Godfrey Sullivan
Godfrey R. Sullivan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1953 or 1954 (age 70–71)[1] |
| Alma mater | Baylor University |
| Occupation(s) | CEO of Splunk and Hyperion Solutions |
| Years active | 1981–2015 |
Godfrey R. Sullivan is the former CEO of data analysis software company Splunk, and of enterprise performance management software company Hyperion Solutions.[2]
Early life and career[edit]
Sullivan grew up in Waco, Texas,[3] and earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Baylor University in 1975.[4][5] In 1981, he joined Apple Inc., where he worked for 11 years in sales, marketing and operations. In 1992, he moved on to Autodesk,[1] where he worked for eight years under CEO Carol Bartz,[4] and then spent time at Citrix.[6][7] He served as President of Hyperion Solutions from October 2001 until April 2007, and CEO from July 2004 until April 2007,[5] when the Oracle Corporation acquired the company for $3.3 billion.[8]
In the mid-1980s, Sullivan began participating in Ride and Tie, a mountain race where teams of two people alternate between riding a horse and running. He raced for 25 years, describing it as "probably the most fun I've had with my clothes on,"[9] and retired from the sport in 2010 in order to focus on Splunk.[1]
Splunk[edit]
Sullivan joined Splunk as CEO in 2008, replacing cofounder Michael Baum in the role,[8] and led Splunk through its initial public offering in 2012.[3] During his tenure at Splunk, the company grew from 750 to more than 10,000 customers, and from $18 million of annual revenue to nearly $600 million.[10] Sullivan advocated for hiring more women within Splunk leadership and the technology sector as a whole.[11] He retired from the CEO position in November 2015, and was succeeded by Splunk SVP Doug Merritt.[12] He continues to serve as Chairman of Splunk's Board of Directors.[2]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c Levy, Ari (20 April 2012). "Splunk CEO Twice Zuckerberg's Age Sees Stock Soar in IPO". Bloomberg. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
- ^ a b Hesseldahl, Arik (19 November 2015). "Splunk CEO Godfrey Sullivan Steps Down (We Have the Memo)". Re/code. Vox Media, Inc. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
- ^ a b Lev-Ram, Michal (1 February 2013). "A CEO who loves to horse around". Fortune. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
- ^ a b "Alumnus of the Year, Godfrey Sullivan". Baylor Magazine - Fall 2013. Baylor University. 3 October 2013. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
- ^ a b "Godfrey R. Sullivan: Executive Profile". Bloomberg Business. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
- ^ Bessette, Chanelle (30 October 2013). "Splunk CEO on the rise of the machines". Fortune. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
- ^ Hoge, Patrick (3 September 2008). "Godfrey Sullivan: President, CEO and Chairman, Splunk". San Francisco Business Times. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
- ^ a b Vance, Ashlee (2 September 2008). "Godfrey Sullivan Takes Up Splunking". Bits. The New York Times. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
- ^ Solon, Olivia (8 April 2016). "From zero gravity to Ride & Tie: the quirky hobbies of the tech elite". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
- ^ Sharwood, Simon (20 November 2015). "Seven-year itch claims Splunk CEO". The Register. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
- ^ Harding, Scharon (25 September 2015). "Splunk CEO tells tech sector to hire more women". Channelnomics. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
- ^ Gagliordi, Natalie (19 November 2015). "Splunk tops Q3 earnings targets, CEO Godfrey Sullivan to retire". ZDNet. Retrieved 25 March 2016.