Michael Capellas

Michael David Capellas (born August 19, 1955 in Warren, Ohio) is Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Acadia Enterprises, LLC a joint venture of Cisco and EMC with investment from Intel and VMware. He also serves as Chairman of the Virtual Computing Environment (VCE) coalition. Capellas previously served as Chairman and CEO of First Data Corporation, Acting CEO of Serena Software, Chairman and CEO of Compaq Computer Corporation until its merger with Hewlett-Packard where he became President of the post-merger company briefly, and President and CEO of WorldCom (later MCI) where he led its merger with Verizon.

Early years

Capellas says he inherited his gritty determination from his father, a Greek citizen who fought with the Greek Army against the Germans in Italy in World War II.^{[citation needed]} After the war, the elder Capellas met and married his wife, Juliet, in Italy. The family then emigrated to Ohio where Capellas' father worked his way up from laborer to superintendent at the Republic Steel Corp. My dad had an unbelievable work ethic. He was intensely loyal to the company. He worked there for 30 years, says Capellas.

As an undergraduate at Kent State University, Capellas developed an interest in computers. Shortly after he graduated with a BBA from Kent State, Capellas met his future wife, Marie Angelillo, a former nurse. The two married in 1979, and for the next 20 years they traveled around the world as Capellas climbed the ranks of each company he joined.

Businessman

Capellas joined Compaq as CIO in 1998. In 1999, when President and CEO Eckhard Pfeiffer was forced to resign after a boardroom coup led by chairman Benjamin M. Rosen, Rosen took on the capacity of interim CEO while Capellas was elevated to COO. Several months later, Capellas became permanent CEO and Chairman of Compaq.

As Chairman and CEO of Compaq Computer Corporation between 1999 and 2001, Capellas helped repair the relationship between Microsoft and Compaq, which had eroded over the years. His efforts resulted in Compaq becoming Microsoft's key strategic partner for the release of its Windows 2000 operating system.

In 2001, Capellas led Compaq into an acquisition by Hewlett-Packard, but the deal was delayed for eight months because of a proxy and boardroom battle within HP. Finally, on May 3, 2002, Hewlett-Packard announced approval of the acquisition and Capellas became president of the post-merger Hewlett-Packard, under CEO Carly Fiorina, to ease the integration of the two companies. However, Capellas was reported not to be happy with his role, being said not to be utilized and being unlikely to become CEO as the board supported Fiorina. Capellas stepped down on November 12, 2002, just six months on the job. His former role of president was not filled as the executives who reported to him then reported directly to the CEO.

In December 2002, Capellas became President and CEO of WorldCom (later MCI). He stepped down as CEO after the Verizon merger in 2006.

In December 2006, Capellas was appointed acting CEO of Serena Software, selected by Silver Lake Partners, the company that took Serena private in March 2006.

On July 10, 2007, Capellas was identified as the new CEO of First Data Corporation. The position was to become effective upon the completion of the leveraged buy out (LBO) of First Data by private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co..

He is also on the Board of Directors for Cisco Systems, and national board of the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. He was also a Senior Advisor for Silver Lake Partners, an investment firm that focuses on large scale investments in technology and related industries. In 2001, Capellas was inducted into the Warren, Ohio Schools Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame.

External links

• Forbes Article