Luminary secures ‘Most Valuable Professional’ trifecta

(L-R: Greg Baxter, Sitecore Strategy MVP; Andy Thompson, Kentico MVP; Darren Stahlhut, Episerver MVP)

In a remarkable industry coup, digital agency Luminary has had three of its team members awarded MVP status across three different digital experience platforms – Kentico EMS, Sitecore and Episerver.

The ‘MVP trifecta’ was completed this week when technical lead Darren Stahlhut was announced as one of the newest ‘Episerver Most Valued Professionals’. The announcement followed the renewal of CTO Andy Thompson’s Kentico MVP status, and CX director Greg Baxter’s Sitecore Strategy MVP status. Thompson is now in his sixth consecutive year as a Kentico MVP, while Baxter is in his third as a Sitecore MVP.

Says Marty Drill, CEO, Luminary: “We are fairly certain that this is a first for these platforms. We’ve worked incredibly hard over the past few years to consolidate our position as a platform-agnostic agency, and this triple accolade is certainly an acknowledgment of the success of that strategy. Each of our platform MVPs has contributed extensively to the knowledge base within their respective communities to achieve their MVP status. It’s an extraordinary achievement.”

MVP status is awarded across each of the three platforms for exceptional contribution to the development of community knowledge through activities such as blogging, speaking engagements, forums and collaboration on new product features. In return for their contribution, MVPs have direct access to other platform experts and exclusive invitations to VIP events.

The MVP status is conferred upon a very select proportion of the Kentico, Episerver and Sitecore communities. Kentico MVP status was awarded to just 13 recipients globally in 2020, with Thompson being the only one in Australia; while Episerver MVP status was awarded to 58 recipients – Stahlhut being one of just three nationally. Sitecore MVP status was awarded to 316 recipients worldwide, but Baxter was one of only three in Australia to secure the title of Sitecore Strategy MVP.

Says Thompson: “We’ve chosen to specialise in these three platforms because of their power, usability and market-leading position. What we’ve seen over the years is that the sheer complexity and breadth of capability of these systems can lead to clients under-utilising them, or implementing them inefficiently. What they need is true experts with deep implementation experience advising them. This external validation of our expertise gives our clients trust that they’re getting the right guidance to take full advantage of their investment.”