Gary Steele is a highly regarded technology executive with over 30 years of experience, currently serving as the CEO of Splunk and Cisco's President, Go-to-Market. Before joining Splunk, he was the founding CEO of Proofpoint, where he led the company from an early-stage startup to a leading, publicly traded security-as-a-service provider.
Who is the CEO of Splunk?
As the CEO of Splunk and Cisco's President, Go-to-Market, Gary Steele has an extensive background in the technology sector, with over 30 years of experience. He has a proven track record of scaling SaaS operations and growing multi-billion dollar global enterprises.
Prior to joining Splunk, he was the founding CEO of Proofpoint, where he led the company from an early-stage startup to a publicly traded security-as-a-service provider. Steele has also been a member of the board of directors of Upwork since 2018 and is a co-chair of Aspen Digital’s U.S. Cybersecurity Group.
His leadership style is characterized by a focus on driving growth, scaling SaaS operations, and fostering innovation within the companies he has led.
Work History
- Splunk - President & CEO: April 2022 - Present
- Cisco - President, Go-to-Market: May 2024 - Present
- Cisco - EVP & GM, Splunk: March 2024 - Present
- Proofpoint - CEO: November 2002 - March 2022
- Portera - CEO: January 1998 - January 2002
- Sybase, Inc. - Vice President and General Manager: January 1995 - January 1997
- Sun Microsystems - Manager, Market Development: January 1989 - January 1995
- Hewlett-Packard - Product Manager: January 1986 - January 1989
- Hewlett-Packard - Software Engineer: January 1984 - January 1986
Education History
Regarding his educational background, Gary Steele earned a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Computer Science from Washington State University between 1980 and 1984. This foundation in computer science has undoubtedly contributed to his successful career in the technology sector, spanning over three decades.
When did Gary Steele join Splunk?
In April 2022, Gary Steele joined Splunk as President & CEO, a position he held until March 2024. During his tenure at Splunk, Steele demonstrated his expertise in scaling SaaS operations and growing global enterprises. As of now, he has been with Splunk for approximately two years.