Dive Brief:

• Technology company GitLab, whose platform is used for software development projects, announced Tuesday that it has appointed former Salesforce executive Jessica Ross to become its new finance chief, effective Jan. 15.
• Ross will replace James Shen, who has been occupying GitLab’s CFO seat on an interim basis since September. Shen will return to his role as vice president of finance, the San Francisco, California-based company said.
• Ross “brings extensive public company experience and a proven track record leading finance, strategy, and operational excellence at some of the world's most respected technology companies,” GitLab CEO Bill Staples said in a press release.

Dive Insight:

GitLab made the announcement as part of its earnings results for its fiscal 2026 third quarter ended Oct. 31. The company posted $244.4 million in total revenues for the quarter, up 25% year-over-year.

The CFO appointment marks the latest in a string of recent senior management changes at GitLab under Staples, who became its CEO about a year ago.

The company announced in early September that it named Manu Narayan as its chief information officer and Manav Khurana as its chief product and marketing officer. Later that month, Shen was tapped to become interim finance chief after Brian Robins stepped down from his roles as CFO and chief accounting officer. Robins departed to take the top financial seat at software company Snowflake. 

Ross, 49, will receive an initial annual base salary of $505,000 and a signing cash bonus of $150,000 in her new role, according to a securities filing.

“I am honored to be joining GitLab at such an exciting moment,” she said in the Tuesday release. “Organizations around the world are looking for trusted partners to help them navigate the complexity of AI, security, and modern software delivery, and GitLab is well-positioned to meet this growing need.”

Ross brings more than 25 years of experience in finance, accounting and operational leadership across public and private companies, according to the release. Most recently, she served as CFO of home repair services company Frontdoor. Before that, she spent three years at Salesforce, serving in senior executive roles.

Earlier in her career, Ross held finance leadership positions at personalized fashion services firm Stitch Fix, healthcare and insurance provider Kaiser Permanente and children’s clothing retailer Gymboree, following 12 years in public accounting at Arthur Andersen and Deloitte.