Salesforce has announced its annual sub-Saharan African Partner Award winners for FY22.
The event was held in person for the first time since the pandemic began. The awards recognise outstanding performance by members of Salesforce’s partner ecosystem in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) for the fiscal year 2022 (to end January 2022).
The awards are determined by the extent to which partners contribute to customer success, the number of certified resources, and the revenue contribution of the partner in each category.
Awards were handed out as follows:
* Customer Success – recognises partners who share Salesforce’s commitment to customer success through the development of product, industry, and service expertise, as demonstrated by Salesforce specialisations. Building a strong track record of successful implementations and maintaining a high level of customer satisfaction. Winner: Cloudsmiths
* Outstanding Knowledge – recognises partners who have a laser focus on expanding their Salesforce Practise. By utilising all available enablement tools, they have increased their total number of certifications, certified individuals, and use of partner learning camps. Winner: Bluesky
* Sales Excellence SMB -This award highlights partners who are committed to growing the Salesforce footprint within the SMB market. They have demonstrated this through increased sales and marketing engagement reflected in being the Top influenced Annual Contract Value (ACV) contributor. Winner: Blue Consulting
* Sales Excellence Enterprise – highlights partners who are committed to growing the Salesforce footprint within the Commercial and Enterprise market. They have demonstrated this through increased sales and marketing engagement reflected in being Top Influenced ACV contributors. Winner: Exah
* Community Impact -recognises partners who have dedicated their time, money and resources to have a positive impact on the local community. This is measured through their enrollment in Salesforce’s Talent Alliance, Pledge 1% and sustainability programs, as well as their demonstrated corporate responsibility. Winner: Accenture
* Outstanding New Logo – This award celebrates partners who positioned Salesforce to help solve unique and complex business challenges for new customers across Africa. Winner: Kameleon Solutions
* Rising star – celebrates the partner with the most growth based on program pillars – Customer success (Navigator + CSAT), Innovation (Credentials & Practise Growth), Growth (Influenced ACV) and Lead (Equality and Sustainable Development). Winner: Weku
* Partner of the Year award – recognises partners that have gone above and beyond in their commitment to building a world class Salesforce practice. They have excelled across all of the Consulting program pillars, built a strong alignment with Salesforce’s Sales Team and dedicated Marketing to ensure pipeline creation and progression. These partners are a true extension of Salesforce. Winner – Exah
Salesforce recently announced that it was moving forward with its expansion plans in South Africa by establishing its first legal entity in the country after seeing how businesses have been able to pivot and maximise the benefits of digital through its partner network.
According to a recent IDC report, Salesforce is accelerating growth for its partner ecosystem, which would generate $6.31 for every dollar Salesforce earned locally by 2022.
“Our partners are key for us,” says Robin Fisher, senior area vice-president for Salesforce Emerging Markets. “As we expand our presence in South Africa, we want to continue to grow and expand our network of partners. Our collaboration with our partner ecosystem is critical for initiatives to create job opportunities to meet the continent’s growing demand for Salesforce skills.”