The AI autonomous AI agent platform of Fortune 500 company recently exceeded 1 million AI agent-client conversations, with agents now resolving 85% of all customer requests, according to Robin Washington, President and Chief Operation and Financial Officer (COFO) at Salesforce. The company officially launched Agentforce in October.
During a virtual interview Tuesday with Edith Cooper, co -founder of Medley – a community based on members for personal and professional growth – Washington discussed the future of AI agents at the workplace.
“Our assistance teams are able to focus on more complex questions from customers,” she said. “These are commitments that really require human judgment, creativity, empathy – all things that AI cannot do.”
She described this as one of the most transformative moments in the history of technology, which inspired her to assume an operating role at Salesforce.
Washington shared that she uses Agentforce herself. His AI agent supports her by manipulating routine tasks, allowing him to focus on deeper and more significant work. “This is my support function that I use a lot,” she said. She also sees how these tools can help him become a better leader.
“I think that as leaders, we must appreciate that there is this unprecedented opportunity for growth and value creation with AI,” said Washington. She highlighted the importance of the interfunctional purchase and the configuration of the good tone at the top of the company.
However, she also underlined the need to keep humans at the center of the implementation of AI. According to the search for MIT, the most effective use of AI at the workplace is not to fully replace humans, but to combine the forces of AI and human workers, especially for tasks where humans still surpass AI.
Career advice: Get out of your comfort zone
Washington began her mandate as president and Cofo de Salesforce in March, a newly created position. A long -standing member of the SALESFORCE board of directors having an expertise in technology, in particular an agency AI, she directs the operational and financial strategy of the company.
“I am approaching about 40 years of this travel and financial role trip to various industries,” she told Cooper.
Before joining Salesforce, Washington held positions, including the EVP and the financial director of Gilead Sciences, the financial director of Hyperion Solutions and the chief accountant of Peoplesoft.
Washington described himself as a continuous learner who is thriving in rapidly evolving environments that require constant reinvention. She appreciates sponsorship, the hiring of people she can learn and promote an environment for various thinkers.
“I think the results are wider and better when you have a diversified reflection at the table,” she said.
Another key aspect of his career career is his desire to get out of his comfort zone. “I don’t think it has always come to me naturally, but I have commonly used the expression” getting comfortable being uncomfortable “, because I know when I am uncomfortable and I don’t really know how things will happen, it’s really a learning opportunity.” She added that failures are also opportunities.
Washington has thought about his career, in particular by moving to Silicon Valley in their twenties, working abroad to gain global experience, from technology to biotechnology and assuming a role of financial director at the start of his career.
“I remember, many people said to me:” you’re crazy “,” said Washington. “I have always raised my hand for this difficult assignment.”
Sheryl Estrada
sheryl.estrada@fortune.com
Classification
Ken CookCFO, was appointed interim CEO of the Wendy’s Company (Nasdaq: Wen). Kirk Tanner, president and chief executive officer, leaves to become president and chief executive officer of the Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) and will leave on July 18. Wendy’s board of directors has launched a permanent CEO search. Cook, who remains financial director, has played a key role in the development of Wendy’s long -term growth strategy. Before joining the company, he spent 20 years at United Parcel Service, Inc. in leadership roles.
Matt Parson was named EVP and CFO of SAS, a data company and AI. Parson succeeds the longtime financial director, David Davis, who retired after almost 40 years in SAS. Parson spent 12 years at Red Hat, where he played a key role in his international expansion while the company went from $ 200 million to almost $ 3 billion in annual income. He has since been financial director at Cloudbees and Payment, guiding the latter via a IPO. And Parson recently occupied the double roles of financial and COO in Extrahop.
Severe
JM Search, an management-focused management firm focused on investment capital, has published its CFO 2025 remuneration and information study, based on the responses of 312 financial directors in place in companies mainly supported by investors.
The report provides an analysis of basic remuneration, cash premiums and equity, including the perception of remuneration between the first experienced and experienced opportunity directors. It also explores the factors that stimulate the retention and departures of the CFO on the current market, as well as on the way in which career paths, CFO responsibilities and value creation priorities are evolving.
Go further
In an episode of Wharton’s “This Week In Business” podcast, the professor and director of the Wharton School Research Council pension decomposes new data on increasing contributions 401 (K), the influence of automatic registration and the savings behavior of the younger generations.
Heard
“Thank you for your contributions.”
—Elon Musk, owner of the social platform X (formerly Twitter), published Wednesday in response to Linda Yaccarino who withdrew as CEO of X after two years at the helm. Yaccarino announced on Wednesday his resignation in an article on X, expressing his pride in the reversal of the company and the gratitude to Musk for having entrusted him with the role, Fortune reported.
