# Jim Ryan

> Jim Ryan is Vice Chairman and former CEO of Flexera. He joined predecessor InstallShield in 1998, helped establish the independent business in 2008 and served as CEO from January 2016 until July 2026. A former IBM salesperson and Marquette graduate, he also advises Thoma Bravo, chairs Trading Technologies’ board and co-established the Do Great Things Scholarship Initiative with his wife Tracy for students at Green Bay West High School.

- **Role:** Vice Chairman at Flexera
- **Organizations:** Flexera, Marquette University, Thoma Bravo, Trading Technologies, Do Great Things Scholarship Initiative, IBM, InstallShield, Macrovision
- **Education:** B.A.; political science and French, Marquette University, High school graduate, Green Bay West High School
- **Known for:** Helped establish Flexera as an independent business after the 2008 Macrovision carve-out., Led Flexera as CEO from January 2016 until July 2026., Helped form Marquette’s Center for Professional Selling and serves on its advisory board.

## Career timeline

- **1989** — Graduated from Marquette University; began his career in IBM sales (start date not verified).
- **1998** — Joined InstallShield, a predecessor of Flexera.
- **2004** — Joined Macrovision’s executive team following its acquisition of InstallShield.
- **2008** — Helped lead the software business spinoff from Macrovision into an independent company.
- **2014** — Began serving as an operating adviser to Thoma Bravo.
- **2016** — Succeeded Mark Bishof as Flexera CEO on January 1.
- **2021** — Jim and Tracy Ryan decided to establish two Marquette scholarships for Green Bay West students.
- **2022** — Elected to Marquette’s Board of Trustees.
- **2024** — Led Flexera when it completed its acquisition of Snow Software on February 15.
- **2025** — Flexera completed its Spot acquisition in March and appointed Mike Jerich President in May.
- **2026** — Elected Marquette trustee vice chair in May; transitioned to Flexera Vice Chairman in July as Mike Jerich became President and CEO.

## Achievements

- Helped establish Flexera as an independent business after the 2008 Macrovision carve-out.
- Led Flexera as CEO from January 2016 until July 2026.
- Helped form Marquette’s Center for Professional Selling and serves on its advisory board.
- Co-established the Do Great Things Scholarship Initiative with Tracy Ryan.
- Elected vice chair of Marquette’s Board of Trustees in 2026.

## Latest updates

- **2026-07** — Flexera announced Mike Jerich’s appointment as President and CEO on July 16; Ryan transitioned to Vice Chairman.
- **2026-05** — Marquette announced his election as vice chair of its Board of Trustees.
- **2026-01** — Flexera acquired ProsperOps and Chaos Genius while Ryan was CEO.
- **2025-12** — Published the LinkedIn essay 2026: The Year of Consumption.

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimryan

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/jim-ryan
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-11