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ServiceNow, Inc.

Enterprise Cloud SoftwareFounded 2003
Reviewed by Swet Parvadiya
Company data updated: October 2026

Leadership History

ServiceNow: CEO History

5 leaders · 2003 to present

Who is the CEO of ServiceNow?

Bill McDermott is the CEO of ServiceNow, in the role since 2019. The first chief executive was Fred Luddy, from 2003.

Current CEO
Bill McDermott (since 2019)
First CEO
Fred Luddy (2003)
Leaders documented
5
Founded
2003
NameRoleFromToYears in role
Gina MastantuonoPresident and Chief Financial Officer2020Present6
Bill McDermottChairman and Chief Executive Officer2019Present7
John DonahoeChief Executive Officer201720192
Frank SlootmanChief Executive Officer201120176
Fred LuddyFounder and Chief Executive Officer200320118
Who was CEO of ServiceNow before Bill McDermott?
John Donahoe was CEO of ServiceNow from 2017 to 2019, before Bill McDermott took over in 2019.

Company Overview

ServiceNow is an enterprise workflow software company based in Santa Clara, California. It began as a cloud replacement for on-premise IT help-desk tools and now sells a single platform for IT service and operations management, security, HR, customer service and custom apps. It had about 8,700 customers at the end of 2025, says 85% of the Fortune 500 use its platform, and employed 29,187 people. Bill McDermott has been CEO since November 2019 and chairman since 2022.

ServiceNow makes money by selling multi-year subscriptions to the Now Platform, its single cloud platform with a shared data model and CMDB. Subscription revenue was $12.883 billion of $13.278 billion in 2025 revenue, about 97%; the remainder is professional services and training. Customers usually start with IT service management, then add IT operations and asset management, security and risk, HR service delivery, customer service, field service and App Engine low-code development. Pricing mixes per-user fulfiller licenses, capacity units and Pro Plus or AI tiers that bundle Now Assist and agentic AI. Global systems integrators such as Accenture and Deloitte handle much of the implementation work.

Gina Mastantuono

President and Chief Financial Officer

2020 – Present

6 years (current)

Legacy

Leads finance, guidance and capital allocation, including the share repurchase program.

Bill McDermott

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

2019 – Present

7 years (current)

Key Decisions & Impact

Joined from SAP in November 2019 and became chairman in 2022. Positioned ServiceNow as an enterprise-wide workflow and AI platform, launched Now Assist Pro Plus tiers, and led the Moveworks, Veza and Armis acquisitions.

Legacy

Revenue grew from $3.46 billion in 2019 to $13.278 billion in 2025 under his leadership.

John Donahoe

Chief Executive Officer

2017 – 2019

2 years

Legacy

Chief executive of ServiceNow from 2017 to 2019 before leaving to become CEO of Nike.

Frank Slootman

Chief Executive Officer

2011 – 2017

6 years

Legacy

Took ServiceNow public on the NYSE in 2012.

Fred Luddy

Founder and Chief Executive Officer

2003 – 2011

8 years

Legacy

Designed the original platform and led the company until 2011.

Challenges & Strategic Context

ServiceNow must keep expanding beyond IT without losing implementation discipline. The biggest risks are longer enterprise sales cycles, macro pressure on software budgets, platform competition from Microsoft and Salesforce, AI feature parity, consumption-based pricing complexity, and the need to integrate acquisitions without slowing organic growth.

ServiceNow CEO and Leadership FAQ

Who is the current CEO of ServiceNow?

Bill McDermott has served as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of ServiceNow since November 2019.

What was Bill McDermott's career background before joining ServiceNow?

Bill McDermott is one of the most celebrated executives in tech history. Beginning as a top Xerox salesperson, he served as CEO of global enterprise software giant SAP for nearly a decade (2010-2019), where he tripled SAP's market valuation and led its pivot to the cloud.

Who was Fred Luddy and what was his role as founding CEO?

Fred Luddy founded ServiceNow in 2003 and served as CEO until 2011, subsequently serving as Chairman of the Board. A humble, brilliant programmer, Luddy designed the initial architecture to empower regular people to automate business work.

What was Frank Slootman's impact as CEO from 2011 to 2017?

Frank Slootman was brought in to build an aggressive, disciplined commercial enterprise machine. He orchestrated the 2012 NYSE IPO, expanded into Global 2000 enterprises, and scaled revenue from ~$100M to over $1.5 billion before later leading Snowflake to its record IPO.

What did John Donahoe accomplish during his tenure as CEO from 2017 to 2019?

John Donahoe, former CEO of eBay, led ServiceNow through rapid international expansion and culture development, growing revenue past $3 billion and solidifying relationships with global CEOs before leaving to become CEO of Nike.

What is Bill McDermott's leadership philosophy and public persona?

Bill McDermott is famous for his charismatic, high-energy, and inspirational leadership style, chronicled in his bestselling memoir "Winners Dream". He emphasizes customer obsession, empathetic ambition, and bold audacious revenue goals.

How did Bill McDermott accelerate ServiceNow's growth during the COVID-19 pandemic?

In early 2020, McDermott rapidly launched emergency response and return-to-workplace workflow apps on the Now Platform, helping corporations and government agencies coordinate employee safety, vaccine tracking, and hybrid work logistics.

Who are key senior executives working alongside Bill McDermott?

The leadership team includes Gina Mastantuono (Chief Financial Officer), Chris Bedi (Chief Digital and Information Officer), Nick Tzitzon (Chief Strategy and Corporate Affairs Officer), and Amy Lokey (Chief Experience Officer).

How has Bill McDermott reshaped ServiceNow's partner ecosystem?

McDermott vastly expanded strategic alliances with global tech leaders, forging deep product and go-to-market alliances with Microsoft, Nvidia, Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, and major consulting giants.

What is Fred Luddy's relationship with the company today?

Fred Luddy remains a revered cultural icon and major shareholder at ServiceNow. Though retired from active day-to-day operations, he regularly advises engineering leadership and participates in company celebrations.

What recognition has Bill McDermott received as CEO of ServiceNow?

Bill McDermott has been repeatedly ranked among the world's top CEOs by Barron's, Forbes, and Glassdoor, celebrated for maintaining a world-class employee culture alongside exceptional shareholder returns.

What is Bill McDermott's long-term vision for ServiceNow?

McDermott envisions ServiceNow as the defining enterprise software company of the 21st century, establishing the Now Platform as the universal digital fabric that orchestrates all human and autonomous AI work across global industry.

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Content is for informational purposes only. Not financial advice. Data sourced from SEC filings, annual reports, and public records. See our full disclaimer and methodology.