Salesforce has appointed Dame Jayne-Anne Gadhia as its first CEO for UK and Ireland, a new role created to lead the company’s UKI business through its next stage of growth. Salesforce is experiencing rapid growth in the UKI and in June last year the company announced plans to invest $2.5bn in its UK business over the following five years. As part of this investment, Salesforce has increased headcount, data centre capacity and office space to support its rapidly growing customer base in the country.
Jayne-Anne is an experienced business leader and finance authority and was previously chief executive of Virgin Money. She is also a firm believer in the importance of businesses making a positive contribution to society and was recognised in the New Year’s Honours for her contribution to financial services and women in the finance industry.
“Jayne-Anne is one of the most respected CEOs in the UK and we are thrilled to welcome her to Salesforce,” said Marc Benioff, chairman and co-CEO. “The UKI is our largest market outside the US and with Jayne-Anne’s leadership we are well positioned to move into the next stage of growth and success for Salesforce, our customers, partners and communities.”
Commenting on her appointment, Gadhia said: “I’ve admired Salesforce from afar for a long time. This is a different kind of business, with deeply held values and a true focus on transforming the experience of every customer through cutting edge technology. I’m looking forward to working with the team as we continue to invest and support Salesforce’s growing customer base in UKI.”
