Safra Catz
Oracle President Safra Catz is one of the world’s highest-paid women in the business world. According to Fortune magazine, Catz raked in approximately $42 million as compensation in 2008.
Safra A. Catz began presiding over Oracle Corporation in January 2004. Her leadership saw Oracle purchase no less than 50 companies, all in a span of five years.
Safra Catz has been an executive at Oracle since 1999. From April to October of that year, she sat as the company’s senior vice president. Right afterwards, she served as the company’s executive vice president, a position she filled until becoming president.
On top of the presidency, Catz sat as Oracle’s chief financial officer from November 2005 through September 2008. She has been part of Oracle’s board since October 2001. Furthermore, she has worked as co-president of PeopleSoft, of which Oracle is a holding firm, since December 2004.
Even before she entered Oracle, Ms. Catz had accrued a wide-range of experience in mergers and acquisitions. She largely got it through various positions with global investment bank Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette. She was the banking firm’s senior vice president, beginning January 1994 and ending February 1997. Then she became managing director in February 1997, until her move to Oracle.
Safra Catz has utilized her expertise in M&A as a side job. She teaches “Mergers and Acquisitions: Accounting, Regulatory, and Governance Issues” at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Catz herself studied such subjects during her years at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. She was also an alumnus of the University of Pennsylvania’s law school.
Safra Catz holds several board memberships outside Oracle. She was elected, in May 2008, to three years as a non-executive member of HSBC Holdings’ board. Likewise, she has served in the board of Hyperion Solutions since April 2007. She was also a board member of Stellent.