Executive Spotlight: Mark Settle, Former Chief Information Officer of Okta
Mark Settle is a former Chief Information Officer of Okta, where he was the company's first CIO, and is described as a seven-time CIO. He left Okta in July 2019 and was succeeded by Alvina Antar.
Before Okta he held CIO roles at Occidental, Visa and Arrow Electronics, and worked on the vendor side at BMC Software and IHS. Mayfield, a venture firm, says he sits on the advisory boards of several Silicon Valley venture capital firms, advises startups, and has written books on IT management.
This page uses public professional information only.
Current role and company
Settle no longer holds a role at Okta. Metis Strategy reports he left the company in July 2019, and Okta named Alvina Antar as his successor. A February 2025 podcast episode still introduces him as the former CIO of Okta and BMC. The most recent source we found, Mayfield, describes his present activity as advisory work and writing, without naming a current employer.
- StatusFormer Chief Information Officer, Okta (left July 2019).
- TodayAdvisory boards of several Silicon Valley venture capital firms; advises startups (Mayfield).
- AuthorTruth from the Trenches and Truth from the Valley.
- RecognitionThree-time CIO 100 honoree (Mayfield).
Career path
Sources give few dates, so years appear only where a source states them.
- Air Force and NASA. Mayfield says he served about four years in the Air Force as a second lieutenant at a research lab outside Boston, then worked as a program scientist at NASA headquarters on Earth observation missions including Landsat.
- Arco Oil and Gas. He worked there as a researcher before moving into IT leadership.
- Occidental (Oxy). Mayfield describes this as his first CIO role and the first CIO position at the company.
- Visa and Arrow Electronics. He served as CIO at both, per Mayfield. Corporate Express also appears in his Metis Strategy career list.
- BMC Software and IHS. Vendor-side roles. Mayfield says he spent several years at BMC; IHS is listed in several sources.
- Okta, 2016 to 2019. CIO Dive reported on August 9, 2016 that Okta had hired him as its first-ever CIO; Okta, launched in 2009, had operated without one. Mayfield says he joined before the IPO and stayed about a year after it. Metis Strategy dates his departure to July 2019.
Education: bachelor's and master's degrees from MIT and a PhD in Geological Sciences from Brown University, per Metis Strategy and Mayfield.
What he is known for
- Okta's first CIO. Okta co-founder Frederic Kerrest said at the time the hire would move Okta's IT "beyond a utility, ultimately providing tangible business value to our organization," per CIO Dive.
- Service management and cloud. Mayfield says he pioneered adoption of service management and cloud computing at several large enterprises.
- Books. Author of Truth from the Trenches: A Practical Guide to the Art of IT Management, and co-author of Truth from the Valley, according to the Atomic Conversations podcast listing.
- Mentoring CIOs. Mayfield reports seven members of his former management teams now serve as CIOs at publicly traded companies.
Leadership style and philosophy
In the Mayfield profile Settle recalls his first CIO job: "I thought I was the Chief Quality Control Officer" and "I probably drove the people that worked for me crazy." His advice on understanding the business is to "Actually watch how things work." A 2017 Metis Strategy interview covered the difference between leadership and management, using financial management to drive IT innovation, and innovation labs for broader organizational feedback; we did not find a transcript, so we do not quote it.
Key numbers
These figures are self-reported career details or come from contemporaneous press coverage, and are not independently audited.
- CIO rolesSeven-time CIO (CIO Dive, 2016; Mayfield).
- Okta CIO startAnnounced August 8, 2016 (CIO Dive).
- Okta departureJuly 2019 (Metis Strategy).
- Okta founding2009 (CIO Dive).
- Gartner recognitionOkta named a Magic Quadrant leader for IDaaS three years in a row, as of 2016 (CIO Dive).
- CIO 100Three-time honoree (Mayfield).
What to watch next
Worth tracking: new editions or follow-ups to his books, further podcast and conference appearances, and any board or advisory role he announces.
Questions people ask
Who is Mark Settle?
A seven-time chief information officer and the first CIO of Okta, now an author and advisor to startups and venture firms, per Mayfield.
Is Mark Settle still CIO of Okta?
No. Metis Strategy reports he left in July 2019, and Alvina Antar succeeded him.
When did Mark Settle join Okta?
CIO Dive reported his hire as Okta's first-ever CIO on August 9, 2016, after an announcement on August 8.
Where did Mark Settle work before Okta?
Occidental (Oxy), Visa and Arrow Electronics as CIO, plus BMC Software and IHS, per CIO Dive and Mayfield.
What books has Mark Settle written?
Truth from the Trenches: A Practical Guide to the Art of IT Management and Truth from the Valley.
What is his education?
Bachelor's and master's degrees from MIT and a PhD in Geological Sciences from Brown University, per Metis Strategy.
Sources
- Mayfield: Mark Settle, Former CIO, Okta and Many Others · Career, advisory roles, books, quotes, photo
- CIO Dive: Okta hires its first-ever CIO · 2016 hire, Okta background
- Metis Strategy: Mark Settle interview · Education, career list, interview topics
- Metis Strategy: Alvina Antar named CIO of Okta · July 2019 departure, successor
- Atomic Conversations (Apple Podcasts) · February 2025 episode, books
Facts were read from the linked pages on October 31, 2026. Some pages were read through a fetch tool that returns summaries, so confirm details on the original page. The hero photo is the headshot on his Mayfield profile, centered on a card. This page covers public professional information only.
Top photo: Mayfield (mayfield.com)