Michael David Capellas (born August 19, 1955 in Warren, Ohio) has been the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of First Data Corporation since September 2007. He was previously Chairman and CEO of Compaq Computer Corporation, President of the post-merger Hewlett-Packard, President and CEO of WorldCom (later MCI), and Acting CEO of Serena Software.

Contents 1 Early years 2 Corporate World 3 Trivia 4 Notes and References 5 External links

[edit] 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. 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.

[edit] Corporate World

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, for six months to ease the integration of the two companies.

In December 2002, Capellas became President and CEO of WorldCom (later MCI), he was inducted into the Warren City Schools Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame. ^[1] 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, 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.

[edit] Trivia

• Michael and Marie learned to play golf a decade ago, and now she accompanies him on business trips that include a round of golf with customers.
• When with Compaq Computer, the Capellases lived in a stately brick house adjacent to a golf course in a suburb of Houston, Texas
• They have two daughters: Juliet and Andrea
• Capellas is of Greek (father) and Italian (mother) descent
• Capellas is blind in his left eye.^[2]

[edit] Notes and References

[edit] External links

• Forbes Article