Appnovator Spotlight: Natasha Gilani

Meet Natasha Gilani, Appnovation’s Toronto-based Senior Technology Manager and Salesforce Marketing Cloud guru.

What do you love most about what you do?

Being able to juggle between my creative, strategic and technical sides to come up with customer-centric solutions. I also love the opportunity to give back to the community in the form of technical training. 

Where have you worked before and what valuable learnings did you acquire?

My career has been unique and unconventional. I worked for a few years in the international development/non-profit sector in the project management and marketing space. I absolutely loved that work! For the last 10 or so years, my focus has been primarily in the digital marketing and marketing technology space at Deloitte Digital, RBC, Manulife and YMCA. 

My learnings have ranged from soft skills (communication, relationship management and negotiation) to management and technical skills. That said, I'm learning something new every day. 

What do you love most about working at Appnovation?

I'm excited by just how nimble and client-focused Appnovation is! I personally love being empowered to lead the development of a brand new service offering and get creative, with all that it entails. No two days are the same. 

My biggest accomplishment in life is:

My ability to pivot, which I've successfully done several times in my life and landed on my feet each time. 

What do you do outside of work?

My family and I spend as much time outdoors, I dabble in macro-photography, hike, play video games and watch crazy TV shows and documentaries (dark sci-fi, fantasy or dramas). 

Tell us an awesome fact about you that few people know about you:

I hosted a popular travel-photography show. 

What are you looking forward to learning and/or doing next in your career?

Giving back to the community, whether in the form of training, mentorship or by supporting the growth and development of others.  

Tell us a little about being a member of Canada’s Salesforce Marketing Cloud community and what advice would you give others looking to explore this space? 

In addition to being a certified Salesforce Marketing Cloud mentor, I’m also a 3X certified Salesforce Marketing Cloud practitioner, a member of Toronto’s Salesforce Marketing Cloud community and currently being trained to become a certified trainer. 

My advice to others entering or curious about this space and for those who wish to establish a solid foundation is this: create a free learning account on Trailhead; engage with the larger Salesforce Marketing Cloud community in their city, and; read existing documentation on Salesforce Marketing Cloud.

Follow those steps with hands-on work on the platform and take it from there. Of course, people who are interested in learning more can always reach out to me on LinkedIn for support. 

Want to learn about joining our team? Follow Appnovation on LinkedIn or, visit our Careers page to apply to one of our open positions (yes, we’re hiring!).