Mark Hurd, the Co-CEO of Oracle until last month, has died at the age of 62. The executive went on leave from the firm due to health reasons, leaving Safra Catz and CTO Larry Ellison managing the organisation. The news of Hurd’s death came via an e-mail from Ellison to employees who confirmed that Hurd had died in the early hours of the morning.
Mark Hurd was working as one of Oracle’s CEOs alongside Safra Catz. The pair had been in their jobs since September 2014 with stock prices growing by 37% since. Prior to them becoming CEOs in place of Larry Ellison, the pair had been Co-Presidents since September 2010. Earlier, Hurd had spent five years, from 2005, running Hewlett-Packard (HP), under his leadership share prices rose by more than double.
In an announcement about Hurd's death, Ellison said the following:
“It is with a profound sense of sadness and loss that I tell everyone here at Oracle that Mark Hurd passed away early this morning. … Oracle has lost a brilliant and beloved leader who personally touched the lives of so many of us during his decade at Oracle. All of us will miss Mark’s keen mind and rare ability to analyze, simplify, and solve problems quickly. Some of us will miss his friendship and mentorship. I will miss his kindness and sense of humor. Mark leaves his beloved wife Paula, two wonderful daughters who were the joy of his life, and his much larger extended family here at Oracle who came to love him.”
It’s unclear what will happen at the head of Oracle going forward but as it stands right now Safra Catz and Larry Ellison are still managing things at the company.
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