HP appoints CEO Whitman chairman, expands board

Meg Whitman, chief executive officer and president of Hewlett-Packard, speaks during the grand opening of the company's Executive Briefing Center in Palo Alto, California January 16, 2013. REUTERS/Stephen Lam

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Hewlett-Packard Co appointed Chief Executive Officer Meg Whitman its chairman on Thursday and enlisted Alcoa CEO Klaus Kleinfeld as an independent director, adding a 12th member to its board. Whitman, who has led the world's largest computer maker since 2011, replaces activist investor Ralph Whitworth, who stepped down as interim chairman this week for health reasons. (Reporting by San Francisco newsroom)