The Compaq triumvirate moved to squash speculation yesterday evening by naming chief operating officer Mike Capellas as its new CEO. But the decision is likely to surprise many who had hoped Compaq would recruit a top flier, perhaps from outside the industry. The 44 year old Capellas only joined Compaq last summer and will have a hard act to follow after the firm sacked veteran Eckhard Pfeiffer earlier this year. Capellas has worked for both SAP and Oracle in the past. However Ben Rosen, the company's chairman, is known to operate with an iron rod and it could be that Capellas will be far easier to control than an outsider. ®