Oracle appoints Hilary Maxson as CFO to manage its $50 billion AI data centre push
April 9, 2026 – 6:18 pm
In short:
Oracle has appointed Hilary Maxson, former executive vice president and group chief financial officer at Schneider Electric, as its new chief financial officer. Effective from 6 April 2026, Maxson will oversee Oracle’s $50 billion capital expenditure plans for the current fiscal year, following on from a period of significant restructuring that included job cuts and the Stargate AI data centre joint venture.
A CFO role reinstated after a decade
For over a decade, Oracle integrated financial oversight into its executive leadership structure, with Safra Catz serving as both chief executive and principal financial officer. This changed in September 2025 when Catz transitioned to executive vice chair of the board, leaving the global finance organisation without a dedicated leader. Doug Kehring stepped in on an interim basis before Maxson’s appointment formalises the position.
Clay Magouyrk, Oracle’s co-chief executive, highlighted Maxson’s suitability for the role:
“We are pleased that we found a financial leader that matches our culture of strong financial and operational discipline and has experience scaling capital intensive global organizations. Hilary’s experience spans industrial, infrastructure, and software businesses — sectors where capital intensity and execution excellence are critical to success.”
The Schneider Electric connection
Maxson, aged 48, spent almost nine years at Schneider Electric, transforming the company from a traditional electrical equipment manufacturer into a digital energy technology business. She previously held senior roles at AES Corporation, a global power company, and currently serves as a non-executive director at Anglo American.
Maxson will be compensated with an annual base salary of $950,000 and a performance-based bonus target of $2.5 million, according to an SEC filing.