Mark Hurd

Mark Hurd
Born	Mark Vincent Hurd 1 1, 1957
Birthplace	New York City, U.S.
Died	Template:Death date and age
Occupation	Business executive
Title	Co-CEO of Oracle Corporation
Known for	CEO of Hewlett-Packard, Co-CEO of Oracle Corporation, CEO of NCR Corporation
Education	Baylor University (BBA)
Children	2

Mark Vincent Hurd (January 1, 1957 – October 18, 2019) was an American business executive who served as co-chief executive officer of Oracle Corporation from 2014 until shortly before his death in 2019. Before joining Oracle, Hurd held the positions of chairman, chief executive officer, and president of Hewlett-Packard (HP) from 2005 to 2010, and prior to that served as CEO of NCR Corporation. His career spanned more than three decades in the technology industry, during which he became known for aggressive cost-cutting measures and operational discipline that often produced significant short-term financial results. Hurd's tenure at HP was marked by both substantial revenue growth and a controversial departure in 2010 that generated widespread media attention. His subsequent hiring by Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison underscored his reputation as a formidable executive, even as his legacy remained the subject of debate among industry analysts and commentators. He also served on the board of directors of News Corporation until 2010 and was a member of the Technology CEO Council. Hurd died on October 18, 2019, at the age of 62, weeks after taking a leave of absence from Oracle for health-related reasons.

Early Life

Mark Vincent Hurd was born on January 1, 1957, in New York City. He grew up in a family with ties to the business world and developed an early interest in commerce and technology. Details about his childhood and family background remain limited in publicly available sources. Hurd was raised in the New York metropolitan area before relocating to Texas for his higher education.

Education

Hurd attended Baylor University in Waco, Texas, where he earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree. His connection to the university remained strong throughout his life. In September 2023, Baylor University officially dedicated the Mark and Paula Hurd Welcome Center on its campus, honoring the contributions of Hurd and his wife Paula to the institution.

Career

NCR Corporation

After graduating from Baylor University, Hurd joined NCR Corporation, a technology company specializing in point-of-sale systems, self-service kiosks, and related technologies. He spent approximately 25 years at NCR, rising through the ranks of the company's management structure. Hurd eventually became chief executive officer of NCR, a position he held until 2005. His tenure at NCR provided him with extensive experience in enterprise technology, operations management, and corporate restructuring—skills that would define his subsequent career at larger technology firms.

Hewlett-Packard (2005–2010)

In 2005, Hurd was appointed chairman, chief executive officer, and president of Hewlett-Packard, one of the largest and most prominent technology companies in the world. His selection came at a time when HP was navigating the aftermath of its controversial 2002 merger with Compaq, a deal that had been championed by his predecessor Carly Fiorina and had generated significant internal and external debate about the company's strategic direction.

Hurd quickly established a reputation as an operationally focused leader. He implemented aggressive cost-cutting programs that included significant workforce reductions and streamlining of HP's business units. These measures were credited with improving the company's profit margins and operational efficiency. Under his leadership, HP's revenues grew substantially, and the company maintained its position as one of the world's largest technology firms by revenue.

His management style stood in contrast to Fiorina's more visionary and public-facing approach. Hurd was often described by analysts and journalists as a detail-oriented executive who focused on execution, operational metrics, and financial discipline rather than broad strategic pronouncements. He was known for diving deeply into the specifics of HP's diverse business lines, which spanned personal computers, printers, enterprise servers, software, and IT services.

In 2007, Fortune magazine included Hurd in its list of the 25 most powerful people in business, reflecting his growing stature in the corporate world. In 2009, Forbes recognized him as one of the top-performing CEOs in the technology sector.

Hurd's compensation at HP was significant. According to executive compensation tracking data, his pay packages included substantial base salary, bonuses, and stock-based compensation consistent with the scale of HP's operations. A 2009 analysis by The New York Times examined executive compensation trends at major technology companies, including Hurd's pay at HP.

Departure from HP

Hurd's tenure at HP came to an abrupt end in August 2010 when he resigned as chairman and CEO. The circumstances of his departure generated extensive media coverage and became one of the most discussed corporate governance episodes in Silicon Valley history. The resignation was connected to an investigation by HP's board of directors into allegations involving a marketing consultant. While the board's investigation did not find that Hurd had violated HP's sexual harassment policy, it did conclude that he had filed inaccurate expense reports that concealed a personal relationship, thereby violating the company's standards of business conduct.

The departure was controversial on multiple levels. Many investors and analysts were critical of HP's board, arguing that forcing out a CEO who had delivered strong financial performance over expense report irregularities was a disproportionate response. HP's stock price fell significantly in the immediate aftermath of the announcement. Catherine Lesjak, HP's chief financial officer, was named interim CEO while the board conducted a search for a permanent replacement.

The Wall Street Journal reported extensively on the details and implications of Hurd's departure, including the corporate governance questions it raised about the balance between executive performance and personal conduct standards.

Following his departure, Hurd also stepped down from the board of directors of News Corporation, where he had served as an outside director.

The long-term consequences of Hurd's departure for HP were significant. His successor, Léo Apotheker, served only approximately one year before being replaced by Meg Whitman. A 2013 Bloomberg analysis examined the challenges Whitman faced in attempting to reverse HP's declining fortunes, challenges that some analysts traced in part to the disruption caused by the leadership transitions following Hurd's exit.

Oracle Corporation (2010–2019)

Hurd's departure from HP was followed almost immediately by his hiring at Oracle Corporation. In September 2010, Oracle announced that Hurd had been appointed as a co-president of the company, a move that was orchestrated by Oracle co-founder and then-CEO Larry Ellison. Ellison had publicly criticized HP's board for its decision to force Hurd out, describing it as one of the worst personnel decisions in corporate history. Ellison's willingness to hire Hurd almost immediately after his HP departure was widely interpreted as both a vote of confidence in Hurd's abilities and a deliberate provocation of HP's leadership.

At Oracle, Hurd initially served as co-president alongside Safra Catz. In 2014, when Ellison stepped down as CEO to become executive chairman and chief technology officer, Hurd and Catz were elevated to the positions of co-chief executive officers—an unusual dual leadership structure that nonetheless proved functional for the company. Oracle issued a press release confirming the leadership transition and Hurd's expanded role.

As co-CEO, Hurd oversaw several critical aspects of Oracle's business, including its sales operations, marketing, and its strategic push into cloud computing. The transition from traditional on-premises software licensing to cloud-based subscription services was one of the most significant strategic shifts in Oracle's history during this period, and Hurd played a central role in managing the sales force transformation required to support it.

Hurd also championed Oracle's college recruiting initiatives, including the "Class Of" program designed to attract young talent to the company's sales organization. The program reflected Hurd's focus on building and maintaining a large, disciplined sales workforce—an approach consistent with his operational management philosophy.

Under Hurd's co-leadership, Oracle also invested in expanding its physical infrastructure. The company moved forward with construction projects, including facilities in Austin, Texas, to support its growing cloud business and workforce.

Leave of Absence and Death

On September 11, 2019, Oracle announced that Hurd would take a leave of absence from his position as co-CEO for health-related reasons. The company did not initially disclose the specific nature of his illness. The announcement came on the same day that Oracle released its quarterly earnings, and CNBC reported that the stock dropped in response to both the financial results and the uncertainty surrounding Hurd's health.

Mark Hurd died on October 18, 2019, at the age of 62. His death was confirmed by Oracle in a statement, and it was widely reported by major news outlets. CNN reported that Hurd had led two of Silicon Valley's most storied companies during his career.

Personal Life

Mark Hurd was married to Paula Hurd. He had two children. The couple's philanthropic activities included significant contributions to Baylor University, Hurd's alma mater. In 2023, the university dedicated the Mark and Paula Hurd Welcome Center in recognition of their generosity to the institution.

Hurd had previously been married to Elizabeth Butler from 1980 to 1987; the marriage ended in divorce.

Hurd also served on the board of directors of Globality, a technology company, in addition to his corporate leadership roles.

Recognition

Throughout his career, Hurd received recognition from several prominent business publications. Fortune magazine named him one of the 25 most powerful people in business in 2007, acknowledging the turnaround he had engineered at Hewlett-Packard. Forbes included him among its top-performing CEOs in a 2009 survey of technology industry leaders.

The New York Times maintained an ongoing topics page dedicated to Hurd, reflecting his prominence as a figure in the American technology industry.

After his death, industry experts and former colleagues offered assessments of his career. Business Insider reported that experts remembered Hurd as a "brilliant leader with a complicated and controversial legacy," a characterization that reflected both his operational achievements at HP and Oracle and the circumstances of his departure from HP.

The dedication of the Mark and Paula Hurd Welcome Center at Baylor University in 2023 served as a posthumous honor recognizing both his professional accomplishments and his contributions to higher education.

Legacy

Mark Hurd's career trajectory—from a 25-year rise through NCR Corporation to the leadership of two of the technology industry's largest companies—placed him among the most prominent American business executives of the early 21st century. His management approach, characterized by rigorous cost control, operational discipline, and a focus on measurable financial performance, produced results that earned praise from investors and industry analysts during his tenures at both HP and Oracle.

At the same time, the circumstances of his departure from HP in 2010 ensured that assessments of his legacy would remain complex. The episode raised enduring questions about corporate governance, the standards to which executives are held, and the tension between personal conduct and professional performance. As Business Insider noted following his death, Hurd was remembered as a figure whose brilliance as a corporate leader was inseparable from the controversies that marked key moments of his career.

At Oracle, Hurd's role in the company's transition toward cloud computing represented a significant contribution to the firm's long-term strategic positioning. Working alongside Safra Catz under the oversight of Larry Ellison, Hurd helped guide Oracle through a period of fundamental change in the enterprise software industry. The dual CEO structure that he and Catz maintained was itself notable as an uncommon corporate governance arrangement that functioned effectively for one of the world's largest technology companies.

Hurd's influence extended beyond his direct corporate roles. His membership on the Technology CEO Council and his board service at News Corporation and Globality reflected his broader engagement with issues facing the technology industry and American business. His philanthropic contributions, particularly to Baylor University, provided a lasting tangible legacy.

CNBC, in its obituary, summarized Hurd's career as one that encompassed leadership of HP "during a period rocked by scandals" and a subsequent chapter at Oracle where he served as a central figure in the company's executive leadership until illness forced his departure.