Speaker Spotlight is your chance to get to know the ESPC22 Speakers! Find out what projects they are most proud of, advice, tips, their favourite films and more!
Introducing Susan Hanley, MVP
Susan Hanley is a business analyst and information architect specializing in the design, development, and implementation of successful knowledge management, collaboration, and intranet solutions based on SharePoint and Microsoft 365.
She is a Microsoft Office Apps and Services MVP and the co-author of the Essential SharePoint book series. She also writes the Essential SharePoint blog for Computerworld.com.
Please recommend one ESPC22 Session (you can’t pick your own 😊 )
There are so many great sessions to pick from – and speakers that I love. I would recommend looking for sessions on Microsoft Syntex – because there are many game-changing capabilities that organizations will want to know about. For folks working in SharePoint and Teams, I would recommend Cathy Dew’s session Powerful Collab: Making SharePoint Sites Look and Work Best in Microsoft Teams. Cathy has great ideas for how you can make engaging and beautiful sites and I always learn a lot when I attend her sessions.
Can you briefly discuss a project you are most proud of?
I’m currently working on taking what was a “state of the art” intranet back in 2013 and migrating it from SharePoint 2013 to SharePoint Online. This is an intranet that I originally designed so I am really glad that I am getting the opportunity to modernize the experience. I just wish I could go back to my 2013 self and tell her not to create all those sub-sites with unique permissions!! As we’ve started to create new, modern experiences, the response from the users is fantastic! The client is a nonprofit organization that has an incredible mission; it’s incredibly rewarding to help them move to an intranet that will take much less effort to maintain so they can spend more time focused on their mission!
What is your favourite film?
What is the best career or life advice you have received to date?
One of my first managers had great advice for me when I was early in my career and struggling to balance both my career and being a mom. She told me “You can have it all – but maybe not all at the same time. You have a long time to have a career but only a short time when your children are young so don’t put so much pressure on yourself.” That advice helped me stop worrying so much about being promoted and achieving specific career goals by a specific age. By playing the long game, I’ve been able craft a career that has been incredibly fulfilling and has allowed me to achieve both my personal and professional goals.
Have you any tips on receiving an MVP status?
Getting recognized as an MVP is about your contributions to the community – so my best advice is to look for ways you can share what you know. You can write helpful blog posts, contribute to the Microsoft Tech Community, volunteer to speak at or coordinate events, and much more.
