From an unexpected start in tech to leadership at Salesforce

What began as an accidental step into tech has grown into a two-decade journey defined by growth, purpose and leadership for Leyla Elif Aksoy. Today, as Deputy Country Manager at Salesforce, she leads with empathy, integrity and authenticity, values shaped by her upbringing, her experiences and her belief that success comes from lifting others along the way.

In her early twenties, she landed an interview at Cisco without even knowing what “IT” really was. She was applying for anything from sales to PA roles, open to wherever life might lead. When she told her friends about the interview, they gasped. Only then did she realize how big of a deal it was. That moment marked the beginning of a two-decade career in technology, one that would take her from a young trainee with no computer until she was sixteen, to Deputy Country Manager at Salesforce, helping shape the company’s strategy, sales direction, and long-term vision across sectors like healthcare and energy.  However, her journey didn’t start with a grand plan. It unfolded one open door at a time, fueled by curiosity, resilience, and a deep-rooted belief in hard work.

“I’ve never been afraid to start from zero. If there’s something I don’t know, I’ll work my way to learn it. As long as you have the will to learn, it doesn’t matter what industry you end up in, you’ll find your way”

Grounded by Her Roots

Leyla’s drive was shaped early on. She grew up in Denmark as the daughter of Turkish immigrants who arrived in the 1970s without speaking the language but determined to build a better life. Her parents taught her perseverance through action. Her mother, a heart patient, worked cleaning jobs, woke up at five every morning, and never missed a day.

“My mom is my biggest role model. Not because she’s a business icon, but because she showed up every day with passion and humanity. I have the deepest respect for people who work hard and keep going”

That upbringing became the foundation of her mindset, to keep moving forward, stay humble, and never expect things to come easy. When she joined Cisco’s international trainee program, she was one of 145 participants flown to the Netherlands for an intensive training in the IT industry. After the first week, a ranking list went up. She was number 143. A year later, she was in the top three. It wasn’t talent that got her there, it was persistence. And that same persistence carried her into leadership.

Becoming the Leader She Was Once Told She Couldn’t Be

Before she ever stepped into leadership, Leyla spoke openly about her ambitions. She had many encouraging colleagues and leaders who supported her growth, but not every conversation was empowering. Two senior figures once told her she wasn’t “authentic enough,” and that some people were simply “born to lead,” implying that she wasn’t one of them. Those comments, though discouraging at the time, ultimately strengthened her belief that leadership can look different.

“Those words hit me deeply,” she recalls. “Authenticity has always been at the core of who I am. To be told I wasn’t enough of that, it shook me. But it also made me determined to prove that leadership can look different,” she says.

Later, when she stepped into her first leadership role, she tried to mimic those before her: Firm, loud, authoritative. Six months in, she felt completely drained.

“I can’t be one person at work and another at home. I lead the same way I live with empathy, vision, and honesty.”

Over time, she realized that her strength lay not in conforming but in leading authentically, by listening, empowering, and focusing on collective success. Her time as a football player taught her that no one wins alone. That belief shaped the foundation of her leadership philosophy: people perform best when they feel seen, trusted, and valued.

“No matter how good you are, you can’t win alone. You have to make the whole team shine”

Leading with Purpose at Salesforce

Today, at Salesforce, Leyla channels those values into every aspect of her work. From how she builds teams to how she shapes culture. For her, inclusion isn’t a buzzword; it’s a daily practice. At the leadership level, she and her colleagues think deeply about diversity, not only in their technology but in their culture and how they operate as a business. They want to attract and retain more diverse talent, and that starts long before someone joins the company.

“If everyone on an interview panel looks the same and thinks the same, you’ll end up hiring more of the same,” she says. “We make sure panels are mixed, not just by gender, but by background, experience, and even personality type,” she says.

Because true diversity isn’t just about who’s at the table, it’s about the variety of voices shaping the conversation, the culture, and ultimately, the technology they build. As AI becomes an increasingly central part of Salesforce’s strategy, ethics and representation are non-negotiable.

“AI is only as good as the perspectives built into it. If it’s designed by a narrow group, it becomes biased. That’s why diversity in AI isn’t just a nice-to-have, it’s essential”

Giving Back and Opening Doors

Leyla often receives messages from young women who see themselves in her story. It still surprises her. She never set out to be a role model, she simply tried to stay true to herself.

“I don’t think of myself as a rolemodel, but if my story helps someone believe they can, that means everything,” she says.

She mentors and guides others, not by promising overnight success, but by helping them see what’s possible, and what it takes to get there. She believes in giving back with honesty: offering real feedback, encouragement, and transparency about what leadership truly requires. When asked what she’s most proud of, Leyla doesn’t mention titles or achievements. She mentions integrity:

“I could have gone in many different directions. But I never compromised on my values. I stayed true to who I am”