BEA Systems Loses CEO, Gains Face - Departures - Brief Article

Chief Executive, The, Dec, 2001 by Sonja Sherwood

BILL COLEMAN, 54, LEFT the CEO post at software shop BEA Systems in October to become the company's chief strategy officer, retaining the role of chairman. He is succeeded by cofounder Alfred Chuang, 40, who previously served as president and COO. Coleman and Chuang, along with Edward Scott, founded the $819 million company in San lose, CA, in 1995.

The move is seen as an attempt to put a face on BEA, which competes with Microsoft, IBM, and Sun yet has only a fraction of their name recognition. The arrangement allows Chuang, the less outspoken of the two, to focus on operations, while it frees up Coleman to promote the firm.

"I think Coleman's public relations people are grooming him for a role that he's probably better suited for than CEO," says Darcy Fowkes, research director at Aberdeen Group. "Numbers aren't Bill's game; he's more interested in the people in his organization--how they sell, market, etc."

Following the announcement, Coleman likened his new role to that of Bill Gates. Others agree. "If you ask, 'Who is Microsoft?' people identify Gates," says Tyler McDaniel, director of application strategies at Hurwitz Group in Framingham, MA. "Personality goes a long way. Any vendor the size of BEA has to have visibility. Ask clients what software vendor they imagine when they think of a certain product and they mention an IBM or an Oracle--even when those companies don't actually have a product in that space."