Denise Dresser: From Internal Leader to Slack CEO
Salesforce Inc. appoints Denise Dresser as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Slack, emphasizing the company's focus on fostering leadership from within.
Denise Dresser
Credits: Salesforce
“I couldn’t be more excited to share the news that Denise Dresser is our new CEO of Slack! Denise is an incredible business leader who has excelled at every level in her career at Salesforce.” - Marc Benioff made a statement in his recent post at X.
Dresser steps into the role of Slack's leader subsequent to Lidiane Jones' revealed her transition to a position at Bumble Inc., the dating app, earlier this month.
Dresser’s Journey at Salesforce
Dresser brings an impressive 12-year tenure at Salesforce. She has notably served as the president of accelerated industries and earlier held the role of executive vice president for enterprise sales. Her impactful leadership contributed significantly to Salesforce's pivotal customer success stories.
With Dresser’s appointment, Slack welcomes its third CEO post-Salesforce acquisition.
Dresser comments, “I am incredibly humbled to share that I will be joining the team at Slack as CEO.
Well before Salesforce acquired Slack, I was a fan. Now that I’ve worked on the platform for three years and seen its transformational power, I’m its biggest advocate. It’s truly made work simpler, more pleasant, and more productive. I cannot wait to dive in with the team and help even more companies change the way they work with Slack.”
Dresser's role likely involves preserving Slack's independent focus on pioneering collaboration. Simultaneously, it involves smoothly merging its offerings into Salesforce's range of products and services.
Marc Benioff, CEO at Salesforce, said on X “Denise is a collaborative technology leader who brings teams together and has inspired me and so many of us with her deep commitment to our values and to our customers and to the spirit of innovation.”
Bid Adieu to Lidiane Jones
Lindane Jones
Credits: Salesforce
At the end of the year, Jones will formally conclude her tenure at Slack and commence her role at Bumble on January 2.
She took the reins in January 2023, succeeding Slack Co-founder Stewart Butterfield. His departure from the communications and collaboration business came less than two years after its acquisition by Salesforce.
Stewart Butterfield
Credits: The Business Journals
Jones had previously held the position of executive vice president and general manager for Salesforce Digital Experiences, including Marketing and Commerce Cloud. She joined the company four years ago.
During her time at Salesforce, Jones contributed three years of experience, including her role as the Head of Product for Commerce Cloud.
Salesforce and Slack: Insights
In 2021, Salesforce acquired Slack for approximately $28 billion. There were initial doubts about the compatibility of the then-startup with the company renowned for its top-tier customer relations management software. This acquisition stands as Salesforce's largest deal thus far, aligning with Benioff's strategy of procuring companies to diversify Salesforce's product range and drive heightened revenue growth.
Summary
Lidiane Jones’ move from Slack to Bumble presents an opportunity for both her and Bumble. This path illuminates a potentially sensitive scenario. As Dresser steps into the role, advancing her own career, investors are keenly watching.
Slack's corporate decisions will be under intense observation as they await the implications of Salesforce's significant acquisition. With Denise now leading the way, it's a moment of anticipation.
Marc Benioff congratulating Dresser said “With Denise’s leadership, Slack is well positioned to unlock the power of Salesforce with Data+AI+CRM+Trust and make it the place where work happens for more and more of our custom
