$9 billion startup Tanium had a leadership shake-up after losing 5 top execs

The cybersecurity startup Tanium, which was last valued at $9 billion, recently underwent a leadership reshuffle after losing five top executives.

Tanium, based in the Seattle area, was founded in 2007 and has stayed private since then. It has raised nearly $1 billion, according to PitchBook, and is backed by investors such as Andreessen Horowitz, TPG, and Salesforce Ventures.

Tanium hired its chief financial officer, Marc Levine, in 2021 to conduct a "readiness assessment" for an initial public offering. Several employees and executives had left Tanium in the past few years over uncertainty about whether the company would ever go public, Business Insider previously reported.

The departures mark another period of uncertainty for one of tech's longest-running IPO candidates. Now, with several senior leaders gone and new executives cycling into key legal, people, and strategy roles, the company faces fresh questions about its next chapter and whether an IPO is still part of it.

Tanium's chief legal officer Brady Mickelsen, chief people officer Tobias Julén, and chief information security officer Chris Hallenbeck left the company in May, according to their LinkedIn profiles. Mickelsen now has the same role at DigitalOcean, and Julén now works at StillFront as chief human resources officer.

Julén said his departure was a "mutually agreed decision based on my desire to remain located in EMEA and have more sustainable working hours," and that he has "only positive things to say about the company and all the people I have worked with there."

Tanium's chief marketing officer, Tara Ryan, no longer appears on the company website. She and Mickelsen were listed on the website in early June, according to the Wayback Machine. Ryan did not respond to a request for comment.

Tanium also brought on a new chief people officer, Carol MacKinlay, who was hired in April and has since resigned.

MacKinlay says she resigned due to a sudden issue with her family.

"I feel sorry that I left them in a lurch, but family has to come first. Great company with a great trajectory, and I wish them the best," she said.

Since then, Russ Evans has been promoted to chief legal officer, and Shannon Rosales Mirani is the interim chief people officer. Paul Black also joined as the chief information security officer in May. The website does not list a chief marketing officer.

In May, Tanium also promoted Ben Stein, previously senior vice president of global operations, to chief strategy officer.

"Like all responsible companies, Tanium continues to adapt our approach, as well as our team, to best serve our customers and partners," a Tanium spokesperson said. "We will continue to evolve to meet the needs of our constituents — and best serve them at a time when they need us most. We are confident in our experienced team at the helm, our momentum, and our ability to continue driving innovation and value for our customers and partners."

Last year, Tanium cracked down on its return-to-office policy in an unusual way by withholding some equity grants from employees who don't comply, Business Insider previously reported.

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