FACTBOX: McCain advocate Carly Fiorina

(Reuters) - Republican John McCain targeted disappointed supporters of Democrat Hillary Clinton on Saturday with high profile help from Carly Fiorina, an adviser and former Hewlett-Packard chief executive who has been called one of the most powerful women in the United States.

McCain, an Arizona senator who has wrapped up his party's White House nomination, makes no secret of his wish to attract women who backed New York Sen. Clinton's presidential bid, regularly praising her and noting their work and travel together as members of the Senate.

Here are some facts about Carly Fiorina.

* Fiorina, 54, is the Republican National Committee's "Victory" chairwoman, and is one of a number of technology leaders who support Sen. John McCain's U.S. presidential campaign. She is often on the campaign trail with McCain and explains his economic policies.

* Texas-born Fiorina worked as a secretary at Hewlett-Packard Co while studying at Stanford University. She became the first outsider to head HP in 1999 and was the most powerful woman in American business at the time.

* Given the mandate to revitalize Silicon Valley's original start-up, Fiorina oversaw what had been the largest merger in the U.S. technology sector when Hewlett-Packard bought rival computer maker Compaq Computer Corp in 2002. She staked her career and reputation on the $19 billion deal, which was contested by Walter Hewlett, a scion of one of HP's founding families.

* Fiorina was forced out as chairman and chief executive of Hewlett-Packard in February 2005 because of the poor performance of the company after the merger. She ended a tumultuous 5 1/2-year tenure with a $21 million severance package.

(Writing by Tiffany Wu, editing by Peter Cooney)