Former Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) CEO Carly Fiorina joins Fox Business Channel

Carly Fiorina, former head of Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE: HPQ), will be joining the new Fox Business Channel (still in pre-launch) as a contributor. Apparently, Rupert Murdoch's new business venture wants to take some glitz from competitor CNBC, as Fiorina has that in ample supply after gracing magazine covers for six years while at the helm of HP.

It's not that Fiorina did not know how to run a business (far from it), but the needs of a dynamic industry finally caught up with her in 2005 when HP's board ousted her in favor of current CEO and Chairman Mark Hurd. Hurd's done great things in his tenure with HP so far, as his operational finesse and cost control methodology apparently has set HP back on track from quarter after quarter of missteps under Fiorina's leadership. Many believe Fiorina's contribution to Hurd's current success is her lasting legacy at HP. That's fine, as there is probably some truth to that.

Fiorina, probably the most recognized female CEO ever, was more of a showperson than a hard-nosed business executive from many accounts -- something that ended up costing her a job. So when Fox News says that "Carly Fiorina is one of the foremost business leaders of our time," I have to disagree. There are multiple examples of more efficient and successful leaders, even in the last decade. Howard Schultz, Steve Jobs and Jack Welch (to a point, heh) are just a few.

When the Fox Business Channel launches, it will most likely be about glitz and glamour. The loudmouths the network already has in place on the Fox News Channel easily make this a verifiable premonition. We'll wait to see what substance is put forth before making further assessments. But, for someone who has a flair for the dramatic, perhaps Fox is Fiorina's rightful place.