Marc Benioff gets a new operating chief, as Salesforce promotes Miguel Milano

Salesforce has named Miguel Milano as the company's new operating chief, following the appointment of CEO Marc Benioff. Milano, who was previously a chief revenue officer at Salesforce, rejoined the company in 2023 after working for Oracle and data processing firm Celonis. This move represents another attempt by Benioff to expand the leadership team at Salesforce, a company he co-founded in 1999.

Last year, Salesforce experimented with co-CEOs, but both Keith Block and Bret Taylor eventually left the company. In a surprising turn, Salesforce COO Robin Washington will retain her title, even as Milano takes on the new chief operating officer role. Salesforce shares have fallen 27% this year, reflecting broader concerns in the software industry about potential displacement by artificial intelligence.

In response, Salesforce has been pushing its Agentforce AI services, designed to automate tasks and improve efficiency. Srini Tallapragada, who served as president and chief engineering and customer success officer for 14 years, is leaving the company. Rohan Kumar, a former Microsoft executive, is stepping into his role as the new chief platform and engineering officer, taking on additional engineering responsibilities.

Tallapragada will serve as special advisor to Benioff for the next year as the company transitions. Milano is currently the fourth-highest-paid Salesforce executive, behind Benioff, Washington, and Tallapragada, according to a recent regulatory filing. Alexa Vignone, a 10-year Salesforce veteran who has been chief sales officer since January, will assume the title of revenue chief.

Sales growth at Salesforce has picked up this year, after a series of quarters in which revenue grew by less than 10%. In May, executives disclosed that annualized revenue from Agentforce had surpassed $1 billion.