Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and girlfriend Paula Hurd have been making their relationship more public since they were first linked in 2022. When rumors swirled of their pairing, the duo often kept their public appearances to sports events and private events with friends.
In the past year, Bill and Paula have made their red carpet debut at the Breakthrough Prize Awards and enjoyed a $30,000-per-night trip to scenic Vietnam.
Before Paula, Bill was married to philanthropist Melinda French, with the pair walking down the aisle in 1994 and remaining together until their divorce in 2021. Bill didn't rule out finding love again following his divorce, reflecting that he wasn't "a robot" and he and Paula were linked a year after his split.
But just who is the Bill's glamorous new love? HELLO! explores all there is to know about Paula Hurd below…
Biography
Paula Hurd is a 62-year-old former tech industry sales and alliance management worker at the NCR Corporation. She worked there for 17 years, after studying marketing at the University of Texas at Austin.
While working at NCR, Paula met Silicon Valley executive Mark Hurd, and the two married in 1990. She and the Oracle co-CEO remained together until Mark's death aged 62 following a short period of ill health.
Career
According to Paula's LinkedIn page, she now works as a "developer and organizer of memorable mid-and large-scale event experiences for personal, corporate and charitable occasions." Her philanthropic pursuits have been clear to see ever since she married Mark, as the two worked together much like Bill and his ex-wife Melinda used to do on several charitable causes, fundraising, and training campaigns.
Mark was an alumna of Baylor University, Texas, and the former pair had a welcome center at the college named after them due to their generous donations of millions of dollars to the school over the years. On her LinkedIn, Paula is currently listed as a 'philanthropist and community volunteer' with MPH Investments.
First meeting with Bill
It is unclear when Paula and Bill first met, although it seems the proud grandfather and fellow philanthropist were first seen together in late 2022. Sporting events are responsible for having brought the pair to public attention, such as when they were seen earlier in 2023 at the Australian Open in January, and when they were spotted in London attending the Laver Cup at the O2 Arena. The couple have continued to head to sports events, with the pair being spotted in the crowd for the Paris Olympics.
Children
Paula has two grown-up daughters from her marriage to former HP CEO Mark: Kathryn and Kelly. Bill shares three grown-up children of his own with Melinda: Jennifer, Rory and Phoebe.