Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff Named 2009 Executive of the Year by the San Francisco Business Times

Marc Benioff and salesforce.com increase revenue, customers, and jobs in San Francisco in 2009—even in times like these.

SAN FRANCISCO, January 20, 2010 — Salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM), the enterprise cloud computing company, today announced that its chairman and CEO, Marc Benioff has been named Executive of the Year by the San Francisco Business Times. “For defying the fierce business downdraft — and taking the lead role in the creation of an industry – the San Francisco Business Times has named Benioff the Executive of the Year,” writes Patrick Hoge of the San Francisco Business Times.

Staying Buoyant in the Cloud:
Despite the challenging economic times, The San Francisco Business Times says, “By nearly any metric, Salesforce has been on a multi-year growth tear. Revenue has more than doubled from less than $500 million four years ago. From Feb. 1 to Oct. 31, the company added the largest number of customers and subscribers in its history, picking up 12,500 new customers with approximately 500,000 new “seats” (employees at customer companies who are licensed to use its software). The number of Salesforce employees has also mushroomed, rising from roughly 2,000 four years ago to the current 3,800 plus, 300 of them added in the last year.”

Supporting Quotes

• Marc Benioff’s reaction to the news: “I am honored to receive this recognition, an achievement that is only possible because of the success of our customers and our cloud computing model.“
• Ray Wang, an analyst with the Altimeter Group said, “They have continued to push and to innovate. That’s one of the reasons why Benioff is definitely one of the top executives in the industry, and he definitely has a clear vision of where he wants to go next.”
• “Marc Benioff’s vision and leadership combined with salesforce.com’s follow-though for customer success is well deserving of this honor,” said Deborah Alvarez-Rodriguez, CEO and President of Goodwill Industries of San Francisco, San Mateo and Marin Counties. “Salesforce.com is helping us transform Goodwill’s relationship with our 200,000 shoppers, donors and friends into a powerful agent of sustainable social good.”

Supporting Resources

• For the full story on the San Francisco Business Times’ Executive of the Year story, please visit: http://sanfrancisco.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2009/12/28/story1.html