Communicator Spotlight: Margaret Taylor, head of public affairs at Salesforce
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Photo illustration: Gabriella Turrisi/Axios. Photo: Courtesy of Salesforce
Margaret Taylor joined Salesforce in early 2020 as the tech giant's first public affairs hire.
Why it matters: Taylor and her team are responsible for helping Salesforce engage in public policy matters — like sustainability, the Israel-Hamas crisis and Supreme Court decisions — while also staying true to the company's mission and stakeholder needs.
🗣What she's saying: "The easiest way to talk about the type of public affairs role that I have is to imagine if a lobbying and a public relations had a baby."
- "Policy communications is how we talk about the positions that we take as a company and how we evaluate what we're going to talk about — both internally and externally — and then we also serve as Salesforce ambassadors for congressional staff, delegations and outside organizations like the United Nations and Council on Foreign Relations."
🏗 How's it structured: Taylor reports into Salesforce's global government affairs function and oversees a team of three who manage internal and external policy communications, strategic public policy relationships, events and media partnerships.
📍How she got here: She got her start in the advocacy world before joining public affairs consulting firm DCI Group.
- From there, she worked on AT&T's public affairs team and joined Salesforce in April of 2020.
🔍Who she's watching: Patagonia, for how the brand has managed to activate on its corporate mission and principles, and Home Depot, which recently combined its government affairs and communications functions.
📈 Trend spot: How stakeholder management could impact roles that consulting firms, trade associations or strategic alliances play.
- "I think in the past there was a lot more faith in third parties to help, but some of those [outside] confidants have not had to sit in the C-suite and explain the decision making, so they no longer have the same background to help you navigate these larger societal issues," Taylor said. "I'm spending more and more time with my peers across communications and public affairs, talking about what's working and what's not."
⛳️ De-stress routine: She enjoys golf and recently played in St. Andrews, Scotland.
- She also plays regularly at her home course in the Presidio of San Francisco.
📺 Content plate: "I am not embarrassed to admit that I'm a raging Bravo-holic. I love trash TV."
- Her favorite shows include "Vanderpump Rules" and "Below Deck."
🧠Best advice: Learn the business.
- "It's pretty hard to be good at this job if you don't have some understanding of how the business works and how it could be impacted by the decisions that you're making."
