Wiz appoints Fazal Merchant as CFO for strategic growth

Cloud security pioneer Wiz announced the appointment of Fazal Merchant as its President & Chief Financial Officer.

Merchant will lead Wiz's financial strategy and partner to drive operational excellence in support of the company's unprecedented growth while also ensuring IPO readiness.

Endpoint management company

Merchant joins Wiz as a highly accomplished executive, advisor, and board member with nearly 30 years of diverse global leadership experience scaling public and private companies.

He most recently served as Co-CEO of Tanium, an endpoint management company that he helped grow three-fold to almost $10 billion in under four years. Before that, he was CFO of DreamWorks Animation SKG and managed the company's sale to Comcast. 

Work experience

He spent several years in senior leadership roles domestically and internationally in Investment Banking

Merchant also held leadership roles at DirecTV, including Head of Corporate Development and CFO of DirecTV Latin America, guiding the company's sale to AT&T.

Earlier in his career, he spent several years in senior leadership roles domestically and internationally in Investment Banking and Ford Motor Company. Merchant currently serves on the boards of Ariel Investments, Ryman Hospitality Properties, and Warner Bros. Discovery.

Product innovation

This strategic hire caps off a landmark 12-month period for Wiz. From a $1 billion mega-round, this past May to three acquisitions (Dazz, Gem Security, and Raftt), breakthroughs in security research, key executive hires, and widespread industry recognition with Wiz being named the #1 security product by independent customer reviews on G2.

Additionally, Wiz has continued to focus on product innovation, releasing new capabilities to empower customers to secure every stage of the application lifecycle and better protect their cloud and AI environments.

Hands-on experience

"I've spent over a year getting to know Fazal and hiring someone of his caliber in such a dynamic industry and at this stage in our evolution is a game-changer," said Assaf Rappaport, Co-Founder and CEO of Wiz.

"Fazal brings a wealth of knowledge and hands-on experience building and scaling some of the world's most iconic companies. He's perfectly equipped to navigate the challenges and opportunities that come with pioneering a fast-growing company at our scale. We're thrilled to welcome him to Wiz as we embark on this exciting journey together."

Operational excellence

"Wiz represents a generational opportunity. Few companies in recent times have had such a profound impact on an industry in such a short period by addressing the critical needs of so many global enterprises. Wiz's record-breaking momentum has been nothing short of spectacular, and a testament to a great team of innovators," said Fazal Merchant, Wiz's President & CFO.

"I'm thrilled to join the team and help align financial strategy and operational excellence with vision as Wiz continues to pioneer the future of cybersecurity, achieving new milestones and redefining the industry."