One of Erwan Menard’s best assets, according to one industry analyst, is his solid grasp of business problems and how technology can solve them. Menard leads HP’s Communications and Media Solutions business unit. He directs the overall business accountability, including sales, consulting and services delivery, product and solutions portfolio management, marketing, strategy, R&D and support. And he’s been around. He served as president of global support for Alcatel-Lucent’s Convergence Business Group and prior to the Alcatel-Lucent merger in 2006 he held various management positions at Alcatel in Malaysia and the U.S. In 2004, Menard was appointed vice president North America for the Alcatel Mobile Communications Group, establishing Alcatel’s mobile communications presence in the context of the acquisition of Spatial Wireless. Last May he was named to the board of directors of the TM Forum. With his business focus, HP’s driving influence in both IT and network for communications and media and his advisory role at the forum, Menard will surely impact the direction of back office solutions going forward.