Melbourne-based · Open to roles anywhere in Australia

Brand ideas that move the numbers.

I'm a marketing & advertising strategist with 10+ years of campaigns for Microsoft, Pepsi, Telekom Malaysia and OPPO. Most recently I led growth at an Australian fintech. I find the consumer insight, build the idea, and measure what it moves. I'm an engineer by training, so I'm at home with data and AI.

Get in touch → Résumé (PDF)
23MMalaysians reached with a gen-AI platform
100kGen Z users for Microsoft's AI chatbot, in half the time
27knew telco users in two weeks
5.4Bviews for Pepsi's TikTok dance challenge

What I do

Four things I bring to a marketing team, each backed by work you can see below.

01

Audience & market insight

I find the human truth that unlocks a brief. Microsoft's Ruuh launched as a personality, not a product, because testing showed that's what people loved.

02

Campaign & content strategy

Platforms, creators, launches and cultural moments. Pepsi's Swag Step challenge reached 5.4B views on TikTok.

03

Growth, CRM & performance

Acquisition, activation and lifecycle. At Bless Payments I chose and rolled out CleverTap and built a campaign where card activation was the entry.

04

Measurement & AI

KPIs, CAC, ROAS and LTV that drive the next decision, plus AI I've actually shipped: two generative-AI platforms for Telekom Malaysia.

Selected work

Each one started with a business problem and a human insight. Open any card for the full story.

Growth & CRM / Bless Payments / 2026

Growing a fintech for migrant communities

As Growth Lead at a remittance and Visa travel card app, I built the marketing function from scratch and owned acquisition, activation and retention across several corridors.

+62%user community, via paid & organic
+40%active users, via a retention playbook
CRM selection & CleverTap rollout "Blessed Cards" travel card giveaway Canada, Lebanon & Ramadan launches Creator & UGC ad engine AI-assisted email production
The story
Problem
A young fintech needed downloads to turn into verified, active card users across several migrant corridors, with a lean team and budget.
Approach
I evaluated CleverTap, MoEngage, HubSpot and Freshworks, then rolled out CleverTap and mapped the journey from download to KYC to card claim to first spend. I built "Blessed Cards", a travel giveaway that made activation the entry mechanic, and set up a creator and UGC pipeline for paid social.
Results
A marketing function built from the ground up (hiring, infrastructure, processes and playbooks) · user community grown 62% through paid and organic · active users up 40% through a retention playbook.
Digital strategy / Giga, Singapore

Every E is an eSIM

An AR activation, powered by AI letter recognition, that turned every letter "e" in Singapore into an ad for a challenger telco.

27kusers in 2 weeks
+23%eSIM switches
The story
Problem
Giga launched 5G months behind its bigger competitors, with millions less to spend.
Insight
Telco sign-up in Singapore was stuck in-store: paperwork and long waits. Giga's eSIMs activated instantly.
Solution
We built the campaign around one letter. People scanned any "e" they saw, online, on the street or even on rivals' logos, to unlock an eSIM and prizes.
Results
27k new users in two weeks · +15% daily sign-ups · +23% eSIM switches · +47% engagement.
Digital strategy / Telekom Malaysia

AIdentiti Kita

A generative-AI music platform that let Malaysians sing their national-day anthem in languages they'd never spoken.

23MMalaysians reached
5×Kancil awards
The story
Problem
Malaysia's largest telco wanted to reposition from "telco" to "techco" on National Day.
Insight
Many Malaysians were wary of AI, and most had never tried it, because tools weren't built for non-English speakers.
Solution
We chained 7 AI APIs so anyone could sing a beloved patriotic song in 17 Malaysian languages and dialects.
Results
23M unique Malaysians reached · 65% were first-time AI users · 5 Kancil Creative Festival awards.
Creative strategy / Microsoft India

Who is Ruuh?

We launched Microsoft's first Indian AI chatbot as a social media personality, not as a piece of tech.

100kusers in half the time
40%earned media
The story
Problem
Get 100,000 Gen Z users talking to Ruuh within a month.
Insight
Testers liked Ruuh's personality far more than her next-gen capabilities.
Solution
We positioned Ruuh as social media's newest sensation, someone everyone wanted to talk to.
Results
100k users in half the expected time · 40% earned media, saving a large share of the media budget.
Creative strategy / OPPO India

India's first live commerce launch

A flagship phone launched as an unfiltered livestream talk show during lockdown.

2×opening-week sales
+169%engagement vs past launches
The story
Problem
OPPO's market share depended on retail stores, and lockdown had closed them.
Insight
Buyers missed hands-on demos and on-the-spot deals more than instant purchase, which e-commerce already offered.
Solution
A live talk show with real-time demos and deals viewers could redeem as they watched.
Results
2× opening-week sales on campaign weekend · 169% higher engagement than previous launches.
Social strategy / Takeda, Thailand & Indonesia

Humans Against Dengue

A celebrity-led movement that made dengue prevention something people wanted to join.

50×engagement vs owned
3×video views
The story
Problem
Drive awareness of and conversation about dengue vaccination across two markets.
Insight
Every past dengue campaign in the region was grim and fear-based.
Solution
We created the "Humans Against Dengue" platform, fronted by singer Metawin, who invited millions of fans to join.
Results
3× video views vs brand videos · 50× engagement rate vs owned channels.

Experience

Agency, startup and in-house roles across India, Singapore, Malaysia and Australia.

  1. 2026
    The Orbispace InitiativePrograms & operations (contract)

    Supporting an Australian education charity's student programs, Pitch for the Planet and PowerHer, through a team transition.

  2. 2026
    Bless PaymentsGrowth Lead

    Growth, CRM and lifecycle marketing for an Australian fintech serving migrant communities, with launches in Canada and Lebanon.

  3. 2025
    Freelance, MelbourneSocial & Digital Strategist

    Built a scalable social and digital strategy for a 40-year-old local eyewear business. Created and ran a one-person YouTube channel on the hidden gems of regional Victoria.

  4. 2023 – 2024
    Grey Malaysia & SingaporeHead of Digital & Social

    Led platform, content and creative-tech strategy for Telekom Malaysia, Takeda, Giga, Lenovo, NEA and KWSP.

  5. 2022 – 2023
    Antler SingaporeFounder

    Co-founded the esports startup gamerr.gg and joined the SEA founder community.

  6. 2021 – 2022
    RazorLabsStrategy Lead

    Founding team member. Built go-to-market for a SaaS tool that automated LinkedIn content for leaders, and helped win the world's third-largest IT services firm as a paying client.

  7. 2019 – 2021
    Grey IndiaCreative Director & Strategist

    Remotely led creative and strategy, including planning, hiring and execution. Campaigns for OPPO, Pepsi, HP and a global QSR brand, where influencers doubled festive media ROI.

  8. 2014 – 2019
    Earlier work, India & SingaporeCopywriting, planning & marketing

    Launched Microsoft's Ruuh AI chatbot, positioned a CSR education platform for an energy leader, and repositioned an apparel manufacturer as a textile innovator.

  9. 2010 – 2014
    NorthCap UniversityB.Tech, Computer Science

    The engineering foundation behind my creative-tech and growth work.

Brands I've worked with

Microsoft · HP · PepsiCo · Diageo · OPPO · Reckitt · Lenovo · Takeda · Telekom Malaysia · Giga · Schneider / Luminous · NEA Singapore · KWSP · Bless Payments

Hiring me

The practical questions, answered up front.

Where can you work?

I'm based in Melbourne and happy to relocate anywhere in Australia for the right role. I'm comfortable in hybrid and remote teams.

Do you need visa sponsorship?

Yes. I'm looking for an employer to nominate me under the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186), which leads to permanent residency. My skills assessment is already in progress, so much of the paperwork is on my side.

Want the details? The official Home Affairs page covers the process, and I'm happy to walk you through it.

What kinds of roles are you looking for?

Marketing and advertising strategy roles, in-house or agency: brand, campaign, content and social, growth and CRM. My sweet spot is where a strong idea meets a measurable goal.

Let's make something that moves.

I'm open to marketing and advertising strategy roles anywhere in Australia, in-house or agency.

salilshahane@gmail.com LinkedIn Résumé