Stepping Stones? Charles Phillips and Oracle’s Major Acquisitions

When Oracle had gone on a stunning acquisition spree since 2003, the man who worked at the forefront, or sometimes behind the scenes, was Charles Phillips.

From Justin Sullivan, Getty Images

Integrity, top line performance, and Wall Street acclaimed analytical skills construct the man whose name has become a brand in the software industry. Even at the outset of his professional career, the elusive stars were bequeathed unto Mr. Phillips.

Oracle confided to the world upon his arrival that its executives lured the top enterprise software analyst from Morgan Stanley, where his brilliant actions were already making the rounds. The soft-spoken Charles, as his fame already merits recognition by first name, spurred Oracle’s gainful strategy during his second week on the job. This occurred when the world’s leading software company launched a hostile bid for PeopleSoft. Moving forward, Charles Phillips propelled the organization to hit at least a major $BB purchase annually. All in all, Oracle, at the helm of Mr. Phillips being the executive vice president for strategy, partnerships, and business development recorded 60 deals in 7 years.

From Charles Phillips Photos

When Charles stepped out to become the successor of Jim Schaper, CEO of enterprise software vendor Infor, he did not leave his initiative and innovation where he left off. The surprising achievements this fiscal year of the 8-year-old solutions provider are attributed to Mr. Phillips. Members of the industry are expecting that this is just the beginning for the company. The Oracle acquisitions extravaganza may just be stepping stones to Charles. The mid-market firm must expect greater things to come.

From Charles Phillips Photos

Follow Charles Phillips on Facebook and Twitter.

Charles Phillips: Taking Infor Beyond

Freshly minted Infor CEO Charles Phillips is no newcomer to the software market. Before joining the Atlanta-based mid-market enterprise resource planning applications provider last December 2011, Phillips was Chief of Marketing for software giant Oracle from May 2003, and co-President and Director from January 2004 to 2010. His strong execution cemented Oracle’s position as industry leader – his well-planned acquisition spree fielded major buyouts such as Sun Microsystems in August 2009, BEA in January 2008, Hyperion in April 2007, Siebel in January 2006, and PeopleSoft in January 2005; his top line performance helped grow Oracle’s revenue from $9.4B in 2003 to $26.B in 2010. Prior to Oracle, he was Director at Morgan Stanley, and before launching a much-lauded Wall Street career, served as a captain in the United States Marine Corps.


"Charles Phillips is a proven executive who brings Infor the diverse skill set, direct industry experience, and track record of performance necessary to lead the Company to continued growth," says Jim Schaper, former CEO and current Chairman for Infor. "He is a true visionary in the technology industry and has a unique perspective drawn from his experience at one of our leading industry peers, in addition to his years on Wall Street."


Joining Infor at a key inflection point in the company’s trajectory, Phillips is likewise enthused. “The barriers to entry in this business are so incredibly high that I believe it usually takes 10 years to build a viable enterprise-applications company,” Phillips explains. “But in less than 10 years, Infor has achieved all that—they're there. And they got it done by doing things, not by talking about it.”


With Phillips taking his spot alongside fellow new appointees CMO Bruce Richardson and global R&D head Soma Somasundaram, Infor is more than ready to dominate.


Find Charles Phillips on Facebook.