Name: Gitesh Shah
Email: gitesh.shah@akqa.com
Something about me
I am Gitesh Shah, Solutions Architect at AKQA (New Zealand). I started my career as a .net developer for many years untill I came accross Sitecore in 2017. When I started doing Sitecore I joined the local Auckland Sitecore User Group ran by Bruce Davis Goff. I loved the small community we have here in New Zealand for Sitecore.
I got an opportunity to work on a Sitecore SXA project (NZTE - New Zealand Trade and Enterprise) at AKQA which helped me alot in learning Sitecore. After that, I have worked on many big Sitecore projects like Inland Revenue NZ, Foodstuffs (commerce), Reserve bank of New Zealand and Bunnings. These projects include features like xDB implementation & personalisation, SXA implementation, docker containers and Azure kubernetes implementation, Sitecore commerce, coveo integration, etc. I was also one of the early adopters of docker and kubernetes technology for Sitecore and then helped other Sitecore community members in upskilling on docker.
I have worked on Sitecore for 6 years now and am also Sitecore certified developer. I have done 40+ blogs, 8 technical talks, attended 13 Sitecore user groups sessions, 2 SUGCON ANZ event and 1 Symposium event. I was also recently announced as a co-organizer for Auckland Sitecore User Group (ASUG) Link.
Future goals
My goal is very simple, to share the learnings with other sitecore community members and to grow the sitecore presence in New Zealand.
I will be sharing more blogs and also planning to create a Youtube channel and share some videos about my learnings. Have already started planning on sharing tutorials on XM Cloud and other new headless products of sitecore.
Social channels
Blog: https://www.giteshportfolio.com/blog/sitecore
Website:
https://www.giteshportfolio.com/
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/gjshah7254
Linkedin:
https://nz.linkedin.com/in/giteshportfolio
Sitecore Slack: Active member on sitecore slack, specifically for #docker, #cdp-personalize, #wffm-forms and #coveo channel.
Sitecore big events I contributed to
Presented Events
SUGCON ANZ 2022 - Melbourne, Australia
Presented as a speaker - https://www.giteshportfolio.com/blog/sitecore/august-2022/sugcon-anz-2022-go-live-with-sitecore,-docker-kube
SUGCON ANZ 2019 - Sydney, Australia
Presented as a speaker - https://www.giteshportfolio.com/blog/sitecore/march-2022/sugcon-anz-2019-accelerate-your-development-team-w
Attended Events
Symposium 2022 - Chicago, USA
Attend the event in person and was my first time attending Sitecore Symposium. Loved the event and was so much to learn from it.
Symposium 2020 - Online
ASUG - Auckland Sitecore User Group (Co-organizer)
Presented Events
https://www.meetup.com/auckland-sitecore-users-group/events/288124632/
https://www.meetup.com/auckland-sitecore-users-group/events/264116492/
https://www.meetup.com/auckland-sitecore-users-group/events/254340642/
https://www.meetup.com/auckland-sitecore-users-group/events/246849538/
Attended Events
https://www.meetup.com/auckland-sitecore-users-group/events/278286890/
https://www.meetup.com/auckland-sitecore-users-group/events/273152430/
https://www.meetup.com/auckland-sitecore-users-group/events/271509881/
https://www.meetup.com/auckland-sitecore-users-group/events/268811346/
https://www.meetup.com/auckland-sitecore-users-group/events/266447959/
https://www.meetup.com/auckland-sitecore-users-group/events/256704014/
https://www.meetup.com/auckland-sitecore-users-group/events/250631409/
https://www.meetup.com/auckland-sitecore-users-group/events/242150527/
Wellington Sitecore User Group
Wellington Sitecore community is very small community. We do include them on virtual sessions but in person catch-ups are hard to do as it is a smaller group and we don't have any c0-organizer in Wellington. I have organized a in person catchup for the user group (which Bruce and me organized) and presented at that event. I also went to wellington for that presentation.
https://www.meetup.com/wellington-sitecore-user-group/events/266741240/
Sitecore Experience
Sitecore upgrades
Upgraded Inland Revenue (IRD) project from Sitecore version 8 to 10 and also used docker containers. Project was the first in APAC to go live on docker conatiners.
Upgraded Foodstuffs New zealand Project from Sitecore (including Sitecore commerce) version 8 to 10 using docker containers.
Projects
Inland Revenue (IRD) - Tech lead / Solutions Architect
Reserve bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) - Senior Developer
Bunnings - Tech Lead
Foodstuffs - Senior Developer
NZTE - Senior Developer (first website to go live in APAC on SXA)
Highlights at work
- Tech Lead on one of the world's largest functioning xDB implementations (Bunnings Australia) on Sitecore 8.2.
- Tech Lead on Sitecore XP v9 & v10 xDB & Personalisation projects for Inland Revenue NZ.
- Championed and lead New Zealand's first Sitecore implementation on containers with Azure Kubernetes for Inland Revenue NZ.
- Contributed in building AKQA's Sitecore blueprint with containers and also helped in growing the Sitecore community within AKQA.