Who Is Mary Ann Davidson? Oracle's Security Chief Quits After Nearly 40 Years Amid Company Reorganisation

Mary Ann Davidson, Oracle’s longtime Chief Security Officer (CSO), is leaving the company after nearly four decades of service. According to Bloomberg, Davidson has been "one of the highest-ranking women in the cybersecurity industry."

Her exit comes as part of a wider reorganisation at Oracle, with the company reportedly cutting jobs to rein in costs amid heavy investment in artificial intelligence infrastructure, the Bloomberg report added, citing a person familiar with the matter.

Davidson joined Oracle in 1988 after serving as a civil engineer in the US Navy. She rose quickly within the company, transitioning from a product marketing role in Oracle's financial software unit to its secure systems division in 1993. By the early 2000s, she had become Oracle’s first-ever Chief Security Officer (CSO).

A Businessweek profile in 2003 highlighted her unconventional career path and personal passions, describing her as a surfing and skiing enthusiast who often worked remotely from the mountains of Ketchum, Idaho.

Davidson's official profile on Oracle's website highlights her role representing the company on the board of the Information Technology Information Sharing and Analysis Center. It also notes her service on the international board of the Information Systems Security Association, where she was inducted into the Hall of Fame. She was also a member of the Center for Strategic and International Studies Commission on Cybersecurity for the 44th Presidency, according to her LinkedIn profile.

In addition, she has testified before multiple US House and Senate committees on cybersecurity. Her academic background includes a BSME from the University of Virginia and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. During her time in the US Navy Civil Engineer Corps, she was awarded the Navy Achievement Medal, according to her Oracle profile.

According to the Bloomberg report, Davidson was long considered a close ally of Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison on security matters. In a 2002 interview with Businessweek, she recalled the challenges of ensuring Oracle’s products lived up to Ellison’s high-profile “unbreakable” marketing campaign.

Davidson went on to oversee the creation of industry-leading systems for testing Oracle’s code and safeguarding products against hackers. However, her forthright style occasionally sparked controversy. In 2015, she drew criticism after a personal blog post in which she warned customers against searching for vulnerabilities in Oracle software themselves. She stated that such practices breached licensing agreements and often wasted her team’s resources.

Despite such controversies, Davidson’s nearly 40-year career at Oracle cements her legacy as a pioneering figure in corporate cybersecurity. Her influence has shaped both Oracle’s internal culture and the wider security landscape.