At the start of a new year, new beginnings are to be expected. My own is a big step, not just “cycle more” or “give up chocolate.” This year, after ten happy and successful years at The Salvation Army UK & Ireland Territory, I have decided to move on to a new opportunity.

This is the first of two posts about this move. Next month, I’ll talk more about my new direction. Today is a good time to look back over my time at The Salvation Army.

When I joined The Salvation Army in 2002 in a newly created position as Database Administrator (Development), the IT team was then about 12 people (now 25 people), and was the largest organization (5000 users) I had ever worked in. Along with Corporate Databases, applications and later SharePoint, the Corporate Systems Unit was an exceptional team including some of the smartest, most driven, and most amiable people I know. (Some were all three!)

Naturally I had a lot of fun with technologies through freedom, flexibility and encouragement from our inspiring Chief Information Officer. Some of the highlights include: administration, configuration, design and implementation of SQL Server databases, Web applications; Administration and configuration of SharePoint farms & site collections; business systems project upgrades; collaboration and intranet management; proof of concept work with PerformancePoint Server 2007 and Qlikview BI products.

My primary focus was always on users and their requirements. People still tell me how surprised they are at what and how we do to support the Mission of The Salvation Army.

The Salvation Army UKI corporate systems in these years has grown from a small set of applications to comprehensive platforms and infrastructure. It has been exciting to see our influence grow and for us to establish a strategic information role in one of the most successful charity within the sector. But I enjoy a smaller organization and a different rhythm to my work. As I have been thinking about how my career will change over the coming years and my passion for Microsoft SharePoint products and technologies, it has become clearer that a change was inevitable.

It would be wrong to assume that this change means that I am unhappy with The Salvation Army, or that we have had some great disagreement over strategy or direction. I will be leaving with no disappointments. I am moving simply for a new, thrilling opportunity: it’s a personal career move that I’m delighted to make and SharePoint is all we need!

And so, I wish the fondest farewell to my colleagues at The Salvation Army, with whom I have been most closely involved over the years.

So, where am I going? I am joining PointBeyond.com, as a Senior SharePoint Consultant. In my next post, I’ll write more. I look forward to telling you more about this role and what promises to be a thrilling new direction for me with the most exciting company I have seen in years.

Published by Chirag Patel @techChirag

Chirag is a highly experienced Chartered IT Professional consultant and Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT) at Patel Consulting delivering business collaboration & productivity, data & information management solution implementation, migration and divestment projects with Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, Microsoft Viva, Power Platform, Security & Compliance and Microsoft 365 related technologies. Having worked with SharePoint since 2001 and Office 365 since 2012, Chirag has covered many roles, such as Delivery Lead, Technology Specialist, Solution Architect and Trainer working with clients in Energy, Financials, IT & Communications, Professional Services, Retail, Education, Public & Third sector, which has lead him to be an exceptional consultant & trainer as quoted by clients "established himself as a leader on the project, not only delivering on the separation and migration of M365 services, but also guiding and challenging colleagues to ensure the broader set of Cloud transition activities". Chirag is highly qualified with an MSc in Business Systems Analysis & Design and holds many certifications including Microsoft 365 Enterprise Administrator Expert and TOGAF Certified Architect. As a volunteer, Chirag enjoys running Microsoft 365 UK (M365UK) user group and is a frequent speaker at local & international events. For his technical community contributions, Chirag has been awarded as a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) every year since 2020. He is also an Approved Chartered Membership Assessor for BCS (British Computer Society). According to sessionize.com, he was among the top 3% of most active speakers in 2022! View all posts by Chirag Patel @techChirag