HP Australia's MD dies after heart attack

Hewlett-Packard Australasia's managing director, Norman McCann, died suddenly on Tuesday after suffering a heart attack.

HP offered no further comment at the time of press, in respect to McCann's family's request for privacy.

McCann took control of HP Australia in October 2000 and was mooted to be the frontrunner in the race to take the local reins of the merged Compaq and HP organisation.

McCann had been around the Australian industry for some time, having spent 20 years at Australian Consolidated Industries before leading a management buyout of ACI Computer Services in 1989. As Ferntree Computer Corporation, the company continued to trade successfully until its sale in 1996 to GE Capital.

Recently, he had held several advisory positions with Federal Government bodies. McCann had been appointed as chairman of the steering committee for the "ICT Framework for the Future" initiative launched this month by Communications Minister Senator Richard Alston.

McCann was 54.