Capellas Joins Cisco Board

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) today announced the appointment of Michael Capellas, former president and CEO of MCI, to its board of directors, effective January 31, 2006.

"We are pleased to have Michael Capellas join Cisco's board of directors," said John Morgridge, chairman of the board, Cisco Systems. "Michael is a seasoned general manager and a 30-year veteran of the information technology business. With his customer-centric focus and unique balance of strategic insight, operational expertise and technology and financial knowledge, Michael is a strong asset to Cisco's board."

Capellas, 51, joined MCI as chairman and CEO in 2002 and became president and CEO in March of 2004. Capellas left MCI as planned in early January 2006 upon the company's acquisition by Verizon Communications Inc. Previously, he held multiple CXO level positions at Compaq including serving as chairman and CEO from July 1999-May 2002, until Compaq merged with Hewlett Packard, at which time he became president of the combined company. Capellas also spent 16 years at Schlumberger Ltd., holding a variety of management positions around the world. In addition, he has also held senior-level positions at SAP America and Oracle Corp. Capellas is a graduate of Kent State University where he earned a B.B.A. degree.

With the election of Capellas, Cisco's board now consists of 12 members, including: Carol A. Bartz, chairman and CEO, Autodesk, Inc.; M. Michele Burns, former CFO, Mirant Corporation; Larry R. Carter, senior vice president, Cisco Systems, Inc.; John T. Chambers, president and CEO, Cisco Systems, Inc.; John L. Hennessy, Ph.D., president, Stanford University; Richard M. Kovacevich, chairman and CEO, Wells Fargo & Company; Roderick C. McGeary, chairman, Bearing Point, Inc.; James C. Morgan, chairman, Applied Materials, Inc.; John P. Morgridge, chairman of the board, Cisco Systems, Inc.; Steven M. West, founder and partner, Emerging Company Partners; and Jerry Yang, co-founder, chief Yahoo! and director, Yahoo! Inc.

Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO)