BUSINESSWEEK ONLINE : JUNE 26, 2000 ISSUE
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY 'Good Old-Fashioned Straight Talk' from the New CFO Deborah C. Hopkins, the new chief financial officer at Lucent Technologies Inc. (LU), is such a hard charger that she brings discipline even to her moments of relaxation. Forget lying on a beach: She prefers boating or flying with her husband, David, a licensed pilot. With all her job pressures, she is drawn to dangerous hobbies because they take complete focus--at the risk of severe physical harm. ''The thing that's good about boating and flying is you have to pay attention,'' says the 45-year-old mother of two. ''You can't think about work.'' That kind of focus is just what Lucent needs these days. The communications-equipment maker has to rebuild relations with investors after a rocky year in which shares have slid 21%. In January, Lucent announced it would miss revenue projections for the quarter. Separately, it has used excess funds from its pension plans to bolster earnings--but won't say just how much on a quarterly basis. Just five weeks into her new job, Hopkins has started meeting with Lucent's current shareholders and even some who dumped its stock. ''A CFO's credibility is everything,'' she says. ''So I can talk a lot, but it will be the walking that will define our approach.'' Hopkins has a reputation for walking the walk. Recently, she served as CFO at airplane maker Boeing Co., which before her arrival last year had a troubled relationship with Wall Street. In one symbolic gesture, Hopkins moved to disclose to investors and analysts the precise costs of building planes--data that had never been released. She says her approach is simple. ''If there's anything that would sum it up, it's just good old-fashioned straight talk,'' she says. ''Just tell it like it is.'' Hopkins also has deep management experience. Besides Boeing, she has headed up the consulting group at computer maker Unisys Corp. and served as chief financial officer for General Motors Europe. ''I picked her as CFO because I was looking for a business partner,'' says Richard A. McGinn, Lucent's chief executive. Analysts are optimistic that Hopkins will help Lucent. ''I think she will really turn things around,'' says Paul Sagawa, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. Surely Lucent will have her complete focus--when she's not flying or boating. By Steve Rosenbush in Murray Hill, N.J. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ BACK TO TOP					RELATED ITEMS Can Rich McGinn Revive Lucent? TABLE: Why Lucent Is Struggling CHART: Lucent Stock Takes a Hit ``Good Old-Fashioned Straight Talk'' from the New CFO INTERACT E-Mail to Business Week Online

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