Ex-Peoplesoft boss takes on Oracle again at Salesforce

Peoplesoft's ousted former chief executive officer has taken up a directorship at on-demand CRM specialist Salesforce.com.

Craig Conway was sacked by the Peoplesoft board shortly before Oracle finally acquired the company at the end of last year. Up until then, Conway had fiercely led Peoplesoft’s rearguard defence against the Oracle takeover.

Conway’s role as a director of Salesforce.com means he will now be able to renew hostilities with Oracle in an increasingly competitive contest between the two companies in the CRM market.

Oracle is acquiring Salesforce’s bigger on-demand CRM rival Siebel and was in any case already building up its share of the general CRM market before the acquisition was announced.

Conway joins an existing six-member Salesforce.com board. His initial tenure will run to 2008.