Elastic Hired Kristin Starkel for Federal Marketing

The company appointed the former Tanium executive to help expand its government business footprint.

Updated on Oct. 14, 2026 in People

Isometric editorial illustration of a tall neoclassical stone column, representing the institutional nature of federal government and corporate strategy. — Elastic has appointed former Tanium executive Kristin Starkel as senior director of global public sector marketing to expand its federal government footprint. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Elastic has hired Kristin Starkel as senior director of global public sector marketing. Starkel will focus on building marketing strategies to better connect the company's security-as-a-service platform with the needs of government clients.

Why it matters

The company is actively scaling its federal business division as it secures more government contracts. This move aims to align its global vision with specific federal requirements.

The firm recently secured a CISA contract with a $26 million base value that could expand through options to $130 million. It also holds a volume-based discount agreement with the General Services Administration.

The players

Kristin Starkel

She is the new senior director of global public sector marketing at Elastic.

Elastic

The company designs, hosts, and operates a security-as-a-service platform for government agencies.

CISA

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is a federal agency that awarded a security contract to Elastic.

The details

Starkel joins Elastic after nearly five years at Tanium and brings prior experience from roles at CrowdStrike, Micro Focus, and Hewlett Packard Enterprise. She will support the company as it maintains its security-as-a-service platform for federal civilian agencies.

December: Elastic secured a CISA contract for security platforms.
March: The firm achieved FedRAMP High authorization and formed a partnership with V2X.
August: Axonius released an integration with Elastic Security.
October 6, 2026: Kristin Starkel announced her new position.

Market Landscape

This appointment follows a broader pattern established by the company's achievement of FedRAMP High authorization in March. By securing these high-level certifications, the firm is strengthening its competitive standing against other enterprise software providers in the federal sector.

Federal agencies and public sector clients can expect more tailored security solutions as the company scales its government-focused marketing efforts. This expansion may lead to broader accessibility of the company's security-as-a-service platforms across different civilian agencies.

The takeaway

The addition of an experienced executive suggests that Elastic is committed to deepening its footprint in the public sector. Government technology procurement continues to favor companies that can navigate rigorous security compliance frameworks like FedRAMP.