We have exciting news.
A Letter from Aaron Klein
Dear Customers,
I want you to be the first to hear the news: today, I’m thrilled to announce that growth, risk and compliance software veteran Dan Zitting will succeed me as CEO of our company.
It wasn’t easy to make this decision, but I wanted to share a few thoughts on this momentous day.
As you know, I helped to co-found Riskalyze back in 2011, and have now run this company for 50 quarters. It took us about 8 quarters to bring our product to market. So since then, I’ve had the great fortune to work with an amazing team to deliver 42 consecutive quarters of growth for our shareholders, employees, and customers.
But that also means that, for each of the last 42 quarters, I’ve been running the largest company I’ve ever run in my career.
After a lot of reflection, I came to the decision that it was time for a scaler — somebody who had seen the movie before, and grew a company to billion-dollar scale and beyond. As we finished the work of renewing our leadership team, repositioning our product offering, and rebranding the company, I got very excited about the potential of bringing that skill set aboard to help us accelerate our ability to serve you over the next decade.
Dan will be an incredible CEO for Nitrogen. Like myself, he has been a product-focused founder, and built his company WorkPapers.com before being acquired by Galvanize. He then worked with their CEO Laurie Schultz (our Board Chair!) to build Galvanize into a billion-dollar company and succeed her as CEO. Throughout that incredible journey, he was a massive champion of the voice of the customer and that is something else we have in common.
He’s also just a great people person. Whenever you see someone who has left a trail of great friendships in their wake, you know that’s a great human being, and someone who will be a steadfast guardian of the unique company and culture of innovation and service that we’ve built together.
As for me, I’m not going far. I’ll continue to carry the title of Co-Founder at Nitrogen. I’ll continue to serve on our Board of Directors. I’ll continue being the largest individual shareholder in this company. And I’m still going to be wearing the purple jersey — I’ll speak at Fearless 2024 in Nashville, work with customers where helpful, and help to shape our vision and strategy.
I don’t have any immediate plans to take on a different job or start a new company. When one has been running a marathon for twelve and a half years, the last question when you reach the finish line is “where is the next marathon?” That time will come, but for now, with three kids in high school and a wife entering a master’s program, I’m going to take some time and pour into them. They certainly deserve it after pouring into me for so long.
So that’s the news. Dan starts as our new CEO on December 4. Until then, I’m still in the job, and after that, I’m around and available to help wherever I’m needed. I’m keeping my Nitrogen email address, so I’ll be easy to find — [email protected].
Serving as CEO of this company has been the great honor of my career. I’ve developed so many friendships with the tens of thousands of advisors we are so privileged to serve, and I look forward to continuing those over our next decade together.
Warmly,
Read our detailed press release for in-depth information about Nitrogen’s strategic CEO transition and our vision for the future.
Access our comprehensive media kit for high-resolution photos, executive headshots, the full press release, and additional resources to support your coverage of Nitrogen’s CEO transition.
Dan Zitting has been appointed as the new CEO of Nitrogen. Dan is a seasoned SaaS veteran with a strong background in growth, risk, and compliance software with a history of leadership roles in various SaaS businesses, including his role as CEO of Galvanize and President & COO of MikMak.
Aaron Klein, the co-founder and former CEO, will remain deeply involved with Nitrogen as its largest individual shareholder. He will also continue to serve on the Nitrogen Board of Directors and act as a strategic advisor to the leadership team. Furthermore, you can expect to hear from him at the Fearless Investing Summit in Nashville next fall.
Dan Zitting was selected based on his extensive experience with SaaS companies during expansive growth stages and his expertise in transforming specialized solutions into comprehensive, category-defining platforms. His past roles and success in integrating technology and teams from acquired companies make him exceptionally well-suited to accelerate Nitrogen’s platform expansion and drive growth for the firm.
The leadership transition has been planned for many months and is designed to be seamless, with no immediate changes to the services or support offered by Nitrogen. Clients can expect the same level of exceptional service and continuous improvement in our product offerings as we integrate Dan Zitting’s vision and experience into our growth strategy.
The strategic vision of Nitrogen remains steadfast—to provide the most effective growth solutions for wealth management firms. Dan Zitting’s appointment reinforces this vision, with an added impetus on accelerating the platform’s capabilities and pursuing opportunities that align with the company’s core mission of fearless investing.
Clients can expect a continued commitment to innovation and excellence. The focus will be on expanding the platform’s features and integrating new ways for advisors to differentiate their services. With the wealth transfer landscape evolving rapidly, Nitrogen aims to stay at the forefront, enabling advisors to effectively engage with the next generation of clients.