New Relic names Michael Frendo CTO to drive AI observability

New Relic has appointed Michael Frendo as Chief Technology Officer, adding a senior engineering leader with experience across software, hardware and cloud services as it develops its observability platform and related AI features.

Frendo is responsible for connecting product direction with technical execution across New Relic's engineering organisation. He reports to Chief Executive Officer Ashan Willy and works alongside Chief Product Officer Brian Emerson.

The appointment comes as New Relic moves into the next stage of development for its Intelligent Observability Platform, built around collecting and analysing telemetry data from applications and infrastructure. The company has also highlighted AI-based functions in recent product messaging.

Leadership hire

Frendo brings more than 25 years of experience leading global technology teams. His background spans SaaS, cloud services and embedded systems, as well as software and hardware development.

He has held senior roles at Cisco, Polycom and Juniper. New Relic pointed to work he led earlier in his career, including the development of what it described as the world's first DOCSIS cable modem. It also credited him with pioneering Cisco's initial VoIP products and developing a mobile firewall product at Juniper that it said reached a 42% market share.

Most recently, Frendo served as CTO, Engineering at security and compliance company Proofpoint, which he joined in 2023. New Relic linked his time there to product architecture and development work supporting Proofpoint's AI strategy.

As CTO, Frendo will play a central role in engineering decisions that shape how the platform is built and deployed. His remit includes aligning product plans with delivery and overseeing technical priorities affecting reliability, security and performance.

Willy framed the appointment as a response to market shifts and the growing use of AI in software operations.

"Michael is a seasoned technology visionary who has spent his career at the forefront of every major technological shift, from the early days of VoIP to the AI era of today," said Ashan Willy, Chief Executive Officer, New Relic. "As we pioneer the next phase of intelligent observability, his track record as a disruptor makes him the ideal leader to bridge our product vision with world-class technical execution. I am thrilled to have Michael working alongside our team to help our customers scale their AI initiatives with confidence."

Platform roadmap

Frendo will work "in lockstep" with Emerson on the product roadmap. New Relic pointed to its global rollout of new platform features, which it said it recently announced at its New Relic Advance event.

Observability products typically aggregate data from applications, networks and infrastructure, then present it for analysis by engineering and operations teams. The segment has expanded as organisations build and run services across multiple cloud providers and container platforms, creating more sources of operational data and more points of failure.

New Relic describes its approach as "intelligent observability". It has also positioned its platform as "AI-strengthened", linking those functions to faster issue detection and improved incident prediction.

Frendo said New Relic's AI-era product direction influenced his decision to join.

"New Relic is the architect of modern observability, but what drew me here is the company's bold vision for the AI era," said Michael Frendo. "I am thrilled to be part of Ashan and Brian's world-class engineering leadership team, together delivering the AI-strengthened platform capabilities that will help our customers move from reactive firefighting to true innovation at scale."

Customer base

New Relic said it serves more than 85,000 customers globally, including Adidas Runtastic, Domino's, Ryanair, Swiggy, Topgolf and William Hill.

The appointment comes as many enterprise software suppliers reshape leadership teams around AI product development and delivery. CTO roles have gained prominence as vendors integrate AI models into monitoring, incident response and developer tooling, while managing the cost and data governance challenges that come with wider telemetry collection.

New Relic said Frendo will focus on executing platform innovation and rolling out new features across its global footprint, working with product leadership under Willy's direction.