- Billionaire Bill Gates has reportedly been dating Paula Hurd for more than a year
- Paula Hurd is the widow of a former software CEO
- Like Bill, Paula is a dedicated philanthropist
Bill Gates, 67, is in a committed relationship 17 months after he and his ex-wife, Melinda French Gates, finalized their divorce. He has been dating 60-year-old Paula Hurd, the widow of former Oracle software company CEO, Mark Hurd, for more than one year, according to the Daily Mail. “They’re inseparable,” a source told the publication in Feb. 2023. “They’ve been together over a year and she’s always described as a ‘mystery woman,’ but it’s no mystery to their inner circle that they’re in a romantic relationship.”
Paula and Bill have known each other for years, as she and Mark, who died at the age of 62 in 2019, were photographed behind the Microsoft founder at a tennis match in 2015, according to the publication. Paula is also no stranger to the posh life that multi-millionaires and billionaires can enjoy, as she was estimated to be worth about $500 million at the time of her husband’s death. So, who is the woman who has captured the billionaire’s heart? Read on to learn about Paul Hurd.
Paula Hurd Has A Degree In Business Administration
Paula Hurd began her leadership career at NCR Corporation after graduating from the University of Texas at Austin with a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1984, according to her LinkedIn page. She held a variety of roles there until 2001, left the business for a decade, and then returned to CLUB 127 as a consultant, where she stayed for another 10 years. As of this writing, she manages her wealth at Hurd Family Investments and is on the Board of Regents at Baylor University, her deceased husband’s alma mater.
As of this writing, Paula describes herself as a “developer and organizer of memorable mid- and large-scale event experiences for personal, corporate and charitable occasions” on her LinkedIn page.
Paula Helped Raise $1 Billion For Baylor University
Paula and Mark were longtime and generous donors to Baylor University, and Paula has kept their tradition alive even after his death. In 2021, she donated $7 million to Baylor’s Give Light Campaign, an initiative meant to “impact every aspect of campus life, from academics and athletics to student life and global engagement.” Her gift went toward the new basketball pavilion, which will have a Mark and Paula Hurd Floor, according to Paula’s Baylor profile. Before that, Paula and Mark helped create the “top college tennis facility in the country” at the Texan university, and in 2011, it was named the Hurd Tennis Center.
Paula Is A Mother
Paula and Mark had two daughters during their nearly 30-year marriage: Kathryn and Kelly. Paula has not yet met Bill’s kids, according to an insider for PEOPLE, so it’s fair to assume he has not met hers. Bill and Melinda, 58, share three kids: daughters Jennifer, 26, and Phoebe, 20, and son Rory, 23.
Paula Announced A Tennis Scholarship In 2022
Paula is an avid tennis player and watcher, and in March 2022, she partnered with Universal Tennis to create the Universal Tennis Hurd Awards. Each year, Paula will award one male and one female rising tennis player $100,000 “as they transition from college into the professional ranks”. To be eligible, the athletes need to have played at least one year of collegiate tennis and “have demonstrated exemplary sportsmanship and an aptitude for success on the pro tour”, according to the award’s press release.
“I am very pleased to continue this transition started by my late husband Mark and to partner with Universal Tennis for these awards. Universal Tennis continues to bring innovation to the game and have long supported collegiate tennis and the transition to the professional game,” she said at the time.
Bill Gates Hinted At A Romance Days Before News Broke
Bill Gates confirmed he was interested in finding love again after the BBC asked him if he was willing to try dating just days before the news that he is seeing the mother of two broke. “Sure, I’m not a robot,” he coyly responded.