Sharif Shaalan

In 2000, Sharif Shaalan completed his business management degree at Rutgers University. He then held various sales positions from 2000 to 2007, consistently ranking as a top seller. His introduction to Salesforce came in 2007 as an end user during his time in inside sales at Comodo. Soon after, he became a Sales Trainer to mentor new hires on his successful sales strategies. When Comodo's Salesforce Administrator unexpectedly left, Sharif was asked by the CEO to take on the admin role, marking the beginning of his extensive journey within the Salesforce ecosystem. Over the next two years, Sharif learned Salesforce and business analysis as an accidental admin, working closely with the CEO to expand the sales team to over 100 representatives and significantly increasing the company's revenue. In 2009, he attended Dreamforce, where he discovered the true potential of Salesforce and became inspired to pursue certifications. He achieved his Admin Certification in early 2010. Upon adding "Certified Salesforce Admin" to his LinkedIn profile, Sharif received numerous job and contracting offers. He then founded his consulting company, Agile Cloud Consulting, with Comodo as his first client, and spent the rest of 2010 implementing Salesforce for various organizations. In 2011, Sharif began a contract with roundCorner Inc, a Salesforce ISV partner specializing in enterprise non-profit and higher education clients. He eventually joined as a full-time Principal Consultant and held various positions, including Product Manager, Solutions Architect, Technical Architect, and Manager of Solutions and Technical Architects. Sharif led over 20 successful enterprise-level implementations and even had projects showcased at Dreamforce. In 2019, after Salesforce acquired roundCorner, Sharif chose to expand Agile Cloud Consulting, continuing as its founder and CEO. Sharif was recognized as a Salesforce MVP in 2013 for his thought leadership and expertise, having answered over 10,000 questions on the Salesforce Trailblazer Community. He was named a lifetime member of the Salesforce MVP Hall of Fame in 2020. As a regular presenter at Dreamforce and speaker at various community-led events, Sharif has obtained over 10 Salesforce certifications, co-hosted the "yappexchange" podcast, and co-created the first Salesforce-inspired weekly comic. He remains an active Salesforce community contributor and mentor for many aspiring admins and architects within the ecosystem.