Safra Catz and Diane von Furstenberg appear together in a 2015 Forbes feature on foreign-born women. The article lists Catz under Israel and von Furstenberg under Belgium. It does not say they are related or have worked together.
Why does the Forbes feature include both women?
Forbes examined women in its 2015 self-made women ranking who were born outside the United States. Catz and von Furstenberg appear as separate entries. The feature identifies Catz with Oracle and von Furstenberg with her fashion brand, DVF.
The net-worth figures beside their names were published in 2015 and should not be presented as current estimates. Their inclusion in one ranking shows that they met the same editorial criteria; it does not establish a personal relationship.
Safra Catz’s career at Oracle
Catz held several senior positions at Oracle, including president and chief financial officer, as described in Oracle’s executive biography. In September 2014, she became co-CEO alongside Mark Hurd. Although the headline of Oracle’s leadership announcement focuses on Larry Ellison, its text explicitly confirms that both Catz and Hurd were appointed CEOs.
Hurd died on October 18, 2019, according to Oracle’s SEC filing. Catz then served as Oracle’s only CEO until September 2025, when she became executive vice chair of its board.
Diane von Furstenberg’s career in fashion
Von Furstenberg founded DVF in 1972 and created its signature wrap dress in 1974. The brand’s official history says more than a million wrap dresses had been sold by 1976. Her career in fashion explains her place in a ranking that also includes leaders from technology and other fields.
The confirmed link between Catz and von Furstenberg is their appearance in the same Forbes feature. That source offers no evidence of a family or business relationship. It cannot answer whether they have ever met privately.
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