Michael Cowpland
Encyclopedia
Michael Cowpland is a British-born entrepreneur, businessman, and the founder and one-time president, chairman and CEO of Corel
, a Canadian software company.
, Sussex
, England
and obtained a BSc. in engineering from Imperial College London
before moving to Canada in 1964. He completed his masters (1968) and Ph.D. (1973) at Carleton University
, Ottawa
.
. 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.
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 http://www.osc.gov.on.ca/Enforcement/Proceedings/RAD/rad_20031212_cowpland.jsp
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).
Cowpland has two daughters from his first marriage.
In 1992, he married his second wife, Marlen Cowpland, best known for her diamond-pierced navel.
They live in a 20,000 ft² house in Rockcliffe Park, Ottawa. Rockcliffe Park is known as a traditional blue-blood district.
Marlen, along with her pink-dyed dog, later had a hit TV series Celebrity Pets for two years on CTV
featuring interviews with 52 international celebrities and their pets.
Maclean's
reported that Cowpland was frequently in Switzerland
, at tennis courts or golf courses, while his programmers spent hours going over code. They also stated that he kept a drawer full of "youthful" drugs.
Corel
Corel Corporation from the abbreviation is a computer software company headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario, that specializes in graphics processing, similar to Adobe Systems...
, a Canadian software company.
Early life
Cowpland was born in BexhillBexhill-on-Sea
Bexhill-on-Sea is a town and seaside resort in the county of East Sussex, in the south of England, within the District of Rother. It has a population of approximately 40,000...
, Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and obtained a BSc. in engineering from Imperial College London
Imperial College London
Imperial College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom, specialising in science, engineering, business and medicine...
before moving to Canada in 1964. He completed his masters (1968) and Ph.D. (1973) at Carleton University
Carleton University
Carleton University is a comprehensive university located in the capital of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario. The enabling legislation is The Carleton University Act, 1952, S.O. 1952. Founded as a small college in 1942, Carleton now offers over 65 programs in a diverse range of disciplines. Carleton has...
, Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
.
Mitel
He worked for Bell Northern Research (later part of Nortel Networks) and then MicroSystems InternationalMicroSystems International
Microsystems International Limited was a telecommunications microelectronics company based in Ottawa, founded in 1969. MIL was an early attempt to create a merchant semiconductor house by Nortel Networks...
. In 1973, Cowpland and Terry Matthews
Terry Matthews
Sir Terence Hedley Matthews OBE, FIEE, FREng is a Welsh business magnate, serial high tech entrepreneur, and Wales's first billionaire....
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 NetworksNewbridge Networks
Newbridge Networks was an Ottawa, Ontario, Canada company founded by Welsh-Canadian entrepreneur Sir Terry Matthews. It was founded in 1986 to create data and voice networking products after Matthews was forced out of his original company Mitel...
while Cowpland launched Cowpland Research Laboratory (soon Corel) in Ottawa in 1985. At first, the company sold DTP
Desktop publishing
Desktop publishing is the creation of documents using page layout software on a personal computer.The term has been used for publishing at all levels, from small-circulation documents such as local newsletters to books, magazines and newspapers...
workstations, but success did not arrive until the launch of the graphics software CorelDRAW
CorelDRAW
CorelDRAW is a vector graphics editor developed and marketed by Corel Corporation of Ottawa, Canada. It is also the name of Corel's Graphics Suite...
in 1989.
In 1996, he offered a challenge to Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
with a move into productivity software, acquiring WordPerfect
WordPerfect
WordPerfect is a word processing application, now owned by Corel.Bruce Bastian, a Brigham Young University graduate student, and BYU computer science professor Dr. Alan Ashton joined forces to design a word processing system for the city of Orem's Data General Corp. minicomputer system in 1979...
from Novell
Novell
Novell, Inc. is a multinational software and services company. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Attachmate Group. It specializes in network operating systems, such as Novell NetWare; systems management solutions, such as Novell ZENworks; and collaboration solutions, such as Novell Groupwise...
for $158 million. The company also made unsuccessful forays into CAD, videoconferencing, Java
Java (programming language)
Java is a programming language originally developed by James Gosling at Sun Microsystems and released in 1995 as a core component of Sun Microsystems' Java platform. The language derives much of its syntax from C and C++ but has a simpler object model and fewer low-level facilities...
, Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
and other developments.
He was investigated by the Ontario Securities Commission
Ontario Securities Commission
The Ontario Securities Commission is a regulatory agency which administers and enforces securities legislation in the Canadian province of Ontario...
(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 http://www.osc.gov.on.ca/Enforcement/Proceedings/RAD/rad_20031212_cowpland.jsp
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, best known for her diamond-pierced navel.
They live in a 20,000 ft² house in Rockcliffe Park, Ottawa. Rockcliffe Park is known as a traditional blue-blood district.
Marlen, along with her pink-dyed dog, later had a hit TV series Celebrity Pets for two years on CTV
CTV television network
CTV Television Network is a Canadian English language television network and is owned by Bell Media. It is Canada's largest privately-owned network, and has consistently placed as Canada's top-rated network in total viewers and in key demographics since 2002, after several years trailing the rival...
featuring interviews with 52 international celebrities and their pets.
Maclean's
Maclean's
Maclean's is a Canadian weekly news magazine, reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events.-History:Founded in 1905 by Toronto journalist/entrepreneur Lt.-Col. John Bayne Maclean, a 43-year-old trade magazine publisher who purchased an advertising agency's in-house...
reported that Cowpland was frequently in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, at tennis courts or golf courses, while his programmers spent hours going over code. They also stated that he kept a drawer full of "youthful" drugs.