Dan Faulkner appointed CEO of SmartBear amid AI shift

SmartBear has announced the appointment of Dan Faulkner as its new Chief Executive Officer, as the company aims to refine its product strategy amidst the evolving software landscape influenced by artificial intelligence.

Dan Faulkner, previously the Chief Product Officer at SmartBear, will step into the role vacated by Frank Roe. Roe, who has presided over significant growth at SmartBear over the last five years, will now assume the position of strategic advisor. Faulkner's extensive experience in product leadership, operational management, and global strategy is expected to guide the company into its next phase.

"I want to thank Frank for his leadership over the past five years, and I'm honoured to step into the role of CEO at such an exciting time for SmartBear," said Dan Faulkner, CEO of SmartBear. "We're helping our customers solve their toughest challenges faster and more efficiently while delivering their best work to their customers. I'm deeply committed to continuing this mission by fostering collaboration with our employees, customers, and partners. That collaboration, along with our commitment to investing in innovation, will be the foundation of our continued growth."

Since joining SmartBear as Chief Product Officer three years ago, Faulkner has played a pivotal role in the company's progression. His prior role as Chief Technology Officer at Plannuh, Inc., and nearly 14 years at Nuance Communications, where he concluded as Senior Vice President & General Manager, has prepared him for this leadership role at SmartBear. His tenure at Nuance involved leading several acquisitions that expanded the company to 14,000 employees across 30 countries, drawing in USD $2 billion in annual revenue.

Frank Roe reflected on his tenure, stating, "SmartBear has been on an incredible journey, and I couldn't be prouder of our sustained growth and success since becoming CEO five years ago. The company, its employees, partners, and customers are in great hands with Dan Faulkner at the helm. His vision, expertise, and dedication to innovation are exactly what SmartBear needs to navigate this next phase of growth."

The leadership transition coincides with SmartBear's plans to roll out its transformative Hub strategy. This strategy aims to integrate the company's various popular developer tools into modular platforms to streamline workflows and enhance efficiency. Each hub is designed with the integration of SmartBear HaloAI, which promises to accelerate developers' tasks through enhanced tools for application testing, API lifecycle management, and observability.