Gearset appoints Mark Johnston as Chief Marketing Officer

Gearset has appointed Mark Johnston as Chief Marketing Officer as the Cambridge software company pushes into the enterprise AI market.

Johnston joins from data and AI software group Matillion, where he worked on the launch of the company's agentic AI product, Maia. He has also held roles at Domo and Microsoft.

The appointment comes as Gearset expands beyond deployment tools for Salesforce teams. It now offers testing, release management, backup and monitoring across the Salesforce DevOps process, and has recently launched Cam, an AI agent for Salesforce teams.

Based at Cambridge Science Park, Gearset recorded 37% revenue growth in 2025 and has moved into a larger headquarters on the park. It also serves more than 3,500 organisations worldwide.

The hire adds senior marketing leadership as software suppliers try to position AI tools within existing enterprise workflows rather than as stand-alone products. For Gearset, that means targeting companies that want to manage software changes with testing, review and security controls in place.

Salesforce teams face rising pressure as the systems they manage become more complex and more central to business operations. They are being asked to deliver changes more quickly, connect more systems and respond to urgent requests, while also adapting to new AI-related demands in software development and testing.

Gearset's leadership said Johnston's background in bringing data and AI products to market made him a good fit for that shift. The company is seeking broader adoption of its platform among larger organisations as it looks to win more enterprise customers.

"Salesforce teams need AI that helps them deliver more work while maintaining high standards of quality and security," said Kevin Boyle, Chief Executive Officer of Gearset.

"We're investing to deepen what our platform can do for those teams, building on the processes they already trust. That means investing in the people who can support our next phase of growth as well as the technology. Mark brings experience of scaling data and AI businesses and taking new products to market. His appointment strengthens the leadership behind our AI ambitions," Boyle said.

Johnston's career has spanned product marketing, revenue leadership and partner strategy. At Microsoft, he held a partner strategy role linked to the company's move to cloud services. At Domo and Matillion, he worked in data-focused software businesses during periods of market change.

Enterprise push

Johnston will help connect product direction with customer demand as Gearset develops its enterprise offering. That effort follows the introduction of Cam, which the company describes as a virtual teammate that can plan and build Salesforce changes.

The business has spent more than a decade in the Salesforce software market and is an official Salesforce partner. Its products are designed to help teams manage changes across development and operations without weakening governance controls.

Gearset's recent expansion on Cambridge Science Park has made it one of the larger local technology employers. The company was also recently named Business of the Year in the large company category and Employer of the Year at the Cambridge Independent Business Awards.

Johnston said the company's installed customer base and established product position were central to its appeal.

"What attracted me to Gearset is the combination of an established enterprise business and a clear opportunity to build on what its customers already trust," said Mark Johnston, Chief Marketing Officer of Gearset.

"As AI changes how software is built, helping individual developers work faster is only part of the challenge. Whole teams need to be able to deliver more, with the testing, review and security controls their businesses depend on. Gearset is building on a platform designed around those needs. My focus is on helping more organisations understand and adopt what we're building, with a clear connection between our AI capabilities and the work their teams need to get done," Johnston said.