Mr Michael Capellas has vowed to maintain WorldCom's independence after taking over as chairman and chief executive of the bankrupt telecoms group.

"There is no intention of breaking up the company," he said. "The value of WorldCom is as a whole."

The appointment yesterday of Mr Capellas, who this week resigned as chief operating officer of computer group HP, is seen as a signal that the firm's creditors aim to bring it out of bankruptcy intact rather than sell it to a rival.

But Mr Capellas is not in complete control. Under US bankruptcy laws, any bidder can make an offer for all or part of WorldCom before it emerges from Chapter 11. The firm also remains the subject of multiple regulatory investigations, which could yet lead to charges being brought against it.

Also, all of WorldCom's actions will be scrutinised by the bankruptcy court, including Mr Capellas's compensation package, which was expected to be submitted to a judge yesterday.

Mr Capellas said his priority was to reassure WorldCom customers, many of whom are mulling a switch to alternative providers after the $9 billion (€7.93 billion) accounting scandal. He is expected to contact most of WorldCom's clients and will ask some of the largest to sit on a customer advisory board.

Mr Capellas also said that, under his leadership, the firm would have an "unwavering commitment to the highest standards of integrity" and would take actions to build a world-class board of directors. Some creditors are pushing for all of WorldCom's remaining directors to be replaced.

Mr John Sidgmore, the WorldCom chief executive who took over when founder Mr Bernie Ebbers stepped down this year, said the company had selected Mr Capellas after interviewing the elite of the technology and telecoms industries.

The idea of joining WorldCom first arose in late September when Mr Capellas, who was chief executive of Compaq before the computer group's merger with Hewlett-Packard, was approached by some WorldCom executives at a party in San Francisco.

"There's nobody who can say once you've been a chief executive you don't want to be a chief executive again," he said. But he insisted he still had a "truly great relationship" with Ms Carly Fiorina, HP's chief executive.

By also taking on the role of chairman, Mr Capellas replaces Mr Bert Roberts, the former head of MCI, the long-distance operator that merged with WorldCom.