Enterprise Sales Leader

MICHAEL CAWTHON

Developing future leaders and creating a lasting impact

Over the course of 11 years, Michael has not only hit his targets and exceeded goals, he has developed multiple leaders within the Galderma organization and started key programs that will last for years to come.

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I build things that last longer than the quarter.

Over the past decade leading the Grand Canyon Region at Galderma Aesthetics, I've focused less on being the best performer in the room and more on building the systems, people, and frameworks that multiply performance across teams. My goal is not to create people who execute my playbook, but to develope people who can write their own. The team I've built is evidence that the environment I cultivate is one where people grow into independent thinkers, and take that capacity with them long after they've moved on from my team.

Currently building at the next level.

MORE ABOUT ME

Michael

277%

Revenue growth in the Grand Canyon Region, 2015–2020

14

Team members since 2015 earning national recognition

#2

ranking nationally
multiple years

6

Team members promoted to management or senior leadership

"Michael's approach is unique, and highly differentiated"

Hands On Operator Award

Michael was recognized on stage by Erick Brenner as one of the most accomplished sales leaders across the entire organization. He has played a pivotal role in shaping key business initiatives. From being instrumental in the creation of the GAIN Business concept to helping develop and launch programs like MST and the Lead Mentor Training (LMT) program, later recognized as a CEO award finalist, Michael’s influence is embedded in the company’s strategic foundation.

His unique ability to develop Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) further sets him apart, consistently attracting top-tier talent and even international leaders to his market. This level of recognition delivered publicly by Erick Brenner, VP and General Manager, highlighting both his strategic impact and differentiated leadership style, marks a defining moment in his career and reinforces his readiness to lead at the next level.

Leadership Philosophy

HOW I LEAD A TEAM & FOSTER GROWTH

Michael’s leadership philosophy is built on a simple idea: what you build should outlast you. For him, leadership is not measured by quarterly results alone, but by whether the systems, people, and ideas he develops continue to perform long after he steps away. Every decision he makes, who to hire, where to invest time, and how to define success, is filtered through that lens of durability.

At the core of his approach is a belief that people are the highest-leverage investment a leader and a company can make. But for Michael, developing talent goes far beyond coaching for short-term performance. He focuses on building independent thinkers. Individuals who can create their own strategies rather than rely on his long term. The results speak to that philosophy: multiple team members have advanced into leadership roles, and a significant number of his team members have earned national recognition. More importantly, those individuals carry the skills and mindset they developed under his leadership into the next stage of their careers.

Ideas don't become strategy until they survive the person who had them. The frameworks he's built over the past decade — practice-growth models, competitive tools, business acumen programs — weren't built to get credit. They were built to solve problems that were going to outlast the quarter. When those frameworks get adopted nationally, or embedded in training curricula, or credited in a launch years later, that's the validation that matters. Not the recognition for having the idea. The fact that the idea kept working.

HIRE INTENTIONALLY

How I hire starts before the interview. One of the most critical things I look for is motivational fit — not just competence, but drive. The majority of my hires, especially early on, weren’t just talented. They had something to prove. Maybe they’d been overlooked or maybe they came from a background where nothing was handed to them. That perspective is personal. I understand what it looks like when someone refuses to waste an opportunity. It’s why I prioritize hiring individuals who bring that same level of ownership, work ethic, and internal drive.

Michael and Galderma share the same belief: that the quality of your team is the single highest-leverage decision a leader makes. Over the past decade, Michael has had 14 of 17 team members earn national recognition, six people he's developed have moved into management or senior leadership roles, and that's just the start. Frameworks he introduced in his first interview with Todd Zavodnick, VP and General Manager of Galderma in 2015 are now embedded in how the entire organization operates. That doesn’t happen by accident — it happens when a company trusts you to build, not just manage.

Growing up in a family of five, Michael's Dad worked three jobs to keep his family afloat. He was a good man who gave his family everything he had, but the cost was that he wasn’t really present. This shaped Michael into the man he is today, and is why he's so intentional about making the work he does count. Because if you’re going to give your time to something, it should be worth the sacrifice.

What keeps Michael going is seeing the compound effect of investing in people. Watching someone he's hired as an account manager now teach at the national level. Seeing a customer engagement approach one of his reps developed become a company-wide tool. Having his daughters Madison and Haleigh see that their dad poured himself into work that mattered and still show up for them. That's everything.

BUILDING LEADERS

Once they’re on the team, I focus on how they think. I look at where their confidence sits, how they approach accounts, and what they naturally notice or overlook. That insight tells me far more than a resume.

From there, I establish a shared foundation. Every team member learns a simple framework for business growth: increasing the number of customers, revenue per customer, and frequency of visits. While straightforward, this shifts their mindset—from selling products to advising on business growth.

Proven Process

CREATE SCALABLE SYSTEMS

I’m most intentional about what happens behind the scenes. When I see leadership potential, I involve individuals in conversations beyond their current role so they’re prepared before the opportunity exists. By the time a promotion opens, they’re not catching up; they’re ready. The goal is to develop independent thinkers who can lead with their own voice and ultimately outgrow what they were taught. Over time, I’ve built frameworks and strategies that can be adopted, repeated, and sustained by others—creating a system for leadership development that drives long-term, scalable growth.

"A 'Leader Maker'"

"Michael is a 'Leader Maker' — which is a rare personality, as it requires leaving your ego behind and working towards building others' career paths. If I were in sales, I would want to be placed on his team, as I know I would learn the skills it takes to reach the highest goals. His positive mindset is contagious and people just want to be part of any mission he sets out to accomplish."

Kristine Romine, MD, FAAD

"One Of The Brightest People In This Business"

"Michael Cawthon is one of the brightest people in this business."

"He brings credibility and experience at a time those are becoming harder to find in this aesthetic space."

Chris Murray, Sr. VP of Aesthetics, Platinum Dermatology Partners

"Challenges Individuals To Think Beyond The Surface"

"Michael has a unique ability to translate complex business principles into practical, actionable strategies that drive meaningful conversations and measurable growth."

"The strategic foundation he helped me build has directly contributed to my growth into roles such as Strategic Business Manager, Regional Sales Manager, and Customer Engagement Director."

Kate Kaler, Director of Customer Engagement, Galderma

Developed Leaders

The following six people were personally developed and coached by Michael, and moved into management or senior leadership roles at Galderma. Their progression reflects a consistent ability to develop leaders ready to perform at the next level.

Cat Kozuch

Executive Account Manager

Development path: Sales Rep → SBM · Customer Success Plan architect

Cat is proof that the best hire isn’t always the obvious one. I actually passed on her the first time. But Cat had something you can’t teach — a drive to prove people wrong. Once she was on the team, that fire became one of our greatest assets. She converted some of our biggest practices today — Emily Frost, Rechelle Trejo, Krista Arredondo, Denise Walsh. She’s been instrumental in several business development initiatives and has become the architect behind our Customer Success Plan. Cat said it best herself: “You taught me to think like a business owner — to hunt for growth instead of waiting for it, to build revenue strategy, not just purchasing plans. That shift changed everything.” That’s what motivational fit looks like when you give it room to run. Cat is also an Emerging Leader selectee for 2026.

Kaleigh Farough

Channel Strategy Manager

Development path: Recruited from PepsiCo → ASPIRE → Training & Development → Channel Strategy Manager

Kaleigh is the definition of building things that outlast you. She took a customer engagement approach we developed together in 2019–2020 and turned it into the foundation for a national Customer Success Plan that launched company-wide in 2026. An Emerging Leaders selectee, Kaleigh didn’t just execute a playbook I gave her — she wrote her own and made it the standard for the organization. As she put it: “Michael extended trust early — advocating for my involvement in developing what became the DART data mining tool. That model of empowering delegation shaped how I lead today.”