When Jenn Claridge earned her Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) award, it reflected years of steady work in the Business Central community rather than a single achievement.
At her day job, Claridge is vice-president of operations at Sabre Limited, a Canadian Microsoft Partner based in Ontario that focuses exclusively on manufacturing implementations of Dynamics 365 Business Central. She has worked with NAV and Business Central for more than 15 years, helping manufacturers modernize their operations through predictable, fixed-fee projects.
In her off-hours, though, she uses her decade-and-a-half of expertise to produce content that helps Microsoft Partners understand and navigate their ecosystem.
“I was terrified the first time I spoke at a conference,” Claridge said in a PartnerTalks interview. “But when people came up afterward and told me they were using my tips and tricks, that made me want to keep doing it.”
Why the MVP program exists
The Microsoft Most Valuable Professional program recognizes professionals who share real-world expertise with others. Microsoft’s official MVP overview explains that the award celebrates practitioners who contribute through public speaking, blogging and mentoring.
The program began in the mid-1990s when Microsoft noticed volunteers answering thousands of forum questions. Rather than formalize their roles, the company chose to honour them. That spirit of volunteerism still defines the program today.
As Business Applications MVP Steve Endow writes on his blog, “You don’t apply for it like a certification. You earn it by showing up and sharing knowledge without expecting anything in return.”
For Claridge, the recognition confirmed her work’s impact.
“It’s nice to know that what I’m creating helps people,” she said. “There’s so much information out there, and I want to make life easier for others.”
Building a manufacturing practice through focus
At Sabre Limited, Claridge’s team delivers manufacturing-specific Business Central implementations that guarantee cost certainty. “We refined our process so customers know exactly what to expect,” she said.
Sabre also develops apps available on Microsoft AppSource, including engineer-to-order, repetitive-production and print-industry solutions that extend Business Central for manufacturing clients.
Taking Canadian expertise to the world
Claridge will represent Sabre Limited and the Canadian Business Central community at Directions EMEA 2025, scheduled for November 4-6, 2025 in Poznań, Poland. Her session, Linking the Supply Chain with Subcontracting, will examine how manufacturers can streamline operations through connected processes and subcontracting workflows.
“I love seeing how people approach the same challenges differently,” she said. “It gives me new perspectives that I can bring back home.”
Why MVPs matter to Partners
Within the Microsoft Partner ecosystem, MVPs provide a bridge between product engineering teams and the field. The Microsoft Tech Community describes MVPs as “a vital feedback channel between product engineering and the user base.”
MVPs often also contribute to early feature reviews, share field insights with Partners, and help customers adapt to Microsoft’s evolving Business Applications stack. For Microsoft Partners, having an MVP on the team signals technical excellence and community leadership.
It’s not about the prestige for Claridge, though.
“For me, it’s about helping others succeed,” she said. “When someone tells me a blog post or video saved them hours of work, that’s the best reward.”
