US-based enterprise software firm Salesforce which recently established its first legal entity in South Africa, is looking to hire in a bid to grow its business locally.
In February, the company announced its plans to expand in the South African market by setting up its maiden legal entity in the country.
It then appointed its first two South African leaders – Zuko Mdwaba as head of sales, and Linda Saunders, head of solution engineering.
In an interview with ITWeb, Mdwaba, who recently left his position as Workday SA’s country head, says: “We have established a legal entity in South Africa and intend to expand the Salesforce workforce here.”
Saleforce provides customer relationship management software and applications focused on sales, customer service, marketing automation, analytics and application development.
In the local market, it competes against Microsoft, Oracle, SAP and Sage, among others.
According to Mdwaba, by the end of this year, the company should have at least 20 new employees based in South Africa.
Salesforce is looking for experienced, dynamic account executives across its portfolio of solutions, as well as solution engineers and architects, to name a few, he says.
“We plan to grow the Salesforce team and all new hires covering South Africa will be based in the country. Since the beginning of our financial year in February, we have made good headway already.
“As a sign of commitment to South Africa, Salesforce has made a massive investment in creating an entity in South Africa and employing locally. We also recently hired a dedicated resource for talent management. A big part of the responsibility for this individual will be to assist in a programmatic approach to creating digital skills for Salesforce and the entire ecosystem.”
Impactful remote workers
For the time being, Mdwaba says Salesforce’s approach is a success-from-anywhere model, so the company will not have an office.
“We provide everyone the freedom to accomplish their best work from wherever they are. We feel that working in ways that work for us is more important than working at a specific time or in a specific location. We empower employees to be more connected, innovative and productive at Salesforce by allowing them to work where, when and how they can have the most impact.”
He explains the South African entity was established to help Salesforce become closer to customers and partners, as well as to help develop, recruit and retain top talent in the local market.
“We are able to find the greatest talent across all areas, regardless of where they are based, by focusing on presence rather than physical offices.”
Mdwaba believes businesses must play a role in bridging the skills gap by prioritising, upskilling, reskilling and digital literacy, as today’s rate of technological advancement is increasing at an exponential rate.
“As Salesforce, we have a golden opportunity to be part of the solution and help the country in bridging this digital divide. To that effect, at the core of our plans, we want to create jobs that would boost the local economy.”
He notes that according to market research firm IDC, the South African market, through Salesforce’s ecosystem of partners, has the potential of creating 31 800 jobs and $5.1 billion in new revenue by 2026.
On the opportunities the company sees in the local market, Mdwaba says: “South Africa has a vast and young population, and as a result of being a young country all about digitisation and smartphones, it has become a quickly growing market; in fact, our fastest-growing market is emerging markets.
“In South Africa and elsewhere, we’ve witnessed a surge in demand for digital services as a result of the pandemic and remote work.”
South Africa is a forward-thinking and innovative country that can thrive under difficult circumstances, he adds.
“We've seen first-hand how businesses have been able to pivot and capitalise on the benefits of digital through our partner networks.”
Time for giving back
Mdwaba points out Salesforce will continue to grow and develop the market, both directly and indirectly, by expanding the team that supports Southern Africa (through partners, customers and training institutions).
“On another impactful note, giving back is core to our culture at Salesforce. Through our citizen philanthropy and strategic programmes, we bring community and opportunity together. Our volunteering and giving programmes enable our employees to become high-impact citizen philanthropists who empower the workforce of tomorrow, harness professional skills for good and strengthen their communities.”
He notes Salesforce employees get seven paid days of volunteer time off (VTO) each year.
“From volunteering at a school or virtual mentoring, to supporting organisations with technical and professional expertise, employees are encouraged to use their VTO in ways that are personal to them,” he concludes.
Share