Talent Hub Talk

Heather Black on launching Supermums in the ANZ region and who can benefit from their initiatives

In today's episode we catch up with Heather Black, Founder of Supermums, who specialise in supporting mums and dads transition into the Salesforce ecosystem, from Salesforce rookie to job-ready through their initiatives.

 

Whilst Heather is based in the UK, very soon Supermums is launching in the ANZ region with the intention of mirroring the same kind of success in the southern hemisphere. Having seen Heather receive a Golden Hoodie at World Tour in 2019, we enjoyed hearing about how she initially entered the world of Salesforce.

 

Heather explains her background, and how she first created the idea of Supermums. She shares details of the highlights and success stories of those who have achieved a change of career through the Supermums program, and we discuss which kind of skillsets complement making the transformation.

 

We hope you enjoy the episode as much as we enjoyed the chat with Heather.

 

Make sure you keep abreast of the updates from Supermums as they launch in the ANZ, and you can follow Heather's content on LinkedIn here.

Irena Miziolek on becoming the world's first female CTA and one of the world's first 10 Technical Architects to pass the Review Board

In today's episode, we were joined by one of the world's first 10 CTA's all the way from Oregon in the USA, Irena Miziolek. Irena was the world's first-ever female CTA, and we were honoured that she took the time to share her story with us.

 

Irena was able to provide such a unique insight into the evolution of the CTA, including how it was developed and perceived at the time that she became aware of it. Having previously been a judge on the Review Board, she explained the skills required to pass, and how it should be approached by people who have the goal in their sights.

 

Having been in the Salesforce ecosystem for a number of years, Irena was able to share her views on certifications which have since been phased out and replaced, and how she would hire for her own team.

 

Irena possesses so much knowledge and has contributed heavily to the Salesforce ecosystem, we'd recommend that you follow her on LinkedIn, and we hope you enjoy the chat!

 

A big thank you to our sponsors, FlowRepublic, the Salesforce Elite Academy for their support with this episode.

Kris Moyse on growing a Salesforce product business

In today's episode we're joined by Kris Moyse who is a co-Founder of Proximity Insight, a Salesforce AppExchange product for the retail industry.

 

We delved into what led Kris into the Salesforce ecosystem having previously launched a successful business in South Australia, and the roles that he initially played throughout his career. 

 

We talk about the Apps that Kris and his business partner, Matt Lacey, initially developed, and how they have got to the point that they are today, specialising in the retail sector. We hone in on the skillsets required for a product company and which specific challenges Kris and Matt have encountered as they grow the business, of building a product on the Salesforce platform.

 

This is the first podcast episode we've captured which focuses exclusively on a Salesforce product business, and it was really interesting to hear more from Kris. We hope you enjoy listening and make sure you follow Kris on LinkedIn to stay up to date with the Proximity Insight growth story!

 

Roger Miranda on navigating your Salesforce job search and working with Recruiters

Today's episode is a rebroadcast of a recent LinkedIn Live, and we caught up with Roger Miranda to discuss tips and advice on navigating your Salesforce job search, and how to work with Recruiters.

Roger is a 5x Salesforce Certified, U.S. Army Veteran and has worked as a Salesforce Specialist Recruiter so understands both sides of being a Salesforce job seeker and Recruitment Consultant.

We answered a number of questions from the audience and we hope you enjoy the chat!

Carl Brundage on life in a product company, his journey to CTA and what excites him about Einstein

In today's episode, we talk with Salesforce CTA, MVP, and Master Architect at Odaseva, Carl Brundage, based out of Pennsylvania in the USA.

We kick the episode off by understanding how his education and background first led him into the world of I.T. More specifically how Carl found his way into the Salesforce ecosystem and the roles that he's played up until this point. We talk to Carl about his role today with Odaseva and what it's like to work for an AppExchange product organisation.

 

We wanted to delve into Carl's certification journey, given the extensive list of certifications that he has achieved, and we discuss his view on the value of certifications, and why he believes they're important.

 

Being a Salesforce CTA who has been a judge on the Review Board, we cover the topic of CTA with Carl in detail, discussing the various different types of Architects, how somebody can begin to self-assess if they should set the CTA as a goal for themselves, and the Architect mindset. As Carl has trained a number of aspiring CTA's previously, he is able to provide deep insight into how you should approach setting as a goal for yourself and how best to prepare.

 

We enjoyed discussing the Einstein platform with Carl in particular, where it's positioned and what about it excites him for the future.

 

Carl gives a lot back to the Salesforce ecosystem and we're honoured that he took time out to share his story for this podcast episode, we hope you enjoy it! Make sure you're following Carl on LinkedIn and Twitter, and you can check out Odaseva here.

 

This episode was brought to you by our sponsors, FlowRepublic, the Elite Salesforce Academy, and so make sure you check them out if the Salesforce CTA is a goal that you are looking at working towards.

 

Astrid Clout on what makes a Salesforce implementation successful, and observations from 16 years in the Salesforce ecosystem

Today we're joined by a respected and admired figure from the Salesforce ecosystem, Sydney based Accenture Managing Director, Astrid Clout.

 

Astrid first became a part of the Salesforce space in the early 2000's, and having worked in both the UK and ANZ markets, gives us insights into both geographic locations and how she developed in her career as she moved across the world. We discuss the projects she has been involved in over the years and how they've evolved.

 

We look at the challenges that projects faced earlier in the decade and how they compare to now, as well as the differences between how teams are made up.

 

Astrid explains the roles that she's played over the years, the aspirations she's had, and how she has achieved her goals. As a hiring manager, Astrid gives us insight into what she looks for when she's recruiting, and what makes Salesforce projects successful.

 

You can connect with Astrid on LinkedIn to continue following her journey, and check out Accenture here and follow them on LinkedIn.

 

We hope you enjoy the episode!

Chris Nugent on the Functional roles and responsibilities on a Salesforce project, and what makes consulting a great place to work

In today's episode we talk with the National Practice Partner for Business Consulting at System Partners, Chris Nugent.

 

Chris talks us through his career before Salesforce, and the roles he's played up until this point. He explains how he sees Consulting differing to working for an End User, and he takes us through the functional space in detail.

 

We hone in on both the Functional Consultant and the Solution Architect roles, looking at what each role entails, the pathways in, and then how you can progress. Chris talks us through the importance of soft skills, and what he looks for when hiring into his own team.

 

He shares his insights on the impact that COVID-19 has had on the day to day operations of these roles, and how his team have adjusted to effectively continue with elements such as requirements gathering workshops in a virtual environment.

 

This episode is filled with information, particularly valuable if you have an interest in the functional space, and you can connect with Chris for further updates by searching for him on LinkedIn here.

 

We hope you enjoy the episode!

John Railton on a passion for people leadership and what makes the New Zealand Salesforce ecosystem special

In today's episode, we talk with Salesforce Capability Lead for Xero, John Railton, based out of New Zealand.

We kick the episode off by understanding how his education and personal interests lead him into the world of I.T, and more specifically how he found his way into the Salesforce ecosystem and the roles that he's played.

 

John has worked within Salesforce Partner organisations prior to joining Xero, and he gives us insight into the key differences between working for a Partner and an end-customer, typically. He explains the day to day of his current role, and the challenges he faces, as well as what he finds the most rewarding.

 

As somebody who enjoys leading teams, John talks us through people leadership styles and the ability to achieve through others to retain talent. He explains the benefits of working effectively with stakeholders and well as your own team members, and how the idea of managing up is a skill that can make people more effective in their roles.

 

John has worked previously as a Salesforce contractor in Australia, and so he shares his experiences of the differences he identified between the New Zealand and Australian markets, and what the New Zealand Salesforce ecosystem is like at this point in time.

 

John has a really interesting background, an entrepreneurial spirit, and we hope that you enjoy the episode as much as we did recording it!

Anjali Subburaj on life after CTA in an enterprise environment within an end-user

In today's episode we speak with UK based Certified Technical Architect, Anjali Subburaj, who is Digital Commerce Chief Architect for a large end-user organisation.

Anjali has a fascinating story as she had an extensive Microsoft career prior to Salesforce, and so she explained what it was that appealed to her and her experience of the transition.

Anjali talks us through how she prepared for the CTA, and how she actively drove her career, and the choices that she has made since the achievement, which have taken her in an ambitious direction outside of the usual path.

She talks Salesforce mentoring, a life of continuous learning, and her top tips for advancement if the CTA is on your roadmap in this episode.

Make sure you're following Anjali on LinkedIn and you can also check out our sponsors, FlowRepublic as you prepare for the CTA journey.

We hope you enjoy the episode!

Dan McBeth on ways to spot potential Salesforce talent, and New Zealand as a place to develop your Salesforce career

In today's episode, we're joined by New Zealand based Salesforce Practice Manager for Davanti Consulting, Dan McBeth.

Dan talks to us about his early career in the UK, explaining how he first became involved in the Salesforce space, and the world of Salesforce projects.

As the leader of a sizable team at Davanti, Dan explains his preferred model for recruiting new members, and the interviewing strategy that he takes to uncover potential talent, not only from a non-Salesforce background but often from a non-technical background.

Dan gives us an interesting overview of the New Zealand market. He shares insight around what makes it different to other areas of the world as a place to live and work, and why it's an excellent place to develop in your career.

An insightful episode this week, and we recommend that you follow Dan on LinkedIn and that you check out the Davanti website for further reading.

We hope that you enjoy the episode!