The Fortune 500 firm’s autonomous AI agent platform lately surpassed 1 million AI agent-customer conversations, with brokers now autonomously resolving 85% of all buyer queries, in response to Robin Washington, president and chief working and monetary officer (COFO) at Salesforce. The corporate formally launched Agentforce in October.
Throughout a digital interview on Tuesday with Edith Cooper, cofounder of Medley—a membership-based neighborhood for private {and professional} progress—Washington mentioned the way forward for AI brokers within the office.
“Our assist groups are in a position to give attention to extra complicated buyer questions,” she stated. “These are engagements that basically require human judgment, creativity, empathy—all issues that AI can’t do.”
She described this as some of the transformative moments within the historical past of expertise, which impressed her to tackle an working function at Salesforce.
Washington shared that she makes use of Agentforce herself. Her AI agent helps her by dealing with routine duties, permitting her to give attention to deeper, extra significant work. “It’s my assist perform that I exploit so much,” she stated. She additionally sees how these instruments may also help her turn into a greater chief.
“I believe as leaders, we’ve got to understand that there’s this unprecedented alternative for progress and worth creation with AI,” Washington stated. She emphasised the significance of cross-functional purchase in and setting the precise tone on the prime of the corporate.
Nevertheless, she additionally confused the necessity to maintain people on the heart of AI implementation. In accordance with MIT analysis, the simplest use of AI within the office is to not absolutely exchange people, however to mix the strengths of each AI and human staff—particularly for duties the place people nonetheless outperform AI.
Profession Recommendation: Step outdoors of your consolation zone
Washington started her tenure as president and COFO of Salesforce in March, a newly created place. A longtime Salesforce board member with experience in expertise, together with agentic AI, she leads the corporate’s operational and monetary technique.
“I’m approaching about 40 years of being on this journey of working and monetary roles in several industries,” she instructed Cooper.
Earlier than becoming a member of Salesforce, Washington held roles, together with EVP and CFO of Gilead Sciences, CFO of Hyperion Options, and chief accounting officer of PeopleSoft.
Washington described herself as a steady learner who thrives in fast-paced environments that require fixed reinvention. She values sponsorship, hiring folks she will be able to be taught from, and fostering an surroundings for numerous thinkers.
“I believe the outcomes are broader and higher once you’ve received numerous considering on the desk,” she stated.
One other key facet of her profession journey is her willingness to step outdoors her consolation zone. “I don’t assume it at all times got here naturally to me, however I’ve generally used the phrase ‘get snug being uncomfortable,’ as a result of I do know when I’m uncomfortable and never fairly positive how issues are going to end up, it’s actually a studying alternative.” She added that failures are alternatives as nicely.
Washington mirrored on her profession, together with transferring to Silicon Valley in her 20s, working overseas to realize international expertise, switching from tech to biotech, and taking over a CFO function early in her profession.
“I keep in mind, lots of people instructed me, ‘You’re loopy,’” Washington stated. “I simply at all times raised my hand for that powerful project.”
Sheryl Estrada
sheryl.estrada@fortune.com
Leaderboard
Ken Cook dinner, CFO, was appointed interim CEO of The Wendy’s Firm (Nasdaq: WEN). Kirk Tanner, president and CEO, is leaving to turn into the president and CEO at The Hershey Firm (NYSE: HSY) and can depart on July 18. Wendy’s board of administrators has launched a seek for a everlasting CEO. Cook dinner, who stays CFO, performed a key function in growing Wendy’s long-term progress technique. Earlier than becoming a member of the Firm, he spent 20 years at United Parcel Service, Inc. in management roles.
Matt Parson was appointed EVP and CFO of SAS, an information and AI firm. Parson succeeds long-time CFO David Davis, who’s retiring after practically 40 years at SAS. Parson spent 12 years at Pink Hat, the place he performed a key function in its worldwide growth as the corporate scaled from $200 million to almost $3 billion in annual income. He has since served as CFO at CloudBees and Paymentus, guiding the latter by means of an IPO. And Parson most lately held twin roles as CFO and COO at ExtraHop.
Massive Deal
JM Search, an government search agency targeted on non-public fairness, has launched its 2025 CFO Compensation & Insights Research, primarily based on responses from 312 sitting CFOs at primarily investor-backed companies.
The report gives an evaluation of base compensation, money bonuses, and fairness—together with compensation notion gaps between first-time and seasoned CFOs. It additionally explores the elements driving CFO retention and departures in immediately’s market, in addition to how profession paths, CFO tasks, and worth creation priorities are evolving.
Going deeper
In an episode of Wharton’s “This Week in Enterprise” podcast, the professor and director of the Pension Analysis Council on the Wharton Faculty breaks down new information on rising 401(okay) contributions, the affect of automated enrollment, and the financial savings behaviors of youthful generations.
Overheard
“Thanks in your contributions.”
—Elon Musk, proprietor of the social platform X (previously Twitter), posted on Wednesday in response to Linda Yaccarino stepping down as CEO of X after two years on the helm. Yaccarino introduced her resignation on Wednesday in a submit on X, expressing pleasure within the firm’s turnaround and gratitude to Musk for entrusting her with the function, Fortune reported.
