Mike Kelly

About Mike Kelly

Most leadership development doesn’t fail because people lack talent. It fails because organizations build programs instead of systems. I lead enterprise leadership development and executive succession planning, with a focus on building real bench strength and reducing leadership risk during periods of change. The work I do is less about content and more about capability. What matters is how leaders make decisions, how they operate under pressure, and whether the organization is actually prepared for what’s next.I’ve owned leadership and talent strategies at scale across Salesforce, The Coca-Cola Company, and Target, working primarily with VP+ leaders and enterprise populations. That has meant redesigning succession approaches, building executive development experiences tied directly to business priorities, and using assessment, data, and AI-driven tools to improve how talent decisions get made. When it works, the results show up in internal mobility, promotion readiness, attrition reduction, and cost savings. I care about all four.One thing I’m clear on: succession isn’t a spreadsheet exercise. It’s an operating discipline. Strong leadership pipelines are built when development, performance, assessment, and opportunity are intentionally connected, not when they live in separate systems owned by different teams.Lately, a lot of my focus has been on how leaders work alongside AI. Not as a replacement for judgment, but as a way to sharpen thinking, surface patterns, and free up space for higher-value decisions. Talent systems have to evolve here, or they fall behind the reality leaders are already living in.I\'m always interested in connecting with people doing serious work in leadership development, talent strategy, and organizational capability.

Experience

1. Global Director, Enterprise Leadership Development

   Salesforce

   May 2025 — Present · Atlanta, GA, US

   Owns Salesforce\'s enterprise leadership development and executive succession planning function globally, with accountability for VP+ bench strength, leadership continuity, and capability strategy across regions and business units. Works at the intersection of talent, business strategy, and AI-driven transformation to build the leadership infrastructure to maintain being the #1 CRM company- Owns the enterprise leadership development portfolio for VP+ leaders globally, integrating executive development, succession inputs, and capability assessment to strengthen leadership continuity across regions and functions- Leads Leading for Growth (LFG), Salesforce’s flagship VP+ executive development experience, engaging 180+ executives globally in FY25, achieving 95+ NPS, and directly supporting leadership capability aligned to $100B+ durable growth priorities- Defines and leads Salesforce’s Executive Mastery Series, including The Current Economic Reality, reaching 1,300+ executives globally and shaping enterprise-level dialogue on macroeconomic risk, investment decisions, and leadership implications- Scales immersive, AI-driven leadership experiences, including Salesforce’s first AI Learning Day, delivered across 16 global locations, accelerating executive AI fluency and applied decision-making at scale- Partners with Finance, Strategy, and Talent to align leadership capability investments with enterprise transformation priorities, exceeding average executive engagement benchmarks by 20% and driving sustained participation across global leadership forums- Advises senior leaders on leadership capability gaps, succession risks, and development investments using engagement data, program analytics, and assessment insights to inform enterprise talent decisions.

Education

• University of Kentucky

  B.A. Communications, Philosophy, Marketing

• Northern Kentucky University

  Master’s Degree, Executive Leadership & Organizational Change

• Liberty University

  Doctor of Philosophy - PhD, Organizational Leadership

  2027