Hp Hires New Lobbyst, Spends $3.8 million on lobbying

[Anonymous]

Hp Hires New Lobbyst, Spends $3.8 million on lobbying during the first half of 2012.

Veteran Republican operative Maria Cino is joining Hewlett-Packard to lead the tech company’s Washington operation. Cino tells PI exclusively that her goal is to make HP "a best in class D.C. office" and to make sure the Washington operation promotes innovation, productivity and investment for the company. "We want to carry our weight for the company," Cino said. She joins in the newly created position of vice president for government relations for the Americas. Cino, who’ll report to Gregg Melinson, vice president of global government relations, will also oversee the HP political action committee.

So far, Cino, most recently at Pfizer, is keeping mum about any big changes she’ll make, saying she plans to focus on getting to know the people at HP and its business. Patricia Sarcone, Shawn Vassell and Randy Dove are listed on HP’s lobbying disclosure forms as in-house lobbyists. The company spent nearly $3.8 million on lobbying during the first half of 2012. The company has several firms on retainer, including Innovative Federal Strategies, Mehlman Vogel Castagnetti, the Palmetto Group and the Sternhell Group. Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld recently filed a second quarter lobbying termination for HP.

[Author]

August 2, 2012 at 9:35 AM