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Just over 10 years ago, Robin Guido was on the search for a new job. She texted her good friend, Meredith Schmidt (current EVP of Revenue Cloud at Salesforce), and let her know that she was starting her search. As Robin told us, “After I sent that text things moved quickly. Within an hour until I was on the phone with a Salesforce recruiter the next day, I was invited to the office for an interview.” The rest, as they say, is history.

For the past 10 years, Robin has been the Executive Assistant to Salesforce co-founder and CTO, Parker Harris. Robin knew their relationship would be special right from the start. “Even from the first interview with him, our conversation flowed really well. He is so pragmatic and kind. The job can be really stressful but he makes it easy. We get along really despite being very different. However, that’s what makes it all work — we complement each other.” said Robin. She continued, “We are very similar in age so we can talk about, relate, and bond over things from when we were growing up. It is a great balance and really has been a lot of fun.”

Being Parker Harris’ Executive Assistant definitely has its perks. One of those perks is being able to travel the world and see some incredible things. “Our most fun trips usually happen around the Salesforce World Tours. I’ve traveled to Japan a few times with Parker and I’ve also been to Paris a couple of times. I will never say no to a trip to Paris. However, the most special trip was when we attended the World Tour in Washington D.C. where Parker introduced me to General Colin Powell. That was simply incredible and a big moment for me. He was such a presence and it was an honor to meet him,” said Robin. Being Parker Harris’ Executive Assistant also comes with its fair share of hurdles. “In April of 2014, Parker came to me and wanted to organize a 500-person team offsite featuring a couple days of content, connection, and leadership. We sat down and looked at the calendar to try and decide when we could do it. After looking at the calendar we realized the only time that would work was May (one month away). Parker asked me if he thought we could pull it off. I got right on it and through a lot of hard work and a couple small miracles we managed to pull off a 500-person offsite in just 21 days.” she said.

With Robin’s 10 years of tenure and being connected to the leadership of the company, she has plenty of advice for people just getting started at Salesforce. “Don’t feel bad if you don’t know everything in 30, 60, or even 90 days. Rely on other recent new hires and your teammates. It is a community that will help you stay around at Salesforce as long as I have. If you find a friend or a group of people that you can learn with and grow together with it will be rewarding. People want to be here at Salesforce. Don’t be scared of the size of the company because it doesn’t truly feel like the size it is today. I am still learning every day 10 years later,” she said. 

Robin is a three-time cancer survivor. She was diagnosed in 2012 with breast cancer, in 2013 with breast cancer again, and in 2014 with thyroid cancer. She beat them all and has been in remission ever since. “My mom is also a breast cancer survivor and is going through another bout of it now. When I was diagnosed, I wasn’t shocked given the family history. I went through treatment and surgery and have been seven years in the clear which has been amazing. I have met so many other incredible women from around the globe at Salesforce who are also survivors or who are currently going through it. We rally around each other during breast cancer awareness month in October.” said Robin. Salesforce has been a big platform for Robin and her team-leading the efforts to raise awareness around breast cancer. “The community has been super supportive. It is never a group you want to be in but once you are in it, you meet some pretty incredible people with amazing stories. This year we just welcomed Slack employees that are also survivors to join our cause. We are all about early detection and speaking up about the disease. Sometimes life after cancer is a bit harder than going through it because afterward, you realize you are a cancer patient for the rest of your life. I had so much support from Salesforce and Parker; it was incredible,” she said. 

Just like everyone else, the pandemic has presented a whole new set of challenges for Robin. She told us, “The first three months of the pandemic were terrible. I felt stuck and alone in my apartment in San Francisco. I decided I needed to get out and get more space so I bought a house in Palm Desert and moved. I have been here almost a year. I have a yard here and found out that I enjoy gardening.” She also took some of the lessons she learned from having cancer and applied them to the pandemic. “One of the things I learned was to not feel like I should be doing this or I should be doing that. I have been saying no when I want to say no and saying yes when I want to say yes. It is okay to give yourself a break and to not feel pressured," she said. Robin also credits her Peloton with helping her stay well. "The Peloton rides have been great and super helpful. It gives me the mental and physical clarity I need," she said.

Not only do Robin and Parker enjoy working with each other but they also enjoy giving back together.

“I am most involved with the Salesforce Women’s Network. Parker is also really involved with and passionate about this network. We also adopted a middle school together in the Bay Area to help give back there. We have made some amazing strides there and have been able to foster relationships with students and teachers,” said Robin.

Robin has been an unofficial member of the Koa Club for a while, however, this year was her actual 10 year anniversary. “I had sat in on Koa Club events and calls before through Parker but now I am so excited to officially be a member myself. It’s an incredible milestone and I’m excited that I can finally start saying I have been at Salesforce 10 years and not 'almost 10 years.' This has been my longest relationship ever,” she said. 

Want to learn more about Robin’s career journey? Check out her career on Linkedin!