Robert Frankenberg
Encyclopedia
Robert J. "Bob" Frankenberg (born 1947) is an American
computer engineer and business executive who served as Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Novell, Inc. from 1994 to 1996.
(HP), starting there in 1969. While at HP, he earned a degree in computer engineering
from San Jose State University
in 1974 and completed the Stanford Executive Program at Stanford Graduate School of Business
. In 1985 he was promoted to General Manager of the Information Systems Group and made Vice President in 1989. He led the revival of HP's personal computer
unit, and in 1991, he was promoted to Group Vice President of Personal Information Products.
He then moved to Novell in 1994, succeeding Raymond Noorda. He spent much of his tenure divesting properties acquired by Noorda in a bid to compete with Microsoft
. He sold Wordperfect
and Quattropro to Corel
and Unix Systems Laboratories to Santa Cruz Operation, taking huge losses. Analysts stated that Novell missed opportunities to capitalize on client–server computing and emerging Internet
-based technologies.
In 1997 he became President and CEO of Encanto Networks, Inc. He has been a management consultant with NetVentures since 1996. Frankenberg has served on several corporate boards, including Nuance Communications, Inc., Daw Technologies, Inc., and Scansoft, Inc. He has been on the boards of Electroglas, Inc. since 1993, Caere Corporation since 1996, Secure Computing Corporation since 1996, and National Semiconductor
since 1999. He served as board Chair and acting CEO of Kinzan, Inc. from 1999 to 2006.
He has served as a trustee of Westminster College, Salt Lake City
since 1997.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
computer engineer and business executive who served as Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Novell, Inc. from 1994 to 1996.
Life and career
Frankenberg spent much of his career at Hewlett-PackardHewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard Company or HP is an American multinational information technology corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA that provides products, technologies, softwares, solutions and services to consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises, including...
(HP), starting there in 1969. While at HP, he earned a degree in computer engineering
Computer engineering
Computer engineering, also called computer systems engineering, is a discipline that integrates several fields of electrical engineering and computer science required to develop computer systems. Computer engineers usually have training in electronic engineering, software design, and...
from San Jose State University
San José State University
San Jose State University is a public university located in San Jose, California, United States...
in 1974 and completed the Stanford Executive Program at Stanford Graduate School of Business
Stanford Graduate School of Business
The Stanford Graduate School of Business is one of the professional schools of Stanford University, in Stanford, California and is broadly regarded as one of the best business schools in the world.The Stanford GSB offers a general management Master of Business Administration degree, the Sloan...
. In 1985 he was promoted to General Manager of the Information Systems Group and made Vice President in 1989. He led the revival of HP's personal computer
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
unit, and in 1991, he was promoted to Group Vice President of Personal Information Products.
He then moved to Novell in 1994, succeeding Raymond Noorda. He spent much of his tenure divesting properties acquired by Noorda in a bid to compete with Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
. He sold Wordperfect
WordPerfect
WordPerfect is a word processing application, now owned by Corel.Bruce Bastian, a Brigham Young University graduate student, and BYU computer science professor Dr. Alan Ashton joined forces to design a word processing system for the city of Orem's Data General Corp. minicomputer system in 1979...
and Quattropro to Corel
Corel
Corel Corporation from the abbreviation is a computer software company headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario, that specializes in graphics processing, similar to Adobe Systems...
and Unix Systems Laboratories to Santa Cruz Operation, taking huge losses. Analysts stated that Novell missed opportunities to capitalize on client–server computing and emerging Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
-based technologies.
In 1997 he became President and CEO of Encanto Networks, Inc. He has been a management consultant with NetVentures since 1996. Frankenberg has served on several corporate boards, including Nuance Communications, Inc., Daw Technologies, Inc., and Scansoft, Inc. He has been on the boards of Electroglas, Inc. since 1993, Caere Corporation since 1996, Secure Computing Corporation since 1996, and National Semiconductor
National Semiconductor
National Semiconductor was an American semiconductor manufacturer, that specialized in analog devices and subsystems,formerly headquartered in Santa Clara, California, USA. The products of National Semiconductor included power management circuits, display drivers, audio and operational amplifiers,...
since 1999. He served as board Chair and acting CEO of Kinzan, Inc. from 1999 to 2006.
He has served as a trustee of Westminster College, Salt Lake City
Westminster College, Salt Lake City
Westminster College is a private liberal arts college located in the Sugar House neighborhood of Salt Lake City, Utah. The college comprises four schools: the School of Arts and Sciences, the Bill and Vieve Gore School of Business, the School of Education, and the School of Nursing and Health...
since 1997.
External links
- Robert J. Frankenberg profile via ForbesForbesForbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...