A year in HP’s life: what concerns its Northern European chief in April 2026?

(SeaPRwire) –   Established in 1939, HP is well-acquainted with the turbulence of war and geopolitical instability. However, current conflicts and the ensuing economic unpredictability present hurdles for all companies. In the debut of a new series, we speak with Neil Sawyer, HP’s Managing Director for Northern Europe, about how he is guiding his team during this uncertain time.

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Priorities: What is your primary focus for 2026?

Steering both our company and our clients through numerous macroeconomic conditions. While such disruptions can generate significant new opportunities for us, we must also ensure we effectively maintain the status quo within our operations.

It is a fascinating period; technology constitutes a major portion of our customers’ investment landscape. Consequently, our second priority involves gaining a deeper understanding of our clients’ goals as technology evolves into their primary expense.

The third priority is ensuring we continue to diversify our business into long-term solutions and service-oriented value propositions. We are examining this from a supply chain standpoint—specifically regarding production locations—while also ensuring we meet the security requirements essential to many of our customers.

Pep talks and preparation: How did you inspire your team at the start of the year?

I find myself delivering a motivational speech almost every day right now!

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HP’s rank on 500

My current message is: ‘HP is a commercial organization, and there are always winners in markets experiencing macroeconomic instability. We possess a robust, diverse proposition that meets various technology needs, which we deliver via our partners to our customers. Therefore, let’s ensure we are the winners. Let’s ignore the potential downsides. Let’s focus on the positives and ensure we sustain and enhance our winning culture.’

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Regarding this macroeconomic volatility, as a leader, I must acknowledge the concerns individuals face both personally and professionally, and we must ensure we support our staff through these challenges. However, we are a large, resilient, and diverse business, and we should capitalize on our successes because we understand that technology decisions are directly influencing corporate investment and work styles.

Worries: What is keeping you awake at night?

Well, I have a new six-week-old puppy, so that certainly keeps me awake, wondering what it has eaten today!

“‘HP is a commercial entity and there will always be winners in a market where there is macroeconomic turbulence…”

Neil Sawyer, HP’s managing director for Northern Europe

From a business perspective, it would be negligent not to recognize the military activities occurring in various countries across the Middle East. It is crucial for me to maintain our focus on ensuring supply confidence during this period.

We also acknowledge that due to these macroeconomic factors, some clients must make difficult decisions regarding their technology investments, weighing past expenditures against future investments. Therefore, I aim to ensure we continue to provide the highest possible level of customer satisfaction.

We are aware of increased market turbulence not caused by the industry itself, and we must navigate this as a manufacturer and supplier. We must not only be reliable but also demonstrate stability.

That, aside from the dog, is what keeps me up at night, and I am pleased to report that we are making significant progress.

Trade-offs: What is one compromise you have made this year to achieve a more strategic objective?

We are moving away from our previously adopted practices. A prime example is our customer response strategy. Previously, we managed our supply chain based on an order book driven largely by customer demand; now, we have also introduced the ability to shape demand.

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HP’s rank on Global 500

Our goal is to maintain the highest level of customer fulfillment, so we are consulting with our customers more than ever regarding available technologies and alternative solutions that can deliver the same results, often more cost-effectively.

Magic metrics: What is one key number you are watching at the end of this month to indicate success?

We dedicate significant attention to our Net Promoter Score.

Naturally, there are commercial metrics regarding revenue, profit, and market share, but these are supported by our delivery of high customer satisfaction. Therefore, if asked for a single metric, I would always choose our Net Promoter Score, as it drives the results we see in the other areas.