Peter Rojas

Peter Rojas is the cofounder and editor-in-chief of Engadget, a weblog with daily coverage of gadgets, consumer electronics, and personal technology, and the cofounder of Joystiq, a weblog covering the world of video games. He is also the Chief Strategy Officer for Weblogs, Inc., the world's largest blog network, and a Programming Director with AOL, the parent company of Weblogs, Inc. He is a frequent commenter on technology for several radio and television programs, and in 2005 served as a guest host on G4’s Attack of the Show.

Prior to founding Engadget, Rojas served as the editorial director of technology weblog Gizmodo, as a contributing editor at Cargo, as an editor-at-large at Sync, as technology editor of VMan, Visionaire's men's fashion magazine, as a columnist on emerging technology for British newspaper The Guardian, as a features and news writer for the original Red Herring, and was a contributor to Wired, The New York Times, The Village Voice, Salon, Slate, Vice, Surface, Food & Wine, Popular Science, Fortune, Fortune Small Business, SCI FI Magazine, Money, and Business 2.0. He was educated at Harvard University and the University of Sussex (U.K.) and resides in New York City.

Source

Louis V. Gerstner, Jr.

Louis V. Gerstner, Jr.

Chairman, IBM

Louis V. Gerstner, Jr. joined The Carlyle Group in January 2003 as Chairman. Prior to joining Carlyle, Mr. Gerstner was Chairman of the Board of IBM Corporation from April 1993 until his retirement in December 2002. He served as Chief Executive Officer of IBM from 1993 until March 2002.

Prior to joining IBM, Mr. Gerstner served for four years as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of RJR Nabisco, Inc. This was preceded by an 11-year career at American Express Company, where he was President of the parent company and Chairman and CEO of its largest subsidiary, American Express Travel Related Services Company. Prior to that, Mr. Gerstner was a Director of the management consulting firm of McKinsey & Co., Inc., which he joined in 1965.

A native of Mineola, New York, Mr. Gerstner received a bachelor's degree in engineering from Dartmouth College in 1963 and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School in 1965. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, The Business Council, the National Academy of Engineering, a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and has been awarded honorary doctorates from a number of U.S. universities.

Mr. Gerstner is a member of the advisory board of Sony Corporation and a Director of the National Committee on United States-China Relations. He is Vice Chairman of the board of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and a trustee of the American Museum of Natural History. In past years, he served on the boards of Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, The New York Times Company, American Express Company, AT&T, Caterpillar, Inc., Jewel Companies, Melville Corporation, RJR Nabisco Holdings Co. and DaimlerChrysler Chairman’s Council.

A lifetime advocate of the importance of quality education, Mr. Gerstner created The Teaching Commission in 2003 to develop specific policy recommendations to deal with the teaching crisis America is facing. From 1996 to 2002, he co-chaired Achieve, an organization created by U.S. Governors and business leaders to drive high academic standards for public schools in the United States. At IBM, he established Reinventing Education as a strategic partnership with 21 states and school districts which utilize IBM technology and technical assistance to eliminate key barriers to school reform and improve student performance.

He has received numerous awards for his work in education, among them the Cleveland E. Dodge Medal for Distinguished Service to Education - Teachers College, Columbia University, and the Distinguished Service to Science and Education award from the American Museum of Natural History. In recognition of his efforts on behalf of public education, as well as his business accomplishments, Mr. Gerstner was awarded the designation of honorary Knight of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in June 2001.

Mr. Gerstner is the author of Who Says Elephants Can't Dance, the best-selling account of IBM's transformation; and he is the co-author of the book Reinventing Education: Entrepreneurship in America's Public Schools (Dutton 1994).

Source

LAWRENCE J. ELLISON

LAWRENCE J. ELLISON

Founder, Oracle Corporation

Lawrence J. Ellison was born in the Bronx, New York. At nine months, he contracted pneumonia, and his unmarried 19 year-old mother gave him to her great aunt and uncle to raise. Lawrence was raised in a two-bedroom apartment on the South Side of Chicago. Until he was twelve years old he did not know that he was adopted. His great uncle and adoptive father had lost his real estate business in the Great Depression and made a modest living as an auditor for the public housing authority. As a boy, Larry Ellison showed an independent, rebellious streak and often clashed with his adoptive father. He showed a strong aptitude for math and science, and was named science student of the year at the University of Illinois. During the final exams in his second year, Ellison's adoptive mother die, and he dropped out of school. He enrolled at the University of Chicago the following fall, but dropped out after the first semester. his father was now convinced he would never make anything of himself, but Ellison had learned the rudiments of computer programming in Chicago and took this skill with him to Berkeley, California, arriving with just enough money for fast food and a few tanks of gas.

For the next eight years he bounced from job to job, working as a technician for Fireman's Fund, Wells Fargo bank and began working as a programmer with large databases at Ampex. At Ampex he built a large database for the CIA, code name: Oracle.

In 1977, Ellison and his former supervisor from Ampex, Robert Miner, founded Software Development Labs. They supported themselves by consulting for an assortment of corporate clients, when Ellison read a paper called "A Relational Model of Data for Large Shared Data Banks" by E. F Codd, describing a concept Codd had developed at IBM. IBM had seen no commercial potential in the concept of a Structured Query Language (SQL), but Ellison and his partner did. They created a database program compatible with both mainframe and desktop computer systems, renamed their company Oracle, and found their first customers for the database program, Wright Patterson Air Force Base and the CIA. In 1980, Oracle had only eight employees, and revenues were less than $1 million, but the following year, IBM itself adopted Oracle's SQL for its mainframe systems and for the next seven years, Oracle's sales doubled every year. The million dollar company was becoming a billion dollar company.

Oracle went public in 1986, raising $31.5 million with its initial public offering, but the firm's zealous young staff for the rapidly expanding firm habitually overstated revenues, and in 1990 the company posted its first losses. Oracle's market capitalization fell by 80 percent and the company appeared to be on the verge of bankruptcy. Ellison bit the bullet and replaced much of the original senior staff with more experienced managers. For the first time, he delegated the management side of the business to professionals, and channeled his own energies into product development. The newest version of the database program was a solid success and in only two years the company's stock had regained much of its previous value.

Even as Oracle's fortunes rose again, Ellison suffered a series of personal mishaps. Long an enthusiast of many sports and outdoor activities, in rapid succession Ellison suffered serious injuries while body surfing and mountain biking. Ellison survived major surgery, and continued to race his 78-foot yacht and practice aerobatics in his private jet.

Oracle's fortunes continued to rise throughout the 1990s. America's banks, airlines, automobile companies and retail giants all depend on Oracle's database programs. Oracle has benefited hugely from the growth of electronic commerce; its net profits increased by 76 percent in a single quarter of the year 2000. As the stocks of other high tech companies fluctuated wildly, Oracle held its value, and its largest shareholder, founder and CEO Larry Ellison, had come very close to a long-cherished goal, surpassing Microsoft's Bill Gates to become the richest man in the world.

Source

John T. Chambers

John T. Chambers
CEO Cisco Systems Inc.

John T. Chambers has been President and Chief Executive Officer of Cisco Systems Inc., since January 31, 1995, when he assumed this position, Chambers has grown the company from US$1.2 billion in annual revenues to its current run-rate of approximately US$23.8 billion. Mr. Chambers joined Cisco Systems Inc., as Senior Vice President Worldwide Sales and Operations, in January 1991 and became an Executive Vice President in June 1994. Prior to joining Cisco Systems Inc., he was with Wang Laboratories for eight years, most recently as Senior Vice President of U.S. Operations. He served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Stratacom Inc. He has been a Member of the Board of Directors of Cisco Systems Inc., since November 1993. Mr. Chambers serves on the Board of Directors of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Mr. Chambers has been lauded by government leaders and countless publications worldwide for his visionary strategy, his ability to drive an entrepreneurial culture, and his warm-hearted, straight-talking approach. Mr. Chambers has served two American presidents; most recently as Vice Chairman of the President George Bush National Infrastructure Advisory Council (NIAC). On this committee, he provides industry experience and leadership to help protect the critical infrastructure of the United States. He served on President Bush's Transition Team, Education Committee, and previously served on President Bill Clinton's Trade Policy Committee. Recently Mr. Chambers has spearheaded several key global initiatives, including co-sponsorship of the Jordan Education Initiative, in partnership with his Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan and the World Economic Forum. In March, for the second time, Chambers was given the "Best Investor Relations by a CEO" award by Barrons and IR Magazines, and in April he received the prestigious "Woodrow Wilson Award for Corporate Citizenship" from the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars of the Smithsonian Institution. Recently, Chambers was also named "The Most Influential CEO" in telecommunications by Institutional Investor magazine and "The Most Influential Person in Communications" by Telecom Magazine. He has received numerous other awards including the Smithsonian Lifetime Achievement award and the Presidential Award: Ron Brown Award for Corporate Leadership from the Business Council. He holds a law degree and a bachelor of science/bachelor of arts degree in business from West Virginia University. He later received a masters of business administration degree in finance and management from Indiana University.

Michael Capellas

Michael Capellas
CEO Compaq/HP

Capellas is a seasoned general manager with particular expertise in information technology, e-commerce and supply-chain management. He has significant product development experience, including software and solutions; has run large global sales/marketing organizations; has managed quality assurance programs; has been involved in starting up a new company; and has held a broad range of line management positions. As such, he has extensive, successful, hands-on experience in every key area involved in successfully running a global technology enterprise. Over the past 23 years, he has gained a solid reputation among colleagues and customers alike as an information technology executive with a rare balance of strategic insight, operational expertise, technological and financial skills, and sales/marketing savvy."We are at the dawn of a new era in information technology," he said. "I've spent my entire career in IT, and I have never seen such dramatic changes. The Internet is transforming the way companies do business and the way they interact with their customers, partners and suppliers. And it is clear to me that business needs are moving toward Compaq's strengths."Capellas stressed that the Internet is having an increasing effect on organizations around the world. "To realize the promise of eBusiness, companies need the products, services and solutions that we deliver better than anyone else in the industry," he said. "This includes next-generation networks, high-performance servers, networked storage, Internet PCs, and appliances and devices that enable companies and individuals to connect to the Internet in new and more productive ways."Capellas joined Compaq in August 1998 as chief information officer and, in a relatively short time, has played key roles in the:

Development of the company's overall e-commerce strategy

Integration of that strategy into Compaq's NonStop™ eBusiness go-to-market strategy

Major consolidation of the company's information technology organization, including a dramatic cost reduction

Defining and implementation of the company's supply-chain strategy, including the consolidation of manufacturing activities

Development and implementation of a go-to-market strategy for the integration of Digital Equipment Corporation

Rapid development and successful execution of Compaq's Y2K compliance program
Recruiting of several new key managers

Formulation of the company's global account strategies

Participation in hundreds of sales calls

Executive oversight of several global accounts

Ongoing counsel to the Board and senior management on various operational as well as technological issues

Immediately before joining Compaq, Capellas held senior positions at Oracle Corporation and at SAP America, both growing out of his information technology and supply-chain management consulting work at Benchmarking Partners of Cambridge, Massachusetts, a leading information management consulting firm, where he was a founder and managing partner (1996). At Oracle (1997-98), he served as senior vice president and general manager for the company's global energy business, where his oversight responsibilities included product development, marketing, sales, consulting and client support. His accomplishments there included reorganizing and refocusing the unit's global sales force, resulting in a 100 percent increase in business unit revenue. At SAP America (1996-97), he was director of supply-chain management; his accomplishments included spearheading a business-development effort that led to approval by General Motors' Delphi unit of a $1 billion SAP implementation project. From 1981 to 1996, Capellas held several senior positions at Schlumberger, Ltd., including serving as the company's first corporate director for information systems; controller and treasurer of Schlumberger's operations in Asia Pacific; CFO of Dowell Schlumberger, Inc., a joint venture between Schlumberger and Dow Chemical; and in operations management at Schlumberger's Fairchild Semiconductor unit. Capellas began his career at Republic Steel Corporation (1976-81), where he held various systems analyst and manufacturing positions. He and his wife, Marie, have been married for 20 years and have two children. He has been involved in a wide variety of community leadership and charitable work and is an avid golfer.

Source

Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs
CEO Apple

Steve Jobs is the CEO of Apple, which he co-founded in 1976. Apple leads the industry in innovation with its award-winning desktop and notebook Mac computers, OS X operating system, and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also leading the digital music revolution with over 100 million of its iPod portable music players sold and over 2.5 billion songs legally downloaded from its iTunes online store.

Steve also co-founded Pixar Animation Studios, which has created seven of the most successful and beloved animated films of all time: Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles and Cars. Pixar has won 20 Academy Awards and its films have grossed more than $3.2 billion at the worldwide box office to date. Pixar merged with The Walt Disney Company in 2006 and Steve now serves on their board of directors.

Steve grew up in the apricot orchards which later became known as Silicon Valley, and still lives there with his wife and three children.

Source

Craig R. Barrett

Craig R. Barrett
Chairman of the Board INTEL CORPORATION

Craig Barrett is chairman of the board of Intel Corporation and a leading advocate for improving education in the U.S. and around the world. He is also a vocal spokesman for the value technology can provide in raising social and economic standards globally.

Craig Barrett was born Aug. 29, 1939, in San Francisco, Calif. He attended Stanford University in Palo Alto, California from 1957 to 1964, and received his Bachelor of Science, Master of Science and Ph.D. degrees in Materials Science. After graduation, he joined the faculty of Stanford University in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and remained through 1974, rising to the rank of Associate Professor. Dr. Barrett was a Fulbright Fellow at Danish Technical University in Denmark in 1972 and a NATO Postdoctoral Fellow at the National Physical Laboratory in England from 1964 to 1965. Dr. Barrett is the author of over 40 technical papers dealing with the influence of microstructure on the properties of materials, and a textbook on materials science, Principles of Engineering Materials.

Dr. Barrett joined Intel Corporation in 1974 as a technology development manager. He was named a vice president of the corporation in 1984, promoted to senior vice president in 1987, and executive vice president in 1990. Dr. Barrett was elected to Intel Corporation's Board of Directors in 1992 and was named the company's chief operating officer in 1993. He became Intel's fourth president in May 1997, chief executive officer in 1998 and chairman of the Board on May 18, 2005.

Dr. Barrett serves as chairman of the United Nations Global Alliance for Information and Communication Technologies and Development, and is an appointee to the President's Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations and to the American Health Information Community. He co-chairs the Business Coalition for Student Achievement and the National Innovation Initiative Leadership Council, and is a member of the Board of Trustees for the U.S. Council for International Business. As chair of the National Academy of Engineering, Dr. Barrett promotes the Academy and its policies to the engineering community and the public. In addition, he is a member of the National Governors? Association Task Force on ?Innovation America,? the National Infrastructure Advisory Council, and the Committee on Scientific Communication and National Security. Dr. Barrett also serves on the Board of Directors of the U.S. Semiconductor Industry Association, the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering, the National Forest Foundation, Achieve, and TechNet.

Source