Marc Benioff Shakes up Salesforce's Top Ranks. Read the Full Memo.
Some Salesforce old guard are returning to the company.
Benioff battled activist investors recently, and responded with layoffs and other efficiency moves.
Some investors have wanted a firmer succession plan. Benioff's memo may address that concern.
Marc Benioff is shaking up the top ranks of Salesforce, and bringing back several executives who left to work at rivals including Amazon and Oracle, according to an internal memo obtained by Insider.
The changes bring Salesforce's old guard back into the fold, adding experienced leaders who are likely to be comfortable with the company's culture. The memo also hints at a firmer succession plan.
Miguel Milano becomes Salesforce's Chief Revenue Officer, moving from the same role at software company Celonis. Milano spent almost a decade at Salesforce earlier in his career.
Ariel Kelman, is the new Chief Marketing Officer of Salesforce. He was previously CMO at Amazon Web Services and Oracle.
Kendall Collins joins as Benioff's Chief of Staff, after working as CMO at Okta and Cisco's AppDynamics.
Perhaps more tellingly for the future of Salesforce's leadership, the current President and COO Brian Millham is taking on a host of new responsibilities, including Marketing, Employee Success, and Business Technology, according Benioff's internal update.
Salesforce battled activist investors, including Elliott Management, for months. Benioff responded to the pressure by laying off thousands of employees and making other changes to increase the company's efficiency.
Those activists have backed off considerably, after a couple of strong quarterly earnings reports that brought the company closer to its 30% profit margin target. However, a big remaining question was whether Benioff had a serious succession plan in place, should he ever decide to step down as CEO in the future. Tuesday's memo suggests that Millham is now a frontrunner as a potential Benioff successor.
In an interview with Insider, Benioff laid out Millham's broader responsibilities.
"He's had this phenomenal run at Salesforce, and this is an incredible new opportunity for him where he's taking on not just some of the traditional functions in Sales and service," Benioff said.
Millham already manages a significant chunk of the company, and now he's taking on a lot more, including Marketing, Human Resources and Business Technology, which is Salesforce's CIO and business-transformation function, Benioff explained.
"It's really a broad extension of his capabilities," Benioff added.
About 70% of Salesforce employees now report to Millham.
Read Benioff's full memo here:
As we move forward together, I'm thrilled to share some exciting updates to our leadership team:
Brian Millham, our President and Chief Operating Officer:
Today, Brian oversees Global Sales, Customer Success, Professional Services, and Alliances & Channels. I'm excited to share that Brian's responsibilities will now include Marketing, Employee Success, and Business Technology. Brent and Juan will also now report to Brian, and also Miguel and Ariel (see below). Congratulations Brian!
Miguel Milano, our new Chief Revenue Officer: I'm excited to welcome back Miguel Milano to Salesforce as our Chief Revenue Officer. Miguel will be responsible for accelerating customer success globally. Previously, Miguel led our international sales organizations for nearly a decade as President, EMEA, APAC, and LATAM. Most recently he served as Chief Revenue Officer at Celonis. Welcome Home Miguel!
Ariel Kelman, our new Chief Marketing Officer:
It's also incredible to welcome back Ariel Kelman as our new CMO!!! Ariel was at Salesforce from 2005-2011 when he held a number of roles, including VP of Product Marketing for Platform. Since then, he was CMO at AWS and Oracle. Welcome Home Ariel!
Sarah Franklin, our new Chair of our Advisory Board! Sarah has had an incredible 15+ year career here at Salesforce. Most recently, she's been our CMO, leading our world-class Marketing team and driving awareness of Salesforce around the world. Sarah's had an indelible impact on our brand and I can't wait to see what she'll do with our Advisory Board. Sarah will report to me, and the Advisory Board team will report to Sarah. Congratulation Sarah!
Alex Dayon, Chair of our Advisory Board: After 15 years at Salesforce, Alex Dayon is planning to retire. Alex has been the Chair of our Advisory Board, which helps guide our strategy as we expand into new markets internationally. Alex has been a phenomenal leader and executive over the last 15 years. He has an incredible focus on our customers and their success. We wish you the very best, Alex! You will always be part of our 'Ohana. You are a wonderful friend and always at my side. A Hui Hou Alex!
Finally, I want want to welcome Kendall Collins as my Chief of Staff. Kendall was with salesforce from 2004-2016. He then went on to be CMO at AppDynamics and Okta. Welcome Home Kendall!
Please join me in congratulating Brian, Miguel, Ariel, Sarah, and Alex!
Source: Business Insider
