General Colin Powell is now the 11th member of the Board of Directors of Salesforce, TechCrunch reported.
Salesforce has been working to extend its business to organizations in the public sector, having rolled out a government groups-focused special cloud and social media platform. Last year, it included mobile apps to the service, the report said.
In a statement, Salesforce Chief Executive Officer Marc Benioff said, "We are honored and delighted that General Powell has joined our Board of Directors. General Powell is an extraordinary leader who has inspired and influenced me during more than 15 years of friendship. He was also instrumental in shaping salesforce.com's integrated philanthropic model and the formation of the Salesforce.com Foundation many years ago. We couldn't be happier to have him join our Board."
Powell is not really new to Silicon Vally. He has served as a strategic limited partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of Sunnyvale, California-based fuel cell technology firm Bloom Energy which is supported by KPCB and other investors, the report said.
A friend of Benioff, Powell has also aided Salesforce in the past, helping the company frame its social responsibility role with philanthropic pursuits and the establishment of the Salesforce.com Foundation, the report said.
A four star general in the US Army, the now-retired Powell also served as the 65th US Secretary of State. He also sits on the board of the Council on Foreign Relations. Powell said in a statement, "After many years of friendship with Marc and admiration for salesforce.com, I am excited to be joining the Company's Board of Directors. In addition to being on the forefront of innovation, salesforce.com has been a remarkable leader, and has inspired many other companies, as it has made philanthropy a central part of its value system."
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