Microsoft finance veteran Dave O'Hara joins Cadiz board to guide infrastructure expansion

Microsoft finance veteran joins Cadiz board to guide infrastructure expansion

Cadiz, a California water solutions company, announces that Dave O'Hara has joined its board of directors, bringing more than two decades of finance and operations experience from Microsoft. O'Hara is most recently Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Microsoft's Commercial Business Group, where he leads investment strategy, budgeting, forecasting and financial analysis across major business units. His remit includes oversight of large-scale, long-duration capital investments such as data centers, cloud infrastructure and global platform expansions.

The company says O'Hara’s background in managing capital-intensive growth and complex program budgets aligns with Cadiz’s current development cycle, where substantial infrastructure and long-term financing decisions are central. Cadiz’s leadership frames the hire as a strategic move to strengthen corporate strategy and financial discipline as the company advances pipeline, treatment and storage projects. Chairman and CEO Susan Kennedy says O'Hara’s global expertise will benefit the executive team and support the company’s operational and growth planning.

O'Hara says he is joining Cadiz at a "real inflection point" as the company positions its portfolio of water and energy assets to meet accelerating demand from emerging high-growth industries. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and an MBA from the University of South Dakota and earlier served as chief operating officer of Microsoft Advertising and vice president of business development. Cadiz says his experience overseeing multi-year platform investments will inform its approach to capital allocation and program execution.

Asset profile and service focus

Cadiz outlines a broad asset base that underpins its strategy: about 45,000 acres of land in California, roughly 2.5 million acre-feet of water supply, approximately 220 miles of pipeline assets, and what it describes as a cost-effective water treatment filtration technology. The company positions itself as a provider of water supply, storage, pipeline and treatment services aimed at delivering clean, reliable and affordable water while addressing climate-driven water access and community resilience needs.

Regulatory note and investor information

The press release is distributed via PR Newswire and directs stakeholders to the company website for further details on projects, financials and strategy. Cadiz includes a standard forward-looking statement cautioning that projections and plans are subject to significant risks and uncertainties.