SAN FRANCISCO — Hewlett-Packard’s board chose equal parts pragmatism, aggressiveness and surprise with its hiring of Léo Apotheker as the company’s new chief executive.

H.P. revealed Mr. Apotheker’s appointment on Thursday, filling a void left when Mark V. Hurd was ousted in August. Mr. Apotheker, a German, spent 20 years at the business software maker SAP, including a recent, abbreviated stint as its chief executive. His experience meshes with H.P.’s current strategy of dominating the business computing market and could help revitalize the company’s lackluster software business. Full Story