Few tears for Capellas

Sudden departure of Compaq chief greeted with indifference

The sudden departure of Michael Capellas from Hewlett-Packard (HP) has been greeted by indifference in the channel.

Eddy Alejos, technical director at former Compaq reseller Dynax, said he was not worried. "From a technical point of view, as long as it continues with the Compaq people it should be okay, because the Compaq people are better at supporting the Compaq range," he said.

Greg Carlos, chief executive of Compaq reseller Repton, said Capellas's departure was inevitable. "You can't have two people who want to run things. What is important to channel partners is that HP clearly set out the rules for working with it," Carlos said.

Analyst firm Gartner Group believes Capellas had only a minor role in integrating Compaq and HP, and that Carly Fiorina was the powerhouse moving the firm forward.

Gartner said the departure may shake the confidence of former Compaq employees.

Capellas was being tipped last week to become WorldCom's chief executive after John Sidgmore leaves.