Like many big software companies, Salesforce has an honor they bestow to most influential supporters. They call this the Salesforce MVP program. The Trailblazer Community team recently announced the 2023 Salesforce MVP program inductees, and we were thrilled to see many of our favorite marketing voices on the list.
Marketers don’t always get the recognition they deserve, which is why we’re on a mission to showcase all of the amazing things marketers do. We’re especially excited to highlight the people who are shining the limelight on Salesforce marketing tools for a change.
Background of the program
If you haven’t already noticed, there’s a whole lot to learn about using marketing automation and CRM tools. Salesforce does everything they can to make resources available to customers so the tools are easier to use and customize, but everyone learns in their own way.
Sometimes we need real people who have been working closely with these tools to teach us what’s possible with them. (You know, like, other customers and people with an outsider’s perspective)
That’s where the Salesforce MVP program comes in. These are all people who share what they know about the platform and personally connect with others who are still learning.
According to the Salesforce MVP Code of Conduct, MVPs are “lifelong learners who go above and beyond to share their expertise and help the entire community succeed… [and] leaders in the Trailblazer Community who encourage each other, celebrate others’ successes, work collaboratively to make our community and the world a better place, and have a lot of fun along the way!”
Here’s the MVP Hall of Fame and Member Directory, which goes into complete detail about the program.
How Salesforce MVPs are Selected
Wondering how people get a spot in the program? Here’s how the process works:
- Salesforce opens nominations for MVPs around November each year.
- Community members either self nominate or can share stories to nominate others.
- Current MVPs do not need to take action, they are automatically reviewed for renewal.
- The Trailblazer Community team completes the first round of nomination reviews.
- Then, the nominations go through a second round of reviews from a team of Salesforce employees who are active in the Trailblazer Community
- After that, current Salesforce MVPs provide feedback to new nominations and nomination renewals.
- The Trailblazer Community team completes a final review before the Salesforce leadership team makes final calls and approvals.
The 2023 Salesforce MVP Class
Congratulations to everyone who was selected to join the 2023 Salesforce MVP Class!
| MVP Name | MVP Name |
| Aaron Crosman | Michael A. Grandel |
| Andy Engin Utkan | Mihoko Yamashita |
| Ankit Taneja | Oleh Mykytyn |
| Asterisk Loftis | Patricio Sapir |
| Ben LaMothe | Phaneendra Arigachetta |
| Gian Piere Vallejos Bardales | Rachel Park Brayboy |
| Johann Furmann | Samantha Shain |
| Kannan Narayanan | Skye Tyler |
| Kristi Brown | Swati Taunk |
| Kristin Hubbard | Thomas Theunen |
| Lilith Van Biesen | Vicki Moritz-Henry |
| Maham Hassan | Warren Walters |
Marketers Who Made the New 2023 Salesforce MVP List
We were thrilled to see two people we know from the Salesforce marketing community who made the list. Special congratulations to Ben Lamothe and Vicki Moritz-Henry and thanks for all the work you do for the community!
In fact, we know these two MVPs thanks to their work with the MarDreamin’ conference. Both have presented at MarDreamin’ in past years and have contributed in other ways.
Our team reached out to them to get their thoughts on their new Salesforce MVP honors. Here’s what they had to say:
Ben Lamothe
“Being selected as a Salesforce MVP is an honor and is truly humbling. Giving back to the Salesforce and Account Engagement (Pardot) Trailblazer community that has changed my life and given me so much, is so important to me.”
Vicki Moritz-Henry
“When I transitioned careers into Salesforce, I was astounded by how supportive the community was. There were so many people who encouraged, mentored and taught me over the years. I honestly wouldn’t be where I am now if it wasn’t for them. My motivation is to spread that impact and be that same person for others.”
Andrea Tarrell Added to the Salesforce MVP Hall of Fame
Last but most certainly not least, we wanna send a huge congratulations to the person who started this whole blog (and Sercante) in the first place. Andrea Tarrell has been an influential voice in the Salesforce community for close to a decade, and she’s served as a Salesforce MVP enough years for Salesforce to add her to the MVP Hall of Fame in 2023.
Launching The Spot for Pardot blog is only a small fraction of everything Andrea has contributed to Salesforce Trailblazer Community through the years. She’s spoken at countless events including Dreamforce, Connections, Dreamin’ conferences and user group meetings. Andrea even launched the first virtual conference for marketers on Salesforce in 2020 — MarDreamin’ (formerly ParDreamin’).
Keep being helpful and the rest will fall into place
The Trailblazer Community team received over 2,400 MVP nominations in 2023, so of course some people were disappointed to learn they weren’t among the 24 new MVPs who were selected. The most important takeaway though is to keep going! While the MVP program brings inherent benefits along with it (i.e. free entry to conferences, getting asked to participate in high-profile marketing content), the true benefit is that helping others helps you, too.
When the community grows, we all grow together. And there’s room for us all to be successful in the community. So, keep sharing what you know. Start a Salesforce blog (or you can write for this one!). Apply to speak at community events. Volunteer with a Salesforce mentorship program, like Merivis, for instance.
The possibilities to give back are endless. Tell us how giving back to the tech community has enriched your life in the comments section.
