame the outside world for not keeping up...

Wilko
(ex-Philips) 

    re .39
    
    I agree entirely, and would not blame those from Philips or Kienzle for
    what happened for a minute. The point is, in a shakedown situation we
    spend a lot of cash to buy in some 11500 employees we had no stategy
    for. Before the ink was dry on the contracts we changed our minds and
    started to throw more cash at the problem to get out of it and spend
    millions laying off the bulk of the 11500 we hired. This put immense
    pressure on the restructuring of 1993, which went badly wrong,
    contributing to the big trouble which happened in 1994. Digital was in
    trouble because it had missed the unix movement and open systems. It
    needed all this like a hole in the head. 
    
    Meanwhile the guy who started it all drives of into the sun in his
    Ferrari while the rest of us get on the Titanic. I think the Philips
    and Kienzle people suffered as a result of this as much as anyone. They
    thought they were being rescued :-)
    
    I don't have the facts to put a cost on the whole debacle, but my thumb
    says $2 billion.
    
    Kevin   

    I did not blame those people from Philips or Kienzle, I blame the
    decision makers... none left... all gone with packages... 
    Sorry for any misunderstanding.
    kind regards, Hans J. Uhl