Key Points

  • Oracle announced on Monday that Hilary Maxson, a former Schneider Electric executive, has officially assumed the role of Chief Financial Officer, effective Monday, as disclosed in a press release and securities filing.
  • Maxson, 48, will also succeed Doug Kehring as the company's CFO. According to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Kehring has returned to his role as Executive Vice President of Operations effective the same day. Previously, Kehring had held the CFO position since September 2025, when longtime Oracle executive Safra Catz stepped down as CEO and CFO, and the company subsequently appointed Clayton Magouyrk and Michael Sicilia as co-CEOs.
  • The Austin, Texas-based cloud technology provider was founded by Larry Ellison. As Oracle accelerates AI spending and seeks to expand its data centers, the company will rely on Maxson's financial expertise. Magouyrk said in a statement in Monday's press release: "We are pleased to have found a financial leader who fits our culture of strong financial and operational discipline, with experience scaling capital-intensive global organizations. Hilary's track record spans industrial, infrastructure, and software businesses—areas where capital intensity and execution excellence are critical to success."

In-Depth Analysis

According to Maxson's LinkedIn profile, she served as CFO at Schneider Electric for six years, having joined the company in 2017 as Senior Vice President and CFO of Finance and Building and IT businesses. Prior to that, she spent 11 years at AES Corporation, holding various roles including CFO of its Asia business. She currently also serves as a non-executive director at mining company Anglo American.

According to SEC filings, as Oracle's CFO, Maxson will receive an annual base salary of $950,000. She is also eligible for an annual performance bonus with a target amount of $2.5 million, which is "based on the achievement of specific performance metrics," the filing shows.

She will also receive an equity grant with a target grant value of $26 million, of which $20.8 million is time-based equity—consisting of either 100% stock options, or 50% stock options and 50% restricted stock units, at Maxson's election. The remaining 20% ($5.2 million) is performance-based equity, with the time-based portion vesting over four years and the performance-based portion vesting over three years.

Maxson said in a statement in the press release: "Oracle has built remarkable momentum at the intersection of cloud, AI, and industry applications. I am excited to join at this pivotal moment and look forward to working with Clay, Mike, and the broader leadership team to invest with discipline and convert this momentum into lasting long-term value for customers and shareholders."

Maxson will take over Oracle's financial reins as the company seeks to continue this momentum. In February, the company announced plans to raise up to $50 billion through equity and debt financing, aiming to expand its cloud infrastructure business to support accelerated demand from generative AI customers, including Nvidia, OpenAI, and Meta, according to a press release at the time.

Leadership also detailed plans to continue optimizing this infrastructure during the latest earnings call on March 10. Magouyrk noted that Oracle's AI infrastructure revenue grew 243% year-over-year in the third quarter.

Demand for AI infrastructure, including data centers and graphics processing units, continues to outpace supply: Magouyrk said this is "directly visible" in the company's $553 billion in remaining performance obligations recorded during the quarter. According to the earnings report, that figure rose 325% year-over-year and represents contracted but not yet recognized revenue.

Magouyrk said Oracle is "continuously innovating" in its data centers, including computing, networking, and storage capabilities, in hopes of converting these obligations into recognized revenue.

However, the company's aggressive pace of AI spending has also raised concerns among some stakeholders and industry experts. According to The Motley Fool, the company's stock has fallen about 24% year-to-date amid concerns over a potential AI bubble and worries about debt expansion.

Oracle is also one of several companies conducting large-scale layoffs amid the AI spending spree. According to The Next Web, starting March 31, the company began sending severance emails to thousands of employees as part of a broader organizational restructuring. The news outlet said the layoffs could affect approximately 18% of Oracle's global workforce, or 30,000 people.

Oracle did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Maxson's appointment.