Freya Crawshaw - London Salesforce Women in Tech User Group

This blog is part of a blog series to highlight Salesforce Community Champion, from user group leaders, developer group leaders, and members from around the world #Ohana

In this blog, I would like to introduce one of the leaders from the United Kingdom, Freya Crawshaw, co-leaders of London Salesforce Women in Tech User Group.

Tell me about yourself, which Salesforce group you lead, and how many co-leaders in your group?
My name is Freya Crawshaw, I’m a Community & Collaboration Practitioner based in London for the past 2 years. I lead the London Salesforce Women in Tech User Group along with the awesome MVP’s Louise Lockie and Jodi Wagner.
  

How do you become WiT group leader? and what made you interested in accepting the role as group leader? 
I first attended a Salesforce User group back in 2013 and met Jennifer Laing, who at the time was setting up the Scotland Women in Tech User Group, I jumped at the chance to join other women for a cause I was passionate about. 

When I moved to London in 2015, I immediately got in touch with Jodi, who was at the time found the London Women in Tech group. She invited me to co-lead, 8 months later along with Louise and we’re now an unstoppable force.


How often your group meetup?
We try to meet at least once a month, we have lots of User Groups in London so it’s great to be able to have joint meet ups and bring our members together.


How long have been your group established?
The user group has been up and running since September 2015. Our first big event was in May 2016 at Salesforce Tower where we had 126 Women in Tech and allies attend for a panel session and preview of the Stemettes documentary.


How big is your user group member, and the number of members attend the meetup in average?
We hold lots of different types of meetups so or numbers vary month to month. Our evening with Ladies who Salesforce was the biggest at 126, we hold Saturday brunch meetings where we have roughly about 15 spaces. An average meetup has around 50 people.


What do you love being WIT group leader?
I love bringing people together over a shared connection. That’s the driving motivation for me as a User Group leader – build a safe space for people to come and be themselves.


What do the challenges become a group leader and how to overcome it?
Getting the location, sponsor, and people together all in one place can be a logistical challenge with a full-time job and a personal life, it isn’t always easy to find that balance of time which is important.

Oh, and if it’s sunny in London people would rather be outside (perhaps we move our meetups to the park when it is sunny) – we get about a 50% dropout rate here.


Tell us what is unique about your WIT group
We’ve had two speakers who have been awarded MBE’s and one who has received an OBE in the Queen’s honors list. We’ve also had a Paralympic Gold medalist.


Share us tips that make your group success
Our biggest success? Mixing it up! We keep a mix of formal and informal meetings – our August 2017 meet up might even be a User Group first! Follow us on @LondonSFDCWiT to find out what we got up to.


What would like to see your group in the future? 
I’d love to see our User Group come together more outside our monthly meetings. We’re already seeing some of that, but I want to keep the conversation going, for people to know they can reach out on any other day of the month. That’s what’s in my master plan for the rest of the year.


One last thing you would like to share with the community
At our WiT group, everyone is welcome. It isn’t just for Women; in fact, we love for our allies to join us in conversation. We can only make a change if we come together.

Simplysfdc comment: thanks for sharing London WIT group, love to hear you guys have varieties of contents and speakers. Having a meetup in the park, why not????

Sonika Tomar - Salesforce, Gurgaon Women In Tech User Group (India)

This blog is part of a blog series to highlight Salesforce Community Champion, from user group leaders, developer group leaders, and members from around the world #Ohana

Introducing our community champion Sonika Tomar - Salesforce, Gurgaon Women In Tech User Group leader.

Tell us about yourself, how is your Salesforce journey? Are you the group founder, and any other co-leaders in your group?
My name is Sonika Tomar. I have been working as a “Salesforce Consultant” for more than 3 years. At the very outset, I started my journey as VFX artist. 

After then, SaaSnic gave me an opportunity to step in Salesforce. I started learning Salesforce through “SaaSnic Technologies”. I am pleased to change my direction in Salesforce as it has many valuable career opportunities to volunteer. 

Today, I am proud to be part of Salesforce echo system and I am proud that I am leading “Salesforce, Gurgaon Women In Tech User Group”. I don’t have any co-leader as I myself can flourish the group efficiently.

Yes, I am the group founder and leader of the WIT group and I am administrating the group with brimming competence. 


What is WIT group? Is that only for women?
I do believe that every individual is exclusive in his own way just as a fingerprint is and women also must be given equal chance to prove their individuality. The contribution of women can be seen enormously in all fields. Nowadays, women are becoming more and more inclined towards mechanization. 

Current scenario has witnessed many welfare programs for women. Salesforce development is one of the platforms which has taken a great initiative for women empowerment by launching WIT groups globally.

WIT is the acronym for “Women Integrated Technology”. The aphorism of WIT is “Cheers to feminism and the strength all women possess”. 

WIT will work seamlessly for a betterment of women, and to make them realize how valuable, powerful and commendable they are. The purpose of starting WIT group is to promote more and more females in this high-tech world by conducting stirring discussions with them.

Yes, WIT is a female-centric group where they have the freedom to come up with their vision, issues, ambitions, and guidance they are viewing for in the technical world. I hope this initiative will influence more females to work distinctively.


Do you have the standard local group (User or Developer) in your city?
Yes, we do have few groups around the city which comprise of both male and female. Executives from various spheres come up with their unique outlook. This group basically organizes technical sessions and hold discussions on the essence of Salesforce. 


How long have been your group established?
It has been approximately 6 months since “Gurgaon WIT User Group” started. I have organized two kickoff events so far. The events were graced by the presence of more than 20 females and to my surprise, most of them had already made a mark in Salesforce. Conversations of the members were mainly concentrated on how revenue is earned from CRM, advanced outgrowth and how rapidly market is booming in Salesforce.  


How often your group meetup?
I have proposed to organize an event quarterly. Women from all areas can hook-up the link with the group and can debate on the topics like high valued marketing companies, cloud computing, and other vital issues. This made the members more acquainted with the current trends in the market.


How big is your user group member, and members attend for the meetup in average?
The thought of WIT-a new beginning for females gave me the courage to take a step which will make a significant difference for the place of women in society. I knew I had to broaden my vision with more brilliant and innovative ideas and plans to gather members. 

I started the group with the aim of involving as many females as possible. I managed to attract 50 girls and more than 20 members attended the events. As WIT excelled more and more women came in. I am delighted to reveal that at present my group constitutes 120 members and I hope to lay an everlasting impact with my modest initiative.


What have you learned as a group leader?
The thought of becoming a leader is a matter of great responsibility as you have to supervise all the tasks by yourself. Leading a Salesforce group demanded extensive knowledge about not only Salesforce but social media, web services, IT infrastructure and all the latest technologies. 

I would like to convey my genuine and earnest acknowledgment to “SaaSnic Technologies” and its efficient executives for their commendable support and cooperation which assisted me to master in Salesforce. 

As a group leader, I learned the art of coordination and how to cope up with different people. I even expanded my knowledge regarding the recent developments prominent in the market.


What do you love being a group leader?
Leadership requires many skills like good orientation, positive attitude, and commitment towards your work. Discovering your group’s vision is vital to prosper in your endeavors. 

Being a group leader I got an opportunity to come in contact with some of the incredibly talented people not only in Salesforce but from other spheres as well. The group consisted of people from all age groups. Some were college students and were seeking for appropriate career choices. 

After attending the event they were swayed to choose Salesforce as a career. I always love to meet new folk and share my knowledge & experiences with them. 


What do the challenges become a group leader and how to overcome it?
The biggest challenge which came during my journey of establishing WIT was to inculcate in myself the appropriate proficiency in Salesforce. Apart from this I also had to deal with time-management, prioritizing the events, thinking wisely and making correct decisions.

To overcome this I had to increase my efficiency so that I could be an inspiration for the members of the group. After seeing the success of my group all these things seem trivial now.


What do you think the "uniqueness" of your Group compare to others?
I wanted to serve as a guiding light in the lives of those women who felt hesitant to face the world. Keeping this perception in mind I took a step forward to lay a foundation of WIT. The concept of bringing women at the front foot in the field of automation is unique in itself. 

Salesforce has elaborated the group’s perspective to a next level. My main motive is to lend voice to all the females and encourage them to work productively which will enhance an individuals’ personality.      


Share us tips that make your group success 
When we initiate a group then it is expected from the group leader to be patient as you need to deal with people with different psychologies. It is expected from a leader to be open-minded and listen to the audience as only then can the leader give his advice. It is the responsibility of a leader to be more flexible and committed and serve his role systematically. As of my group my association with Salesforce made it huge.   


What would like to see your group in the future? 
As the group is progressing with time my expectations are also growing. I have the perception of making WIT an epic in Salesforce through the participation of women. 

A number of female intellectuals are prompting to be associated with the group which is a great achievement for me. WIT acknowledges the unbeatable spirit of women.


One last thing you would like to share with the community?
Women must be given equality in every sector. They must be stimulated to work by identifying their strengths be it in gathering knowledge in Salesforce, Information Technology, cloud-computing or any other field. 

Simplysfdc comment: thanks for sharing Gurgaon Women In Tech User Group with us, and thanks for your leadership for the community.

Keiko Niimi 新美啓子 - Salesforce Tokyo W power group

This blog is part of a blog series to highlight Salesforce Community Champion, from user group leaders, developer group leaders, and members from around the world #Ohana

I would like to introduce our next champion from the land of the rising sun - Keiko Niimi 新美啓子 (that link is not Twitter, but it's Facebook, from my experience connect with Japanese friends, they are mostly on Facebook, and not really on Twitter).

Niimi-san is "Salesforce Tokyo W power group" leader - I would assume W power group in Japan is similar with WIT. She would like to share with us Salesforce Tokyo W power group. If you can't read Japanese, you know google is your friend :)

Tell us something about yourself, which Salesforce group you lead?
W power groupでリーダーをしています。
17人の頼れるコアメンバーがいます。


How do you become Tokyo W power group leader?
W power group は、Salesforceユーザー会の女性メンバーで立ち上げたUGです。
※Salesforce社は主体でなく、事務局としてご支援いただいています。

私がリーダーとなったのは、W power group 発足会で立候補したからです。
本当は、私よりもずっと優れた方がたくさんいらっしゃいました。
ただ、皆さんお忙しいので、リーダーの役割を担うことが難しかったのです。
発足会で、皆さんの熱い想いを聞いて、「この人達と一緒にやっていきたい」と思い立候補しました。
この発足会で、ご参加いただいた方がコアメンバーとして、現在も一緒に運営しています。


Can you share with us the journey and history of W power group establishment?
日本のUG全体のメンバの女性比率は２～３割(感覚値)で、圧倒的に男性の方が多いです。

■2013年～2015年
W power groupを立ち上げた2013年は、安倍首相が総理大臣になり、
いわゆるアベノミクス「3本の矢」を掲げた年です。
そして、3本の矢の一つである「成長戦略」の中で「女性の活躍」が挙げられています。

日本では、男女雇用機会均等法が制定されてから長く経ちますが、仕事で女性にスポットが当たるのは、難しい状況でした。

そこで、「Salesforceと女性の力で日本の変革を推進する会」というのをサブタイトルとして掲げ、「女性も働きやすい社会」になるためにどうすべきかの情報提供、情報交換の場として運営してきました。

■2015年～2016年秋
W power groupの名前は徐々に浸透してきましたが、女性の参加者は毎回8割以上でした。
女性も働きやすい環境を作っていくためには、女性だけでなく、男性の意見も必要です。
そしてワーキングマザーだけでなく、経営層などいろんな視点での考え方が必要であることに気づきました。
そこで「workstyle」に重きを置いた運営に変えて行くことにしました。


■2016年冬～現在
「働き方改革」というワードがトレンドとなり、
W power groupの活動が、注目されるようになりました。
みんなが無駄だと思っている日々の業務を改善するための、アイディアを出す場としています。


Are you the group founder, what made you accepting the role as the group leader? 
私は、発足時からのメンバーなので、割愛します。


How often your group meetup?
今年は、4回開催予定です。
時々、特別講師を招いた会やお食事会も開催しています。


How big is your user group member, and the average number of members attend for the meetup?
130人です。(フォロー数)
先日開催された企画では、約50名のユーザーが参加して下さりました。


What have you learned as a group leader?
 私は、UGleader になった事で、
本当に多くのことを学びました。
ユーザー会の運営、「働く」事の意味など、たくさんの尊敬できるUGメンバーから教えてもらいました。


What do you love being a group leader?
W power groupをきっかけに、とても尊敬できる素敵なメンバーと出会う事が出来ました。


What do the challenges become a group leader and how do you overcome it?
発足時と現在で、テーマが変わるように、その時代に合ったみんなが興味を持つテーマを考えて企画したいです。
ただ、根幹の「女性も働きやすい社会の実現」は残した上で、これからもやっていきます。


Tell us something what unique about your group
機能にフォーカスするのではなく、その時の話題となっているトピックから、
Salesforceをどう生かせるか、ディスカッションする点です。

また、他のユーザー会よりも女性が多いです。


One last thing you would like to share with the community
偶然にも、salesforce 社が掲げている「equality 」とW power groupの考え方が通じるところもあり、よりsalesforce のUGである事の意味がでてきたように思います。

これからも、「女性も働きやすい社会の実現」を根底として、楽しみながらたくさんの企画を考えたいです。

wow #Robohon #Trailbalzers "hello hello"

Simplysfdc comment: thanks for sharing about W power group Niimi-san, thanks for your leadership and hospitality #Ohana

Notsiblank Monica - Los Angeles Women in Tech User Group

This blog is part of a blog series to highlight Salesforce Community Champion, from user group leaders, developer group leaders, and members from around the world #Ohana

In this series, one the most famous person in Salesforce #Ohana "Notisblank Monica" from Los Angeles, California would like to share Los Angeles Women in Tech User Group.

Hello Monica, tell me about yourself, which User Group you lead, and how many co-leaders in your group?
Aloha #salesforce ohana! I am known in the community as Notisblank Monica. The nickname comes from my love of Salesforce formulas inspired by Steve Mo and other formula gurus I learn from by reading their Answers Community posts.  I learn something new every day and therefore consider myself to be a "community taught" button click developer. I co-lead the newly created Los Angeles Women in Tech UG with Nickki Gibaut.


I heard that your User Group just launch a few months ago, would you like to share the journey? and what made you would like to start the group? 
Last June, I met Alex Pisani (Community Program Coordinator) at the  TrailheaDX developer conference and mentioned in an offhand manner that I was a member of the Southern California Women in Tech user group but had never made it to one of the meetups. 

The reason was that the locations and times did not work due to Los Angeles traffic. I could not afford to miss one-half day of work to travel to the meeting. Folks from other areas find it inconceivable but in Southern California, it can take an hour or more to travel just a couple of miles. And since the So Cal group stretched from Orange County to Ventura County with every city in between, planning, coordination and attendance were huge challenges for the So Cal leaders Melinda Smith and Melonie Scott.

Then, in February Melonie and I were volunteer teaching assistants for a Girl Develop It course taught by Gillian Bruce. During one of the Melonie asked for a volunteer to lead a new Los Angeles WIT group since Salesforce was splitting Southern California into two groups. 

Yay! Now I had no more excuses for not getting involved in WIT. I had to help make it happen,  so I submitted the User Group leader application and drafted Nickki to co-lead with me.


How often you plan for User Group meetup?
Since we are new and are building our membership base we are meeting every month to get acquainted and discover what times, locations, topics and event types work best.


How big is your user group member, how many members attend for the meetup in average?
We have 56 members as of today and are growing every week. It has been amazing so far. Our first two meetings have each had about 14 attendees and we were blessed to have Gillian Bruce attend for very first meetup April 11, 2017.


What have you learned as a User Group leader?
Nickki and I are still finding our groove. The last meeting we had at a wine bar. Great idea we thought... until the acoustic musicians started playing so loudly we could no longer hear each other. Our meetup was in jeopardy until one of our members convinced the manager to give us a private dining room which was already taken by another party. 


What do you love being a User Group leader?
We love spending time with our ohana.  Every time is different and there is always something unexpected to learn and,  advice and support to share.


What do the challenges become a group leader and how to overcome it?
I was very lucky because my #gifsquad friend, Melinda Smith, had already convinced Salesforce to create the Los Angeles WIT group. She was moving to Denver so they needed a leader for the new group. The application is very easy and the process takes a month or so.


What do you think the "uniqueness" about your UG compare to others?
I think every group has its own character and personality that comes from the members. Los Angeles is a mecca for dreamers who want to change the world and I see our members as powerful, creative, and generous. So far we have not had trouble keeping the conversations lively and I love the fact that everyone feels comfortable enough to express their opinions.


Share us tips that make your User Group success
Promotion and growing membership is a challenge so do not be afraid to ask for help from any Salesforce ohana you meet.
I tagged Gillian Bruce on our meetup tweets and she came to our first event and has offered to come to other meetings on occasion. I  just recently met Peter Coffee at the Force Academy LA and asked if he would speak at a meeting.  He said 'yes" (schedule permitting of course). So don't be shy. Invite and they will come!


What would like to see your User Group in the future? 
I would love for Los Angeles WIT group to become a  mentoring resource for women who are interested or just starting out in a Salesforce career. It would be fantastic to see women helping women succeed in their careers with no strings attached.


One last thing you would like to share with the community
Don't be intimidated to think you need to be an MVP or have thousands of followers on Twitter to start a user group or a group on the Success Community.  Don't be afraid. Other Ohana is eager to hear what you have to say. 

Simplysfdc comment: Thanks for sharing on Los Angeles Women in Tech User Group, and great to see more and more user group sharing their experience. But, I love this quote Los Angeles is a mecca for dreamers who want to change the world!