Hewlett-Packard Co. (HP) on Thursday announced major changes to its board of directors, another aftershock following the exit of the company's former chief executive officer (CEO) Mark Hurd.

In a statement, HP said incumbent board members Joel Hyatt, John Joyce, Robert Ryan and Lucille Salhany will not stand for re- election at the company's annual meeting of stockholders in March.

Meanwhile, the company announced that its board is adding five new members, among them Meg Whitman, former CEO of eBay, and Gary Reiner, former chief information officer of General Electric.

The appointment of the five new directors are effective Jan. 21 and they will stand for re-election, HP said.

The world's largest personal computer maker has been under criticism from shareholders over how it handled the departure of Hurd, who resigned in August 2010 following an investigation into claims of sexual harassment brought up by a former HP contractor.

In another related development, HP is planning an independent investigation into the departure of Hurd and the board's decision to award him a generous severance package, U.S. media reported on Thursday, citing court documents.