New Relic has appointed Michael Frendo as Chief Technology Officer, strengthening its leadership team as the company advances its Intelligent Observability Platform. In this role, Frendo will connect product strategy with technical development to deliver enhanced capabilities for more than 85,000 customers worldwide. He will report to Chief Executive Officer Ashan Willy and collaborate closely with Chief Product Officer Brian Emerson to accelerate platform innovation and support customers in expanding their AI initiatives.
The company said the appointment comes as it continues deploying new features introduced during the New Relic Advance event, aimed at improving operational reliability and helping organizations manage increasingly complex digital environments. Frendo brings more than 25 years of leadership experience across software and hardware development, including expertise in SaaS, cloud technologies, and embedded systems.
Before joining New Relic, he served as CTO of engineering at Proofpoint, where he contributed to the company’s product architecture and AI-focused initiatives. Earlier in his career, he held leadership positions at Cisco, Polycom, and Juniper Networks. Commenting on the appointment, CEO Ashan Willy said, “Michael is a seasoned technology visionary who has spent his career at the forefront of every major technological shift.” Frendo added, “New Relic is the architect of modern observability, but what drew me here is the company’s bold vision for the AI era.”