People Behind the Certs – Phaneendra Arigachetta – saasguru

Dedication to becoming a successful Salesforce professional and rising to the position of CTO of a reputed company while earning 37 Salesforce certifications requires a focused and disciplined approach. 

Meet Mr. Phaneendra Arigachetta, 37X Salesforce certified, working as the Chief Technology Officer at Appistoki Group, Singapore. He is a Certified CTO, Salesforce MVP, Salesforce Vlocity & AWS Enterprise Architect, 3X Vlocity Certified, 4X AP, Salesforce Marketing Champion, MuleSoft Industry-GTM Champion, MarTech, TOGAF®, and CSM®.

He is highly focused, self-motivated, and proactive in using his industry experience, technical skill set, and communication abilities to add value to quality, profitability, and client experience. 

He is specialized in Cloud, Bigdata, AI, ML, DL, CRM, Enterprise Automation, RPM, Enterprise Mobility, Bots, E-commerce, and IoT. He also has 12+ Years of Experience in CRM Administration, Development, and Integration experience in Health care, BFSI, Field Service Management, Project Management, Design, Engineering, Entertainment Software, and Mobile Technology Domains.

His extensive knowledge of the Salesforce BI tool, Vlocity, Tableau, Google Analytics, Einstein Analytics, Event monitoring, Adobe Marketing suite, AEM, and Reltio MDM is appreciable.

In addition to technical skills, he has strong communication and leadership skills that helped him progress to higher levels of responsibility. This involves building relationships with stakeholders, collaborating effectively with cross-functional teams, and managing projects to successful completion. 

Staying up-to-date with the latest industry trends and best practices by attending conferences, webinars, and training programs is one of the major ingredients in making a successful Salesforce professional. Reaching the position of CTO of a reputed company requires a combination of technical proficiency, leadership ability, and business acumen. At the same time, earning 37 Salesforce certifications involves dedication, hard work, and continuous learning. 

Let us see how he is able to inspire and motivate the Salesforce aspirants to deliver exceptional results and continuously innovate to stay ahead of the competition.

SG: Let’s get started. Why don’t we start from the beginning? Please tell us about your education/ career before entering the Salesforce ecosystem.

PA: I graduated from JNTU-H. And I started my career as a Mainframe Developer. 

SG: That’s awesome. Now we would love to know what was the tipping point when you said, “I want to make this change,” and what was the trigger for that?

PA: Bored of Legacy Development, I wanted to learn something interesting that makes me more challenging and motivating 🙂

SG: You achieved many certs along the way. Can you share three things with us?

1. Why do you value certificates?

2. What are the challenges associated with the process?

3. What are your top tips for being successful in cert exams?

PA: Ya, sure.

1. Certification provides me with an opportunity to grow personally and professionally.
2. I have dedicated plenty of time to studying and writing notes, and I found time to take practice tests. I was also keen on asking questions to the people who are already certified.
3. Focus, Prepare a study plan, Understand the exam format, and Start preparation based on the format.

SG: What do you enjoy most about your work as a certified Salesforce professional?

1. Personally, I enjoy helping businesses streamline their processes in the relevant area.
2. To set a good example for your team and fellow trailblazers to get motivated.
3. Helping the community with what I got from the community.

SG: Time for gratitude!! Finally, is there anyone (individual or company) that you would like to take this opportunity to thank for their role in helping you along your journey? If Yes, what was their role in your success?

PA: I personally thank all the trailblazers who are part of my entire Journey and motivate me daily to continue growing professionally.