CEO Search: Can Anyone Save Yahoo?

What Yahoo needs, say management recruiters and analysts, is someone with the profile of Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) CEO Mark V. Hurd. A low-key operating wizard from the relative tech backwater of NCR (NCR), Hurd has managed to turn around HP in the three short years since he joined. In fact, one source close to the search says Yahoo isn't ruling out an executive outside the Internet realm. "You need someone who doesn't have the ego of a rock star," says Dona Roche-Tarry, a partner at executive search firm CTPartners. "But the new person would need the strength of character to stand up to Yang and the board."

Here is my pick: Sean Maloney, Intel's executive VP and its chief sales and marketing officer.

Sean Maloney has been Intel's top trouble shooter for many years. He is the one that Intel relies on when troubled business groups need to be turned around. He always gets the toughest jobs at Intel.

He is one of the most capable executives in the tech industry right now. My contacts tell me he was in the running for CEO of Hewlett-Packard following Carly Fiorina's departure but withdrew deciding to stay with Intel and the job later went to Mark Hurd.

Mr Maloney has been at Intel since 1982 and he has hit a ceiling. Paul Otellini, CEO and President of Intel isn't going anywhere, he took over in May 2005, and at age 58, he still has many years until retirement.

Yahoo would be a fantastic challenge for Mr Maloney, but he thrives on challenging situations and has had plenty of experience revamping poorly performing Intel business groups. He is fiercely loyal to Intel but he might be tempted by the enormous amount of value that would be created in turning around Yahoo. Intel has won the microprocessor wars and there isn't much else to do except to stay out of anti-trust courts -- that's a job for lawyers not for hard charging executives.

Yahoo needs a swift kick in the pants to get it going again. It's got great technologies and people but it is rudderless. Mr Maloney would be the best person to get Yahoo moving again and regain its former glory, imho.