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March 1, 2005
Ex-Chief of Hewlett Seen as Candidate to Head World Bank
By ELIZABETH BECKER
WASHINGTON, March 1 - Carleton S. Fiorina, who lost her job as chief executive of Hewlett-Packard two weeks ago, has emerged as a strong candidate to become the next president of the World Bank, according to an official in the Bush administration.
Paul Wolfowitz, the deputy secretary of defense, is also under serious consideration, the official said, but Mr. Wolfowitz is expected to release a statement later today saying that he has been asked to stay at the Pentagon.
Robert B. Zoellick, until last week the United States trade representative, had been the White House's candidate to replace James D. Wolfensohn, the current bank president, who completes his second five-year term in May.
But when Mr. Zoellick was tapped to become the new deputy secretary of state, the White House reopened the bidding.
Remaining on the short list of contenders are Randall L. Tobias, the global AIDS coordinator for the White House and former vice chairman of AT&T International and head of Eli Lilly & Company; and John Taylor, the top-ranking official at the Treasury Department for international affairs. Peter McPherson, the former president of Michigan State University, is no longer one of the leading candidates.
The official familiar with the list would discuss the names only on background because of the administration's disdain for any leaks of prospective candidates.
The White House refused to comment publicly on Ms. Fiorina, or on the candidacy of Mr. Wolfowitz, which was reported in The Financial Times today.
"We don't comment or speculate on personnel decisions," said Tony Fratto, the deputy spokesman for the Treasury Department, which is officially in charge of the appointment.
Mr. Wolfowitz is currently a powerful deputy at the Pentagon, and any departure by him could have a huge impact on military policy.
Ms. Fiorina, the sole woman on the list, carries far less political baggage. As the head of a Fortune 500 company for six years, she gained managerial experience that puts her near the top of the list for the World Bank job. She is considered a dynamic leader with a crisp command of the facts, although she was blamed for Hewlett-Packard's failure to match the performance of such rival computer makers as I.B.M. and Dell.
Ms. Fiorina would also add a touch of glamour to the post, since she is probably the only candidate famous enough to be known in business circles by her first name, Carly.
With this appointment, President Bush will have a chance to name his own person to lead the World Bank. (By tradition, the United States names the head of the bank while Europe names the director of the International Monetary Fund.)
Increasingly, Mr. Bush has pushed to put his mark on foreign aid policy, stressing targeted assistance to countries meeting his criteria for responsible government. In the administration's new budget proposal, foreign aid was spared the deep cuts that were made in domestic programs.
Whether Mr. Wolfowitz would be the best candidate to pursue these ideas could be questioned by some of the other big players at the World Bank. As one of the chief architects of the Iraq war, Mr. Wolfowitz is not among the favorites of some European nations, which might try to block his appointment.
As the assistant secretary of state for East Asia and later United States Ambassador to Indonesia, Mr. Wolfowitz did oversee policy covering the developing world.
For her part, Ms. Fiorina is more like Mr. Wolfensohn before he became the World Bank president since both are considered charismatic business leaders who travel in elite circles.
But neither Mr. Wolfowitz nor Ms. Fiorina is considered an expert in development.
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