How can knowing yourself and what you uniquely offer become the foundation of a confidence that carries you through any room?

In this episode, I sit down with Zahra Bahrololoumi CBE, President & CEO of Salesforce UK & Ireland, to explore confidence from multiple perspectives: the power of self-knowledge in a world being reshaped by AI, the courage to run toward the roles nobody else wants, and what it means to lead with both conviction and humility.

Zahra shares remarkable stories from her career and her life. We dive into how resilience, action and a deep understanding of your own strengths shape lasting confidence, whether in a boardroom, on a stage in front of thousands, or in the moment someone tells you to be more like someone you could never be. 

Key Takeaways

• How confidence is not a fixed state but a fluid one and how the ability to restore your own peace, without needing the approval of others, is one of the most powerful skills a leader can develop. 
• How action is the antithesis of anxiety and why engaging with AI now, however imperfectly, is the most effective antidote to the fear of being left behind.
• How being able to articulate what makes you uniquely you (to yourself first, and then to others) is more powerful than trying to be something you’re not, and how that clarity becomes your greatest professional asset.
• How the qualities that feel like disadvantages (not fitting the mould, coming from a different background, lacking a conventional path) can become your greatest professional superpower.
• How understanding the currency of success in any role (the one thing that matters most) allows you to focus your energy where it counts and make yourself genuinely indispensable.
• How attitude above skill level, combined with a willingness to take on the roles others avoid, creates a track record of resilience you can draw on when the next leap feels impossible.
• How writing down positive feedback, personal reflections and moments of resilience in the face of adversity, even if you never look at them again, is a powerful act of grounding yourself in your own evidence.

About Zahra

Zahra Bahrololoumi CBE is President & CEO of Salesforce UK & Ireland, leading one of the world’s most recognised technology companies through a defining moment in how we work. She also oversees Salesforce’s global private equity and venture capital practice. Before Salesforce, Zahra spent 22 years at Accenture, rising to lead their UK and Ireland technology business. She was awarded a CBE in the King’s Honours list and holds an honorary doctorate from Brunel University, among numerous other awards and recognitions. She chairs the Cancer Research UK corporate board and is a passionate advocate for digital skills, equality and the next generation of talent.

Resources Mentioned

• Trailhead — Salesforce’s free online learning platform with 32+ AI training modules, available for free. www.trailhead.com
• Agent Bobbi — Salesforce’s AI agent handling non-emergency police queries, now live across three UK forces.       https://www.salesforce.com/uk/news/stories/bobbi-agentforce-transforms-law-enforcement/
• My Love Is In There Hiding — Zahra’s remarkable project combining personal maxims from 22 years at Accenture with music. www.myloveisintherehiding.com[1] 
• Salesforce AI Centre, London — Part of Salesforce’s investment in people, skills and AI adoption in the UK. https://www.salesforce.com/uk/news/press-releases/2026/05/20/ai-centre-london-campus/

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