Mark Hurd (1957-2019) was the Chief Executive Officer of Oracle Corporation and a member of Oracle’s board of directors. His career at Oracle began in 2010 in the role of president until he became CEO in 2014. As the CEO of Oracle, he played an integral role in the company’s shift to cloud computing. Mark Hurd’s career in the technology industry spanned four decades and included the role of CEO at both NCR Corporation and Hewlett-Packard.

Mark Hurd regularly spoke at Oracle events and industry conferences, where he shared his perspectives on emerging technologies like cloud computing and artificial intelligence. His annual keynote speeches at Oracle OpenWorld addressed a variety of challenges facing the technology and business markets.

Mark Hurd was one of Forbes’ “Market’s Best Managers” and was named one of CRN’s “Most Influential Executives” twice. In 2012 and 2013, he was awarded the Baylor Legacy Award for his extensive service and philanthropy to his alma mater. He also co-authored the book The Value Factor with Lars Nyberg, which was dubbed a “must read for busy executives” and provides insight into what makes companies and executives, successful in their roles. In 2008, Mark Hurd was San Francisco Chronicle’s CEO of the Year. In 2009 he was included in Forbes’ Market’s Best Managers and Fortune’s 25 Most Powerful People in Business.

Throughout his life, Mark Hurd was an avid tennis player and supporter. During his time at Oracle, Mark Hurd led the company’s support for American tennis. He played a key role in developing Oracle’s alliance with the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). Under Mark Hurd’s lead, Oracle helped found the Oracle/ITA Masters, the Oracle Collegiate Tennis Challenge, and the Oracle/ITA Arthur Ashe Jr./All-Star Outing. In addition, he helped to create the Oracle Tennis Awards, a $100,000 grant for two outstanding young tennis professionals to help advance their careers. In 2017, he led Oracle’s development of the Oracle Challenger Series to help up-and-coming tennis professionals secure ranking points, collect prize money, and play against top competitors. Mark Hurd’s continuous support for tennis in both his personal and professional life helped provide American tennis players with more playing opportunities and increased recognition.

Mark Hurd graduated from Baylor University and continued to support his alma mater through contributions to the Baylor Bear Fund, the Men’s Tennis Excellence Fund, and the Baylor tennis program. He helped renovate the campus tennis facilities that were later renamed the Hurd Tennis Center. In 2018, Mark Hurd and his wife provided a key donation to the Baylor Give Light Program, which funded the new Mark and Paula Hurd Welcome Center.

Mark Hurd is survived by his wife, Paula, and his two daughters, Kathryn and Kelly.