Oracle Loses Two More Top Execs

Mark Jarvis, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, is exiting after 14 years at the Redwood Shores, Calif. company. George Roberts, executive vice president, is also departing after 13 years. Confirming the planned departures, an Oracle spokeswoman characterized them as voluntary and amicable.

Marketing, which Jarvis has headed for five years, will now report into relative new arrival Chuck Phillips, an executive vice president, the spokeswoman said. Phillips has been integrally involved in Oracle's attempt to buy out PeopleSoft in a $6.3 billion hostile bid.

Neither executive was available for comment. But in a memo circulated to Oracle staff, Ellison thanked each for his service and contributions.

Jarvis was known for his humorous and feisty style. He seemed to relish the challenge of pitching Oracle Collaboration Suite, the underdog, against Microsoft Exchange Server in a series of U.S. customer confabs earlier this year. He delighted in poking fun at Microsoft's might and market share in this arena. Recently he took to the phone to promote Oracle's PeopleSoft bid as beneficial for ISV and integration partners.

Roberts designed Oracle's multi-channel sales model, helped establish the partner network, and headed up ISV relationships, the Oracle Store, and other projects. He also spearheaded a move two years ago to give channel partners access to larger Oracle enterprise accounts. (See story.)

Last fall Roberts appeared to lose some ground when Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison promoted Keith Block to senior vice president North America sales and marketing. Until that time, Roberts, who headed North America sales, had reported directly to Ellison. He reported to Block from that time on. Mark Barrenechea, who had headed applications market development, also started reporting to Block. Barrenechea subsequently left Oracle and is now senior vice president of product development at Computer Associates, Islandia, N.Y.

Oracle is noted for churning through top executives, many of whom leave when it is apparent that Ellison has no intention of giving up his top job. Notable former executives include Gary Bloom, now CEO of Veritas, and Ray Lane, now a venture capitalist with powerhouse firm Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield and Byers. Ellison has characterized that as a badge of honor, saying Oracle's bench strength is so deep, its former executives are heading a bevy of tech companies.

These latest departures come at a time when Oracle's database might is under attack by both Microsoft SQL Server and IBM's DB2. It is also trying mightily to entrench its database atop Linux as an enterprise buy.

In his e-mail, Ellison also welcomed U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Joseph "Keith" Kellogg Jr. who is coming aboard to head Oracle's homeland security systems office.

"His appointment underscores Oracle's long-standing commitment to providing information technology to organizations working at the front lines of the nation's defense," Ellison wrote. Kellogg will report to Kevin Fitzgerald, senior vice president of Oracle's Government, Education, and Healthcare group.