PALO ALTO, Calif., - HP today announced Marcela Perez de Alonso will retire as executive vice president of Human Resources for personal reasons after deciding to relocate to be with her family.

Perez de Alonso has served as executive vice president and a member of the company’s Executive Council since 2004. She has agreed to remain with HP until her successor is in place to ensure a smooth transition.

Executive recruitment firm Spencer Stuart has been hired to lead the search for her successor and will consider both internal and external candidates.

“Marcela has been a powerful advocate for our people and a great partner to our business groups and other corporate divisions,” said Léo Apotheker, HP president and chief executive officer. “Under Marcela’s leadership, HP’s human resources organization has become a competitive advantage for HP, helping us attract, retain and develop the best talent in the industry. We truly regret that she is leaving, but we continue to see the value of her contributions to the company every day and we wish her well.”

“My time at HP has been an incredible experience, and I know that I leave the company well positioned for the future, and our more than 300,000 employees in good hands under Léo’s leadership,” said Perez de Alonso. “It was a difficult decision for me to leave HP at a time when there is so much excitement and opportunity around the company, but I am confident that this is the right move for me and my family, which has been very patient in dealing with my long commute away from home.”

Perez de Alonso has worldwide responsibility for HP’s strategic human resources initiatives, practices and operations, supporting employees in more than 170 countries. During her tenure, she spearheaded the transformation of HP’s human resources organization, building a best-in-class function that delivers value to its people while driving business results and growth.

Among her many accomplishments, Perez de Alonso has led HP’s human resources organization through a series of acquisitions and a period of unprecedented growth, with HP’s workforce roughly doubling over the last six years. She implemented numerous people programs, including “Leading for Results” to help cultivate the next generation of HP leadership and “Winning with Wellness” to empower employees to take charge of their health, finances and stress management. She was named “2009 Human Capital Leader of the Year” by the Society of Human Resource Management and featured on the cover of HR Executive magazine for architecting a breakthrough workforce planning model unmatched in the HR industry.