Safra Catz

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Safra Catz
BornSafra Ada Catz
December 1961
BirthplaceHolon, Israel
OccupationBusiness executive
TitleExecutive Vice Chair of Oracle Corporation
Known forCEO of Oracle Corporation (2014–2025)
EducationUniversity of Pennsylvania (BA, JD)
Children2

Safra Ada Catz (Template:Lang-he; born December 1961) is an Israeli-American business executive who served as chief executive officer of Oracle Corporation, one of the world's largest enterprise software and cloud computing companies, from 2014 to 2025. Born in Holon, Israel, Catz immigrated to the United States as a child and built a career that took her from Wall Street investment banking to the upper echelons of Silicon Valley's corporate leadership. She joined Oracle in April 1999 and rose through the ranks to become a board member in 2001, co-president and chief financial officer in 2011, and co-CEO alongside Mark Hurd in September 2014, when founder Larry Ellison stepped down from the chief executive role.[1] Following Hurd's resignation due to health issues in 2019, Catz served as sole CEO until September 2025, when Oracle announced the promotion of Clay Magouyrk and Mike Sicilia as co-CEOs and appointed Catz as executive vice chair of the board of directors.[2] Over the course of her tenure, Catz became one of the highest-paid female executives in the United States and was consistently ranked among the most powerful women in business by Forbes.[3]

Early Life

Safra Ada Catz was born in December 1961 in Holon, a city in the Tel Aviv District of Israel.[4] She was born into a family with roots in Romania, a heritage she has publicly acknowledged on multiple occasions.[5] Her family immigrated to the United States when she was a young child, and she grew up in the town of Brookline, Massachusetts.

Catz's upbringing as an immigrant in the United States would later inform her perspective as a business leader navigating global technology markets. She has been identified as one of the most prominent Jewish women in global business, a distinction noted by multiple publications tracking influential figures in the Jewish community.[6]

Her early experiences as part of an immigrant family shaped a work ethic and determination that would become defining characteristics of her professional career. By the time she reached college age, Catz had demonstrated the academic aptitude that would propel her into the legal and financial professions before ultimately leading her to the technology industry.

Education

Catz attended the University of Pennsylvania, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. She subsequently enrolled at the university's law school, earning a Juris Doctor (JD) degree.[4] Her legal training provided a foundation for the corporate governance and deal-making expertise that would become central to her career at Oracle. In later years, Catz also became affiliated with Stanford Graduate School of Business, where she served in a faculty capacity.[7]

Career

Early Career in Investment Banking

Before joining Oracle, Catz built a career in investment banking. She worked at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, a prominent Wall Street firm, where she gained extensive experience in corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, and the technology sector. Her work in investment banking gave her deep knowledge of deal structures and financial analysis—skills that Oracle's founder Larry Ellison would later find indispensable as the company embarked on an aggressive acquisition strategy.[8]

Joining Oracle and Rise Through the Ranks

Catz joined Oracle Corporation in April 1999, initially serving in a senior executive capacity.[4] She quickly established herself as one of the company's most influential leaders. In 2001, she was appointed to the Oracle board of directors, further cementing her position within the company's leadership structure.[4]

At Oracle, Catz earned a reputation as a relentless and disciplined operator. A 2009 Fortune profile described her as "the enforcer" within Oracle, highlighting her role in overseeing the company's financial operations and its prolific series of corporate acquisitions.[8] Her investment banking background made her uniquely suited to lead Oracle's acquisition strategy, which became one of the defining features of the company's growth during the 2000s and 2010s. Oracle under Catz's financial stewardship completed dozens of major acquisitions, including purchases of companies such as PeopleSoft, Siebel Systems, BEA Systems, and Sun Microsystems, transforming Oracle from primarily a database company into a comprehensive enterprise technology provider.

A 2006 report in the International Herald Tribune covered Oracle's expansion activities during this period, with Catz playing a central role in the company's deal-making operations.[9]

Co-President and Chief Financial Officer

In April 2011, Catz was named co-president of Oracle and assumed the additional role of chief financial officer (CFO), following the departure of Jeff Epstein from the CFO position.[10] In this dual role, she reported directly to Larry Ellison, who remained CEO. The appointment formalized what had already been her de facto influence over Oracle's financial strategy and operational execution.

As co-president and CFO, Catz oversaw Oracle's financial reporting, capital allocation, and continued acquisition activity. She was responsible for integrating acquired companies into Oracle's operations—a complex task given the scale and frequency of Oracle's purchases. During this period, her total compensation made her one of the highest-paid women in corporate America. In 2012, Fortune magazine included Catz on its list of the 25 highest-paid women.[11]

Catz's compensation at Oracle was tracked by financial analysts and media outlets. MarketWatch maintained records of insider transactions at Oracle, which documented Catz's stock holdings and transactions as a senior executive.[12] The Wall Street Journal also maintained a detailed executive profile tracking her career and compensation.[13]

Co-CEO of Oracle (2014–2019)

On September 18, 2014, Oracle announced a significant leadership transition: Larry Ellison would step down as CEO to become executive chairman and chief technology officer (CTO), while Catz and Mark Hurd were appointed as joint CEOs of the company.[1] The co-CEO arrangement was unusual in the technology industry but reflected the complementary skill sets of the two executives—Catz with her financial and operational expertise, and Hurd with his background in sales and go-to-market strategy.

As co-CEO, Catz continued to oversee Oracle's financial operations and acquisition strategy while also sharing broader strategic responsibilities with Hurd. The period coincided with Oracle's major push into cloud computing, as the company sought to transition its traditional on-premises software business to cloud-based subscription models. This strategic shift represented one of the most significant challenges in Oracle's history, as the company competed against cloud-native rivals such as Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Salesforce.

Catz played a key role in communicating Oracle's cloud transition strategy to investors and analysts, frequently appearing on quarterly earnings calls to detail the company's financial performance and cloud growth metrics.

During her time as co-CEO, Catz also drew attention for her interactions with the political sphere. In November 2016, Fortune reported on Catz's engagement with President-elect Donald Trump's transition team.[14] In 2017, Bloomberg News reported that Trump administration officials had discussed a potential government role with Catz, though she ultimately remained at Oracle.[15]

Sole CEO of Oracle (2019–2025)

In September 2019, Mark Hurd resigned as co-CEO due to health issues; he died shortly afterward in October 2019. Catz assumed the role of sole CEO of Oracle, consolidating leadership of the company at a critical moment in its cloud transformation.

As sole CEO, Catz presided over a period of accelerated growth in Oracle's cloud infrastructure and applications businesses. She oversaw the company's strategic positioning in artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud infrastructure, which became increasingly central to Oracle's growth narrative in the early 2020s. Under her leadership, Oracle's stock price appreciated significantly as the company gained momentum in its cloud business and secured major contracts with large enterprise and government clients.

In June 2025, Oracle reported financial results and issued forward guidance that exceeded market expectations, with Larry Ellison and Catz presenting the company's outlook to investors.[16]

Transition to Executive Vice Chair (2025)

On September 22, 2025, Oracle announced that Catz would step down as CEO and transition to the role of executive vice chair of the board of directors. The company simultaneously announced the promotion of Clay Magouyrk and Mike Sicilia as co-CEOs.[2] The Financial Times reported that Oracle was splitting the CEO role as part of a broader leadership transition.[17]

The announcement marked the end of an 11-year run as CEO for Catz. Media outlets noted her long tenure and the significance of the leadership change. CTech reported that Catz was "one of Silicon Valley's most enduring executives" as she stepped down from the CEO position.[18]

Technology publication Diginomica characterized Catz as "the safest of safe pairs of hands" in its analysis of the leadership change, noting that Larry Ellison would remain as executive chairman and CTO, maintaining continuity in Oracle's strategic direction.[19] Healthcare IT News reported that the leadership restructuring reflected Oracle's intensified focus on artificial intelligence initiatives.[20]

Business Chief analyzed the rationale behind the co-CEO model, noting the appointment of Magouyrk and Sicilia as Oracle's response to the growing complexity of its business across cloud infrastructure and industry-specific applications.[21]

In the months following the announcement, Oracle's stock experienced a significant decline. By December 2025, CTech reported that Oracle's stock had fallen approximately 40% since the announcement of Catz's departure, with the company's latest earnings failing to reassure investors about the leadership transition.[22]

Board Memberships

In addition to her roles at Oracle, Catz served on the boards of directors of other major corporations. In December 2017, she was appointed to the board of directors of The Walt Disney Company, as reported by the Los Angeles Times.[23] She was also reported to have been involved with HSBC's board, as noted in a 2015 Daily Telegraph report on changes to the bank's board composition.[24]

Her affiliation with Stanford Graduate School of Business also placed her in academic circles, where she contributed to discussions on business leadership and technology strategy.[7]

Personal Life

Catz holds United States citizenship and maintains her identity as an Israeli-American. She has two children.[4] She has spoken publicly about her Romanian heritage, connecting it to Oracle's operations in Romania, where the company expanded its presence outside Bucharest.[5]

Catz has been profiled in international media as one of the most prominent women in the technology industry, and specifically as one of the most powerful mothers in technology, a distinction noted by the Argentine publication Infobae in 2016.[25]

Her engagement with the Trump administration's transition team in 2016 and 2017 drew public attention, though she ultimately did not take a government position and remained focused on her responsibilities at Oracle.[14][15]

Recognition

Catz has received recognition from multiple business publications for her leadership and influence. Forbes has consistently included her on its lists of the most powerful women in the world.[3][26] She first appeared on the Forbes list of the most powerful women in 2005.[27]

In 2012, Fortune magazine named her one of the 25 highest-paid women in corporate America, reflecting her substantial compensation package as a senior Oracle executive.[11] Her compensation trajectory made her one of the most prominent data points in discussions about executive pay and gender equity in the technology sector.

Catz's recognition extended beyond traditional business media. Jewish community publications identified her as one of the most powerful Jewish women in the world, acknowledging both her corporate influence and her standing as a prominent figure in the global Jewish community.[6]

Her 11-year tenure as CEO of Oracle—first as co-CEO from 2014 and then as sole CEO from 2019—placed her among the longest-serving female CEOs of a major technology company. Upon her transition to executive vice chair in 2025, multiple media outlets reflected on her legacy as a transformative figure in Oracle's history.[18][19]

Legacy

Safra Catz's career at Oracle, spanning more than 26 years from her arrival in 1999 through her transition to executive vice chair in 2025, encompasses one of the most consequential tenures in enterprise technology leadership. Her role in shaping Oracle's acquisition-driven growth strategy during the 2000s fundamentally altered the enterprise software landscape, as Oracle absorbed dozens of competitors and complementary technology companies to build a comprehensive product portfolio.

As CEO, Catz oversaw Oracle's pivot from a primarily on-premises software company to a major cloud computing provider. This transition, which accelerated during her time as sole CEO from 2019 onward, positioned Oracle as a competitor in the cloud infrastructure market alongside much larger cloud-native rivals. The company's growing focus on artificial intelligence during the final years of her CEO tenure reflected broader industry trends that Catz helped Oracle navigate.[20]

Catz's career also holds significance in terms of representation in corporate leadership. As one of the few women to lead a Fortune 500 technology company, and the first woman to serve as CEO of Oracle, her tenure represented a milestone for gender diversity in the upper ranks of the technology industry. Her consistent presence on Forbes' lists of the most powerful women underscored her standing as one of the most influential executives in global business over a period spanning two decades.[26]

The market's reaction to her departure—Oracle's stock declined approximately 40% in the months following the announcement—served as an indicator of the degree to which investors associated Catz's leadership with Oracle's operational stability and financial performance.[22] In her new role as executive vice chair, Catz was expected to continue contributing to Oracle's strategic direction, maintaining the continuity that had characterized her long partnership with founder Larry Ellison.[2]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Oracle Board Appoints Larry Ellison Executive Chairman and CTO".Oracle Corporation Investor Relations.2014-09-18.http://investor.oracle.com/financial-news/financial-news-details/2014/Oracle-Board-Appoints-Larry-Ellison-Executive-Chairman-and-CTO/default.aspx.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Oracle Corporation Announces Promotion of Clay Magouyrk and Mike Sicilia to CEOs; Safra Catz Appointed Executive Vice Chair of the Board of Directors".Oracle Corporation Investor Relations.2025-09-22.https://investor.oracle.com/investor-news/news-details/2025/Oracle-Corporation-Announces-Promotion-of-Clay-Magouyrk-and-Mike-Sicilia-to-CEOs-Safra-Catz-Appointed-Executive-Vice-Chair-of-the-Board-of-Directors/default.aspx.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "The 100 Most Powerful Women".Forbes.2009.https://www.forbes.com/lists/2009/11/power-women-09_The-100-Most-Powerful-Women_Rank.html.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 "Safra Catz — Executive Profile".Oracle Corporation.http://www.oracle.com/us/corporate/press/Executives/016342.htm.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Oracle CFO Safra Catz announces expansion outside Bucharest, reveals Romanian origins".Romania Insider.https://www.romania-insider.com/oracle-cfo-safra-catz-announces-expansion-outside-bucharest-reveals-romanian-origins/.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "The World's Most Powerful Jewish Women".Jewish Voice.http://jewishvoiceny.com/index.php?option=com_content&id=1897:the-worlds-most-powerful-jewish-women&Itemid=325.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Safra Catz".Stanford Graduate School of Business.https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/faculty-research/faculty/safra-catz.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "The Enforcer: Who Is Oracle's Safra Catz?".Fortune (CNN).2009-09-10.http://brainstormtech.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2009/09/10/the-enforcer-who-is-oracles-safra-catz/.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  9. ↑ "Oracle".International Herald Tribune.2006-12-18.http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/12/18/bloomberg/bxoracle.php.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  10. ↑ "Oracle Co-President Safra Catz Adds CFO Duties as Jeff Epstein Leaves".AllThingsD.2011-04-25.http://allthingsd.com/20110425/oracle-co-president-safra-catz-adds-cfo-duties-as-jeff-epstein-leaves/.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "25 Highest-Paid Women".Fortune (CNN Money).2012-09-27.https://money.cnn.com/gallery/magazines/fortune/2012/09/27/25-highest-paid-women.fortune/.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  12. ↑ "Oracle Corp. Insiders".MarketWatch.http://www.marketwatch.com/investing/stock/orcl/insiders?pid=654.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  13. ↑ "Safra Catz".The Wall Street Journal.http://topics.wsj.com/person/C/safra-catz/567.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Donald Trump Safra Catz".Fortune.2016-11-17.http://fortune.com/2016/11/17/donald-trump-safra-catz/.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Trump Team Talked to Oracle's Safra Catz About an Administration Post".Bloomberg News.2017-04-12.https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-04-12/trump-team-talked-to-oracle-s-safra-catz-about-an-administration-post.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  16. ↑ "Larry Ellison and Safra Catz Humiliate Oracle Skeptics with Stunning Guidance".Cloud Wars.2025-06-16.https://cloudwars.com/ai/larry-ellison-and-safra-catz-humiliate-oracle-skeptics-with-stunning-guidance/.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  17. ↑ "Oracle splits CEO role as Safra Catz steps down".Financial Times.2025-09-22.https://www.ft.com/content/8f55152c-f9ef-4a81-8bc1-37a6a5a93dce.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 "Safra Catz exits as Oracle CEO after 11 years".CTech (Calcalist).2025-09-22.https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/mcbxs7qv9.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 "Oracle Red in the blood — Safra Catz steps aside in favor of two co-CEOs".Diginomica.2025-09-22.https://diginomica.com/oracle-red-blood-safra-catz-steps-aside-favor-two-co-ceos-heres-why-and-no-larry-ellisons.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 "Oracle names new co-CEOs as Safra Catz moves to board leadership role".Healthcare IT News.2025-09-24.https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/oracle-names-new-co-ceos-safra-catz-moves-board-leadership-role.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  21. ↑ "Why Is Oracle Replacing Safra Catz With Co-CEOs?".Business Chief.2025-09-23.https://businesschief.com/news/why-is-oracle-replacing-safra-catz-with-co-ceos.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 "Oracle's stock has fallen 40% since Safra Catz announced her exit".CTech (Calcalist).2025-12-11.https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/rkn7wmdmbl.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  23. ↑ "Disney board".Los Angeles Times.2017-12-07.http://www.latimes.com/business/hollywood/la-fi-ct-disney-board-catz-desouza-20171207-story.html.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  24. ↑ "HSBC board shake-up brings former Diageo boss Paul Walsh aboard".The Daily Telegraph.2015.https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/banksandfinance/11992799/HSBC-board-shake-up-brings-former-Diageo-boss-Paul-Walsh-aboard.html.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  25. ↑ "Quiénes son las madres tecnológicas más poderosas del mundo".Infobae.2016-10-16.https://www.infobae.com/tecno/2016/10/16/quienes-son-las-madres-tecnologicas-mas-poderosas-del-mundo/.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 "The World's Most Powerful Women".Forbes.https://www.forbes.com/power-women/list/#tab:overall.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  27. ↑ "Forbes Power Women 2005".Forbes.2005.https://www.forbes.com/lists/2005/11/O9O7.html.Retrieved 2026-02-23.

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