Tanium appoints Carol MacKinlay as Chief People Officer

Tanium has appointed Carol MacKinlay as chief people officer, adding a senior human resources executive to its leadership team.

MacKinlay will oversee the company's global people strategy and operations, including talent development, retention and employee experience, as Tanium expands internationally and continues to invest in its workforce and culture.

She joins from Pebl, where she served as chief human resources officer. Her work there included organisational change, operational scaling and a rebrand from Velocity Global.

MacKinlay has more than 30 years of experience in people leadership roles across technology companies at different stages of growth, from start-ups to listed businesses. Her previous roles include senior HR positions at Binance.US, Plantronics, Xero, Coverity, Matterport and UserTesting.

The appointment comes as Tanium looks to strengthen its leadership bench. The endpoint management and security software company has placed renewed emphasis on staffing, retention and workplace culture as part of its broader global growth plans.

Chief Executive Dan Streetman said MacKinlay was well suited to that effort.

"Carol brings deep expertise, proven leadership and a strong track record of building high-performing teams," said Dan Streetman, chief executive officer of Tanium.

He added: "She joins Tanium at a moment of strong momentum, marked by multiple Best Places to Work recognitions and continued market leadership. Carol's impact will be instrumental as we continue to expand our global presence, deliver for our customers and maintain Tanium as a great place to work for our team members."

People focus

The Chief People Officer role has become more prominent in technology companies as employers navigate hiring competition, restructuring and the demands of managing staff across multiple markets. Tanium's decision to appoint a veteran HR executive suggests it wants the function represented at the highest level as it grows.

MacKinlay's background spans both high-growth businesses and larger, more established groups. That mix is often valued by companies trying to balance expansion with operational discipline, particularly in recruitment, internal systems and staff development.

At Pebl, she worked on systems and processes intended to prepare the business for further growth. Tanium also highlighted her experience guiding companies through transformation and periods of rapid change.

Culture recognition

Tanium has recently highlighted a series of workplace awards across several countries, including the UK, France, Japan and Canada. It has also been recognised by Inspiring Workplaces and Most Loved Workplaces, which it cited as evidence of its standing with employees.

Those accolades form part of the backdrop to MacKinlay's arrival. In the announcement, Tanium linked the hire to its efforts to preserve that reputation while adding staff and broadening its reach.

For Tanium, which sells software used by IT and security teams to manage devices and endpoints, internal growth has run alongside external recognition in industry analyst reports. It has been named a Leader in Gartner's Magic Quadrant for Endpoint Management Tools and in an IDC MarketScape assessment for Windows device management.

MacKinlay said the company's culture was a factor in her decision to join.

"Tanium has built a strong reputation not only for its technology, but for its commitment to people," said Carol MacKinlay, Chief People Officer of Tanium.

She added: "I'm excited to join the team and partner with leadership to continue building an inclusive, engaging and high-performance culture - one that enables individuals to do their best work and support Tanium's long-term success."