Erin Oles

Meet Erin Oles, a marketing leader whose dynamic career, spanning from the biggest innovators in beauty to tech, has helped some of the world’s best brands deliver next-level experiences over nearly two decades. Oles is currently the senior vice president of strategic events and brand experiences at Salesforce, where she was brought in to reestablish the company’s strategic events portfolio post-pandemic, including the world-renowned Dreamforce, the largest and most magical event in technology. She leads her team to deliver the most innovative and impactful experiences to customers, driving pipeline and closing results across every facet of experience marketing, from audience acquisition through operations, disrupting the news cycle as the ultimate manifestation of their brand. Oles credits her clear and actionable marketing approach, as well as a bit of thick skin, to her early days on the front lines of outbound sales with first-hand experience for when marketing hits the mark and even more notably, when it doesn’t.

Before her journey at Salesforce, Oles held influential roles at the beauty startup Rodan and Fields, from the founders of ProActiv, which rapidly grew to a multi-billion-dollar business. As an early entry leader, she built and defined the strategic event portfolio and is credited with revolutionizing digital and physical events marketing, including commercializing the live-stream. Oles is a patented inventor in this channel, scaling audience reach globally and delivering over $100M in incremental revenue, contributing to the successful acquisition of minority capital investment.

Inspired by her own life as a parent of three boisterous boys, along with her loving husband, Oles is rooted in the idea that high-performing talent is more dimensional than their professional contribution. She is passionate about creating an environment that welcomes and supports the whole person, especially focused on coaching underrepresented talent into leadership roles and mentoring those navigating the demands of rapid career growth alongside parenthood. Oles is most proud of the impact her advocacy has had on expanding paternity leave policies and support.

Oles’s dedication to shaping the future of brand marketing and experiential design, combined with her commitment to mentoring and coaching, exemplifies her visionary leadership and unwavering pursuit of raising the bar.

Featured in: The Auditorium