“Trust is earned in drops and lost in buckets.”
That’s how Lara Pangilinan, Regional Sales Director, Philippines, sums up her approach to leadership. It’s also how she builds connections in one of the most relationship-driven markets in the world. Her path to sales leadership hasn’t been traditional. She’s moved through marketing, operations, and sales, with each step adding a new layer to how she sees people and performance. Through every role, one belief has stayed with her: when you put people first, everything else follows.
In this conversation, Lara shares what it means to lead with trust, why empathy and accountability go hand in hand, and how Filipino warmth shapes the way she builds teams and customer relationships.
From marketing to sales: Lessons in leadership
Q: You’ve moved across marketing, operations, and sales. What did that journey teach you about leadership?
Lara: My career has never been a straight line, and honestly, I like it that way. From pharma sales to product management, then sales operations before leading commercial sales at Salesforce — every move taught me something different about how business works.
In marketing, the focus was on creativity and activity. In sales, it’s all about results. Balancing those two worlds taught me accountability. Later, in operations, I was behind the scenes managing forecasts, deal support, and the systems that keep sales moving. So when I finally stepped into a frontline role, I knew what my team needed to succeed.
That’s why I see commercial sales as a combination of operations and selling. You need the precision of operations to create smooth processes, which frees sellers to focus on customers and build trust.
Leading with trust and shared accountability
Q: Salesforce is known for its core value of Trust. How do you bring that to life as a leader?
For that kind of trust to grow, I need to lead with guidance and transparency. I hire people for their strengths, and my role is to give them the space and support to use them. When things don’t go as planned, I remind the team that we’re in it together. I never say, “You did this wrong.” I say, “We did something wrong.” Shared accountability builds trust faster than any speech ever could because it shows that we win and learn as one team.
On building relationships in the Philippines
Q: The Philippines is known for its relationship-driven culture. How do you see that influencing sales here?
Lara: Filipinos are very family-oriented, and that naturally carries into how we do business. Relationships always come first. Before customers invest in a Salesforce solution, they need to know they can trust you. Not just as a professional, but as a person.
That’s why I’m always transparent about what I can and can’t do. Customers appreciate honesty, even when it’s not what they want to hear. Being upfront early builds credibility later, and that’s what turns one-time clients into long-term partners. The Philippines is also a small market where word travels fast, so integrity really is the best marketing.
One example that stands out for me is a customer I work with in the Southern Philippines. I fly there often just to spend time with their team. Over time, we’ve built a strong relationship, not because I was pushing a product, but because I listened. I’ve visited their plant, walked around their farm, and taken the time to truly understand their challenges.
Why do I take that extra step? Because for me, sales isn’t about selling, it’s about helping. When I recommend a solution, I always ask myself, “Will this truly help them?” If the answer is no, I’d rather not sell it, even if it means losing the deal.
Blending global excellence with local values
Q: Salesforce has global best practices for sales. How do you balance those with the Philippines’ local culture?
Lara: What I love about Salesforce is that our global culture already aligns with Filipino values. Take “Ohana,” for example; it means family. And we have our own version of that here called pakikisama, which is about belonging and togetherness.
That’s why bringing in global best practices never feels foreign to us; we take what works and adapt it into our own relationship-driven approach.
Even when we introduce Agentforce, agentic layer of the Salesforce Platform, the intent is the same: to support people, not replace the human connection that matters so much here. If technology can clear the busywork, our teams can spend more time with customers, listening, advising, and building trust.
On women and leadership
Q: What advice would you give to women who want to lead in tech and sales?
Lara: There are definitely more opportunities for women today than there were twenty years ago. Of course, part of that comes from our matriarchal culture in the Philippines. We’ve always had strong women who show both grit and grace.
But even with more doors open, you still have to love what you do. Leadership is a big responsibility; it’s not just your life you’re thinking about but the lives of everyone in your team. I remind myself often that I chose this path, and it’s up to me to lead with heart.
Of course, loving something doesn’t mean it’s always easy. For me, the toughest challenge wasn’t about being a woman; it was about moving from an operations background into frontline sales. That shift tested my confidence but also made me stronger. It taught me to believe in myself and help others find that belief too.
Legacy and leadership
Q: What kind of legacy do you want to leave as a leader?
Lara: I want to be remembered as a leader who helped people grow, someone who truly cared about their success. That’s why I ask my team to look beyond the task in front of them. When people see a bigger future, they raise their own bar.
My job is to help them see what’s possible and walk with them to the next step, whatever it is. In the end, leadership isn’t about how far you go; it’s about how many people you lift along the way.
Leading with trust, living with purpose
Lara’s story is a reminder that leadership isn’t about titles or targets — it’s about trust, empathy, and making others feel they belong.
If her journey inspires you, come build yours with us. Join the Salesforce Ohana in the Philippines and be part of a team that leads with heart and grows with purpose.
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