In this interview, we speak with Lone about what this award means to her, what her journey looked like, and why sharing knowledge is often just as important as knowledge itself.
Lone, first of all, congratulations on this award. Most Valuable Professional at Microsoft. What’s your professional background? How did you enter the Microsoft universe, and what are your areas of focus?
Lone: I am originally from Denmark and studied finance and business administration there. After that, I worked in various finance roles, mostly as a controller. My path into the Microsoft world began at Vestas, when a migration from SAP to AX 2012 was underway. Because I asked many questions as a business user, the idea of moving into IT was suggested to me. There, I learned a lot about support, test management, and the interaction between business departments and IT.
Later, I joined the Microsoft community through a Microsoft partner and eventually Microsoft itself. Initially, I worked in Dublin for just under a year and then in Munich. In total, I worked at Microsoft for two and a half years, supporting the German enterprise market. Today, my main focus areas are Dynamics Finance, HR, Supply Chain, and, of course, AI applications in D365.
What is your involvement in the Microsoft community? What do you do?
Lone: A large part of my work is organizing so-called meetups. These are events made available through the Dynamics User Group’s Meetup platform. For the meetups, we usually invite experts who provide insights into current topics. Usually, 40 to 50 people register for the online events, including Microsoft employees, partners, customer companies, and colleagues from Arineo.
“For me, one thing matters: in the community, you are colleagues, not competitors.”
The focus of the meetups is open exchange with one another. After the presentation, we invite participants to a Q&A session. Before that, we stop the meeting recording, which we subsequently make available to participants. Once that is done, we address questions from the audience.
In addition, I speak at events myself and share knowledge that can help participants propel their companies forward. I am also active on LinkedIn and use Meetup and Microsoft Teams, depending on how best to reach the community.
How did your involvement in the community begin, and why is sharing knowledge so important to you?
Lone: It started with a Dynamics meetup in Germany. I learned German at school. At first, I only listened during the meetups, later I also gave presentations, and soon I was asked whether I would like to join the organization team. That is how I gradually became part of the community.
Sharing knowledge is important to me because it saves time in everyday work and helps people find good solutions more quickly. I am a big fan of solving as much as possible within standard systems. When you face a challenge, the community can often help faster than a lengthy search on your own. That is exactly why I enjoy sharing my knowledge.
Which topics are currently occupying you?
Lone: At the moment, the main focus is on agents, AI, and vibe coding. At the same time, I clearly notice that client companies and users are once again becoming more interested in the fundamentals, such as Core Finance. After all, before you build agents, the foundation has to be solid.
In addition, a lot is currently changing in deciding which solution is right: standard, Power Platform, development, or something completely different. For us, that means we always need to look at new things and keep our knowledge up to date.
In which formats do you most enjoy sharing your knowledge, and where can people meet you?
Lone: I particularly enjoy sharing my knowledge at meetups, as well as through presentations and on LinkedIn. I usually write there in English because my network is international. If the topics are more strongly related to Germany, I also write in German.
In addition, I have a part in What’s New, the monthly Arineo IT newsletter, where I report on news from finance and HR. For this, I research what is new in the system and what practical insights I can share from it.
There are also many opportunities at Arineo to share knowledge. We have a finance group that meets every other week to exchange ideas and share knowledge. That is especially important because no one can know everything on their own. My finance colleagues are very important to me.
What does this award mean to you personally?
Lone: It is something special for me. Microsoft has MVPs in many areas, but in Dynamics Finance and Operations, as far as I know, I am the only German-speaking MVP on the partner side. That makes me very proud.
The award requires a lot of time and dedication. Professional contacts and genuine friendships are created through this involvement. When I celebrated my 50th birthday almost three years ago, more than half of the guests were from my Dynamics network. That shows me how much this community work also gives back personally.
“As an MVP, I am now also involved in regular calls with the product group and in committees such as the Partner Advisory Board. That is important to stay close to developments and pass on the right impulses.”
Which topics, challenges, or developments in the Microsoft environment are you looking forward to?
Lone: I am especially looking forward to the further development of Core Finance, more automation, and the standard system continuing to improve. If less custom development is required, that is often a real benefit for companies.
I also find developments in HR exciting, as well as the question of how Microsoft, partners, and client companies will continue to find a way together amid so much new technology. Especially with agents, much is still undecided, and that is exactly why collaboration is so important.
Worth Knowing About D365 Finance and AI ERP
Lone shares her knowledge here – it’s worthwhile following her.
