Talent Hub Talk

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!

Aidan Flynn on a Salesforce career that has taken him across the globe, the Latin American Salesforce market, and the growth of CPQ

In today's episode, we're joined by Colombian based owner and Founder of Twilo, a Salesforce Partner with expertise in CPQ and Billing projects that have disrupted the model of Salesforce offshoring.

Aidan's extensive Salesforce career has enabled him to relocate initially from London to Sydney, before launching his own business in Latin America, and working closely with the US markets.

We talk to him about his career before Salesforce, the early days of Salesforce projects in London, and the differences not only between the regions but the evolution of the Salesforce market that he's seen over the years.

Having built a team in Colombia with Twilo, Aidan explains his preferred model for growing the business, the strategy for uncovering talent in Colombia, and the approach he takes to training and upskilling.

As specialists in CPQ and Billing, with extensive experience in Field Service Lightning, we talk to Aidan about the size and frequency of Twilo's projects in the US, and best practices for companies undertaking CPQ projects of their own to be aware of.

An insightful episode and we recommend that you follow Aidan and Twilo on LinkedIn and that you check out the Twilo website for further reading.

We hope that you enjoy the episode!

Susannah St-Germain on Salesforce data and a recovery strategy

Today's episode is a rebroadcast from a LinkedIn Live that we did with Boston-based Salesforce Technical Architect and MVP, Susannah St-Germain.

Salesforce are soon to retire their Data Recovery Service, and we went through in detail what this will mean for companies, who really needs to be aware, and why.

Susannah explains the people who should be involved in bedding down a strategy, what a strategy actually looks like within a business, and how to start that conversation. Recovery and back up within a business has limitations and a number of factors to consider, and so a plan of how it would be executed if ever required is key.

This is a really insightful discussion, and Susannah regularly publishes updates on LinkedIn and Twitter, so make sure you're following her for further insights. You can also check out references to Odaseva and their services.

We hope you enjoy the chat!

Brad Riley on deciding to pursue CTA and helping other people on the journey

In today's episode, we're joined by New Zealand based Certified Technical Architect, Brad Riley, to talk about his technology career before Salesforce and the story of how he initially became involved with the platform.

We talk about how his life in Consulting opened up the world of Salesforce certifications, and how he was inspired to pursue the Salesforce CTA, by one moment in particular. Brad gives insight into not only how he prepared for the Review Board, but also how he sees his responsibility as a CTA having made the achievement, and what it has meant for him in his life.

Brad talks us through the work he does with the Davanti Consulting internal Architecture capability within his role, giving him the chance to support upcoming Architects to help them on their own journeys.

This is a really insightful episode, we hope you enjoy it, and we recommend that you follow Brad on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradri/.

This episode is sponsored by FlowRepublic, the Elite Salesforce Academy.

David Dawson on growing your Salesforce career from development into technical leadership

In today's episode, we're joined by Salesforce Engineering Manager, David Dawson, and this chat is a must-listen for anyone coming down the Developer track. Crucially, we talk to David about his own journey down the lesser travelled path of management and technical leadership, as an alternative to the architecture route that many Salesforce Developers pursue. David has accelerated his career in recent years by driving his Salesforce career in this direction, and we discuss with him his early days in development and the transitions he's worked through to get to the point of where he is today. We talk about his experiences working for a technology business, how his learning is amplified when working alongside high calibre Engineers, and how his principles and mindset were challenged to think differently, particularly when moving from smaller projects into enterprise-level projects. We delve into how David interviews for his own team, what he looks for, and the tips and advice that he shares for others who find themselves at a similar fork in their own career path, from Salesforce Developer, with several routes to consider. Make sure you're following David at https://www.linkedin.com/in/daviddawson90/ and we hope you enjoy the episode!

Shane Williams on engagement and performance in distributed Salesforce teams

In this episode, we're rebroadcasting a LinkedIn Live discussion with Shane Williams focusing on engagement and performance in distributed Salesforce teams, including leading dispersed teams and how to tackle the challenges, as well as the biggest differences between leading face to face, and remotely. We talked about building positive, results-driven cultures in remote Salesforce teams, managing performance, and working towards the same vision in what could be a ‘new normal’ way of working from 2020 onwards. We reference the survey which we conducted in the midst of COVID-19, the results of which will be published in very soon, in June 2020

BONUS Q&A: Virtual Dreamin 16-17 May 2020 - 7 must-watch sessions with FlowRepublic Founder, Sebastian Wagner

In today’s bonus episode, we’re joined by the Founder of Salesforce Architect Academy, FlowRepublic, Sebastian Wagner, to talk about the world’s first Virtual Dreamin conference. Virtual Dreamin is a two-day Salesforce event over the weekend of 16-17 May 2020, and is available online no matter where in the world you are located. We talk with Sebastian about the seven particular sessions that he recommends you attend, no matter your individual career goals and interests, as they are jam-packed with rich content and insights. Find out how you can get involved by visiting the Virtual Dreamin site. Make sure you’re following Sebastian on LinkedIn for more CTA related content. We hope you enjoy the episode!

Doina Popa on being the first female CTA outside of the USA and becoming a new business owner in the Salesforce ecosystem

In today's episode, we're joined by Germany based CTA and Founder of InnoTrue, Doina Popa. We first met Doina over five years ago and having collaborated on a number of content pieces previously, it was great to catch up with her.

Doina has a unique perspective on the Salesforce landscape, having previously worked in a senior capacity for a broad spectrum of business types, and has a deep understanding of the nuances between ISVs, end users, consultancies, and even Salesforce themselves.

As the third female CTA in the world and the first outside of the USA, we spoke with Doina about her journey to CTA, how she prepared for the Review Board, and how her experiences and thirst for knowledge have led her to recently launching her own Salesforce Consultancy following a relocation back to Germany.

Doina is generous and inspiring with her time, and is heavily involved in a number of on and offline Salesforce initiatives, as well as being a Master Coach at Architect Training Academy, FlowRepublic.

We enjoyed hearing what excites her for the future, and her plans for the Women in Tech Community Group in Munich. Make sure you're following Doina on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/doinapopa/.

We hope you enjoy the episode!