When Carly Fiorina and Michael Capellas embarked on their joint campaign to unite Compaq and HP, no one predicted the extent of the battle they would have to face to bring it to where it is today – a done deal. Yet the war is not yet won. The pair still has to discredit the naysayers (particularly those who openly opposed the deal), by making this massive acquisition work.

Carefully selected champions, teams of lawyers, marketing magicians and board members, fought the initial battles. Even Carly, Michael and Walter Hewlett got their hands dirty. Now the war has turned completely. The heroes and villains will be cast from the country and regional managers who have just been appointed. The air raids are over: the ground assault can begin.