Every year around International Women’s Day (March 8), we take the opportunity to celebrate working in an ecosystem that includes so many talented, inspiring, and influential women. I’m forever grateful to be surrounded daily, both in person and virtually, by women who are leading the way when it comes to gender equality and making ‘raising up others’ part of their mission.
So many deserve a shout-out in the Salesforce ecosystem – this list could easily run into the hundreds and beyond. I will give you my top ten women I think you should follow, but I would encourage you to comment and share everyone who has also made a difference to you. Let’s show them some appreciation!
1. Louise Lockie
Salesforce Consultant and Trainer
Louise is a Salesforce MVP Hall of Fame member and 21x certified Application Architect. She leads the London Women in Tech community group, co-organizes London’s Calling, and is a frequent speaker at Salesforce events.
Keep an eye out for her sessions at Salesforce events on “Well-Architected” and how to build a permission-set led security model.
2. Mariel Domingo
Courses Administrator at Salesforce Ben
Call me biased (Mariel works for me), but I truly think that you should follow Mariel! Mariel is a 5x certified Salesforce Administrator who shares her knowledge via articles, videos, and courses for Salesforce Ben.
Apart from being a lovely human being, the real reason why I think you should follow Mariel is for her top-quality Salesforce content. I’m not exaggerating when I say that I think her content is better than mine (!). She has a real knack for teaching beginners, breaking down tough technical concepts into scenarios that others can understand.
She really is a writer to watch in the Salesforce space – you’ll be seeing her everywhere.
3. Lilith Van Biesen
Salesforce Certified Technical Architect at Capgemini
Lilith is a Salesforce Certified Technical Architect and Salesforce MVP. She holds an amazing 32 certifications!
She is passionate about sharing her knowledge as a CTA and can be found speaking at Salesforce events around the world.
4. Melissa Shepard
Salesforce CTA and Founder at ScaleUp Archs
Melissa is a 36x certified Salesforce Certified Technical Architect! She is pivotal in the Architect community, founding Architect Ohana Slack and ScaleUp Archs, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping underrepresented groups become Salesforce Architects.
In addition, she is a MuleSoft Ambassador, Well-Architected Ambassador, Marketing Champion, and a Salesforce mentor.
5. Anna Loughnan Colquhoun
Salesforce Adoption Lead at Bank of New Zealand
Anna is a well-recognized 13x certified Salesforce MVP. I have met Anna at several events and she was nominated for this list by one of our readers who left a comment on last year’s list! Anna is a mentor, Wellington Salesforce Trailblazer Community Group Leader, and prides herself on connecting people – something I feel is incredibly important to empower and support other women.
6. Pei Mun Lim
Founder at Zenhao
Looking for someone who knows what’s what when it comes to project management and business analysis? Look no further, Pei is known for her expert knowledge – she’s even written a book!
She runs zenhaotraining.co.uk, a leadership academy for consulting and project delivery excellence, and is a frequent speaker at Salesforce events.
On a more personal note, Pei is a Samaritans volunteer, a cause close to my heart as some of my closest friends also volunteer for the Samaritans here in Bristol. I know from their experience the effort and toll this volunteering can take. Find out how being a Samaritans volunteer has helped Pei become a better project manager here.
7. Melissa Hill Dees
Founding Partner at HandsOn Connect Cloud Solutions
If you work in the nonprofit sector, then you’ll almost certainly have heard of Melissa, a 10x certified Salesforce MVP.
She co-runs Campfire Stories, is a Founding Partner at HandsOn Connect, a Nonprofit Community Group Leader, and a Dreamforce speaker. She also serves on the Board of Amplify and FoodBank USA and is the co-founder of Nonprofit Dreamin and #foodforce.
8. Doria Hamelryk
Founder at Nuvoleous
Doria is a 20x certified Salesforce MVP, Golden Hoodie recipient, and Paris WIT Group Leader. She is a familiar face at Salesforce events, and I have had the personal pleasure of bumping into her several times over the past year, including North African Dreamin’, where she kindly translated for me in a restaurant to ensure they didn’t put coriander (cilantro) on my food!
9. Andreea Doroftei
Salesforce Consultant at UiPath
In my opinion, Andreea is one of the best Salesforce technical writers out there. She writes a plethora of articles for Salesforce Ben and is never afraid to tackle tough concepts! I love that she creates very clear tutorials to empower others to learn how to use features.
On a personal level, Andreea and I often discuss Salesforce features, and I thoroughly enjoy bouncing technical ideas around with her. She’s my ‘go-to’ if I’m unsure I’ve understood something properly.
10. Guilda Hilaire
Director of Product Marketing at Salesforce
Guilda is a Director of Product Marketing at Salesforce. In her current role, she leads global community programs that reward, recognize, and educate top community experts and advocates for Salesforce Marketing Cloud. She is passionate about making learning accessible to everyone, from business executives to job seekers to students.
Over dinner in Casablanca during North Africa Dreamin’, I got to know Guilda a bit better. She was so warm and welcoming, with seemingly boundless energy and a clear passion for helping others. Guilda goes out of her way to support and advocate for others at every opportunity – an inspirational leader.
Allies
I’ve added a new section to my annual International Women’s Day article to highlight some exceptional allies in the ecosystem. I’ve had my fair share of negative experiences in the ecosystem over the years, and I cannot express enough what a difference it makes when I encounter allies who create a safe and welcoming space.
Below are a few of my allies, and I would love for you to comment with your allies as well – especially with examples of how they make a difference.
Houssam Saoudy and Abdelhakim Mouttaqui
Houssam and Abdelhakim are the co-organizers of North Africa Dreamin’, which I was lucky enough to speak at in October ‘23. They went out of their way to create an event that welcomed and championed women. I don’t have the statistics, but as an attendee, it was evident that there were more men in attendance (which is not uncommon!). However, I noticed that there were many female speakers, and I think I may know why…
Houssam and Abdelhakim actively sought me out at another event (Yeur Dreamin’) to ask me about being a speaker. I appreciate this proactive approach as a speaker and I think it’s vital when trying to increase female representation. This is something I do to try and increase female attendees at my Community Group; I research on LinkedIn and connect with as many women as possible, often reaching out via message to invite them to meetups.
Houssam and Abdelhakim also organized henna and an Amariya chair ceremony to celebrate the female speakers. I felt celebrated and valued as a woman in the Salesforce ecosystem. It was a truly memorable event and one I look forward to returning to.
Todd Halfpenny
Todd is the ultimate ally – he just does everything right. Todd may be the nicest, most welcoming, and approachable person in the Salesforce ecosystem. As an organizer of London’s Calling, Todd will be sure to check in with attendees and speakers like me to ensure we are ok and have everything we need. Todd is always available to help and advise when called upon; there’s no gatekeeping, and he has a knack for explaining things in layperson’s terms.
Graham Russell
Graham is my favorite co-speaker. Having done three sessions with Graham, I can honestly say he is so much fun to work with and I always look forward to co-speaking with him. More importantly, Graham is not only open to my ideas and feedback, he actively encourages them. He champions my contributions to our sessions and makes me feel like a valued participant.
Angus Brown
Angus is my co-leader at the Bristol Salesforce Admin Community Group. What I value about Angus is that he lets me be me – by this, I mean that he lets me be hyper-organized and a bit of a ‘control freak’.
I’ve always preferred to work alone, and it’s taken me time to learn to rely on someone else. It’s been wonderful to have someone happy to take on tasks, bounce ideas around with, and help me turn fun ideas for the community group into a reality. Angus is vocal about my efforts and contributions to our community group, ensuring everyone appreciates what goes into being an organizer.
Summary
“How do people come up with lists of people to follow?” That’s a question I often ask myself when I see these types of lists. Is it random? Are these people really relevant to me and worth following?
When creating my list of ten women to follow in the Salesforce ecosystem, I can only do it based on my own knowledge and sources of inspiration – that’s why I would love you to comment on this post with all the other amazing women out there who you know deserve recognition!
I’ve included women who have had a personal impact on me and those who are genuinely putting out useful content that I think you’ll enjoy. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have met almost all of the women on this list, either in person or virtually.
I know there are so many more voices out there and so many talented and passionate women in the community that I have yet to meet. I want to hear from you! I want to see you all over social media and the community! So, let me finish by saying that if you have something to say, something to write about, something to celebrate – please share it. You can be confident that there is a HUGE community of women who stand behind you and want to celebrate your success.