# Rick Fitz

> Rick Fitz is the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board at Contrast Security, the application security company behind the 'Shift Smart' approach to securing software from within. A 25-year enterprise software veteran, Fitz came to the role in April 2023 after six-plus years as SVP and General Manager of Splunk's IT Operations and Application Development Market Group, where he steered the company through landmark acquisitions including SignalFX. At Contrast, he leads a 240-person company with $274M in total funding as it works to redefine how developers and security teams find and fix vulnerabilities at runtime - inside applications as they run, rather than scanning from the outside.

- **Role:** Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board at Contrast Security
- **Organizations:** Contrast Security, Splunk
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering, University of the Pacific, Master of Business Administration (MBA), Golden Gate University
- **Known for:** Led Splunk's IT Operations and Application Development Market Group through multiple acquisitions including SignalFX, Appointed CEO and Chairman of the Board at Contrast Security in April 2023, Oversaw Contrast Security's continued growth trajectory - 25x ARR growth, 1000x cash reserves, 10x workforce expansion since company founding

## Career timeline

- **1995** — Graduated from University of the Pacific with a BS in Computer Engineering
- **2000** — Completed MBA from Golden Gate University
- **2015** — Joined Splunk as SVP and General Manager, IT Operations & Application Development Market Group
- **2019** — Led Splunk's acquisition strategy including SignalFX, presented at Splunk .conf19
- **2021** — Departed Splunk after 6+ years as SVP/GM
- **2023-04** — Appointed CEO and Chairman of the Board at Contrast Security (joined April 10, announced April 18)
- **2023-04** — Attended RSA Conference 2023 representing Contrast Security in his first weeks as CEO

## Achievements

- Led Splunk's IT Operations and Application Development Market Group through multiple acquisitions including SignalFX
- Appointed CEO and Chairman of the Board at Contrast Security in April 2023
- Oversaw Contrast Security's continued growth trajectory - 25x ARR growth, 1000x cash reserves, 10x workforce expansion since company founding
- Named in CRN's Web 150 list as Contrast Security CEO (2024)
- Led Contrast Security through its post-Series-E ($150M, Nov 2021) growth phase

## Latest updates

- **2025-01** — Interview with Information Security Media Group on managing application security vulnerabilities, AI's role in AppSec, and the case for runtime monitoring over static scanning.
- **2024-11** — Named to CRN's Web 150 list recognizing top web security executives.
- **2023-04** — Appointed CEO and Chairman of the Board at Contrast Security, joining from Splunk where he was SVP/GM.

## Links

- Website: https://contrastsecurity.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/rick-fitz
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/contrastsec
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/contrastsec/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/rick-fitz
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-15