Former H-P Chairman Patricia Dunn Dies

Former Hewlett-Packard (NYSE:HPQ) chairman Patricia Dunn has died, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Dunn served as the nonexecutive chairman of H-P from February of 2005 to September 2006, when she resigned after being accused of taking part in a corporate spying scandal involving the use of dubious investigation tactics to unearth a press leak believed to be coming from the company’s board.

H-P had used various investigation tricks to track phone records and the personal information of journalists and company board members suspected of leaking information to the press. The charges against Dunn were ultimately dropped.

Prior to her post at H-P, Dunn served as the CEO of Barclays Global Investors, where she started her career as a secretary. In 2005, she ranked No. 17 on Forbes’ list of the most powerful women.

Dunn battled various types of cancer, including advanced ovarian cancer. She was 58 years old.