| Revision as of 19:11, 21 June 2013 edit24.224.218.24 (talk) Removed silly reference to his wife being "best known for her diamond-pierced naval".← Previous edit | Revision as of 14:10, 17 July 2013 edit undoCompfreak7 (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users7,524 edits Filling in 1 references using ReflinksNext edit → | ||
| Line 10: | Line 10: | ||
| In 1996, he offered a challenge to ] with a move into productivity software, acquiring ] from ] for $158 million. The company also made unsuccessful forays into ], ], ], ] and other developments. | In 1996, he offered a challenge to ] with a move into productivity software, acquiring ] from ] for $158 million. The company also made unsuccessful forays into ], ], ], ] and other developments. | ||
| He was investigated by the ] (OSC) in 1999-2000 into allegations that he had used insider information to sell $20 million in Corel shares at $8/share shortly before the company posted disappointing results. This issue was settled in 2003 |
He was investigated by the ] (OSC) in 1999-2000 into allegations that he had used insider information to sell $20 million in Corel shares at $8/share shortly before the company posted disappointing results. This issue was settled in 2003 <ref>http://www.osc.gov.on.ca/Enforcement/Proceedings/RAD/rad_20031212_cowpland.jsp</ref> | ||
| Subsequent to Cowpland's alleged insider sale at $8, Corel shares hit a peak of $60/share around November 1999, during the height of the Linux boom when Corel's version of Desktop Linux was seen to be a potential rival to Microsoft Windows. | Subsequent to Cowpland's alleged insider sale at $8, Corel shares hit a peak of $60/share around November 1999, during the height of the Linux boom when Corel's version of Desktop Linux was seen to be a potential rival to Microsoft Windows. | ||
Revision as of 14:10, 17 July 2013
 | This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately from the article and its talk page, especially if potentially libelous. Find sources: "Michael Cowpland" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (November 2009) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Michael Cowpland (born April 23, 1943) is a British-born entrepreneur, businessman, and the founder and one-time president, chairman and CEO of Corel, a Canadian software company.
Mitel
He worked for Bell Northern Research (later part of Nortel Networks) and then MicroSystems International. In 1973, Cowpland and Terry Matthews founded Mitel Networks, a company that developed and sold electronic PBX systems. Initial success made both founders millionaires. Sales peaked at $250 million, but over-expansion and development problems saw the company bought by British Telecom. Both Cowpland and Matthews left the company in 1984 amid disagreements with the owners.
Corel
Matthews went on to found Newbridge Networks while Cowpland launched Cowpland Research Laboratory (soon Corel) in Ottawa in 1985. At first, the company sold DTP workstations, but success did not arrive until the launch of the graphics software CorelDRAW in 1989.
In 1996, he offered a challenge to Microsoft with a move into productivity software, acquiring WordPerfect from Novell for $158 million. The company also made unsuccessful forays into CAD, videoconferencing, Java, Linux and other developments.
He was investigated by the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) in 1999-2000 into allegations that he had used insider information to sell $20 million in Corel shares at $8/share shortly before the company posted disappointing results. This issue was settled in 2003 Subsequent to Cowpland's alleged insider sale at $8, Corel shares hit a peak of $60/share around November 1999, during the height of the Linux boom when Corel's version of Desktop Linux was seen to be a potential rival to Microsoft Windows.
After an unsuccessful attempt to buy Borland with a view to creating a critical mass for Linux, Cowpland left Corel in August 2000, and moved on to buy control of ZIM corporation, a database and mobile content company which is listed on the NASDAQ bulletin board (ZIMCF).
Personal life
In 1992, he married his second wife, Marlen Cowpland.
References
- http://www.osc.gov.on.ca/Enforcement/Proceedings/RAD/rad_20031212_cowpland.jsp
- Ross Laver (1998). Random Excess: The Wild Ride of Michael Cowpland and Corel. Viking Press. ISBN 0-670-87972-X. Retrieved November 19, 2009.