Meet Shad Haehae: The CMO Redefining Marketing and Parenting

Shad Haehae is the global head of digital acquisition and marketing analytics at OFX, an Australian online foreign exchange and payments company. With a strong background in commercial thinking and digital marketing, he is dedicated to developing talent and fostering a positive team culture.

Passion Beyond Marketing

Outside of his marketing career, Shad enjoys sports like surfing and touch rugby, but his greatest joy comes from being a father to his young daughter.

CMO Insights

In the latest edition of CMOs to Watch, presented by Zenith, Haehae shares his thoughts on key topics:

Desert Island Essentials

1. Mobile phone - for all necessities.
2. Surfboard - for refreshing surf sessions.
3. Iced tea - to keep cool.

Favorites

• Album: Dr Dre’s 2001 and his first CD, Hit Machine 13.
• Movies: Top Gun and Top Gun Maverick.
• Book: Autobiographies, especially Richie McCaw, The Open Side.

Hobbies and Interests

Shad enjoys playing touch rugby and oztag, but cherishes time spent with his daughter, navigating life together.

Alternative Career

If not a CMO, he’d run a bagel and coffee shop in Sydney, emphasizing the need for more bagel cafes in the area.

Favorite Campaign

He admires the Old Spice campaign, “The man your man could smell like,” for its innovative rebranding efforts.

Future Focus

For the next 12 months, OFX is prioritizing transformation through the launch of a global money management platform to streamline financial operations for businesses.

Marketing Channels

Shad is particularly excited about LinkedIn, praising its advanced AI capabilities for ad targeting and sales tools.

Current Challenges

He identifies market volatility due to inflation, interest rates, and geopolitical issues as significant challenges, alongside the need for increased cybersecurity measures.

Proud Campaign Moment

While at AirAsia, Shad promoted New Zealand through a captivating video campaign that became the most viewed at the time.

Five-Year Vision

Shad envisions leading customer insights or marketing, focusing on understanding customer behavior and enhancing the client experience.

Marketing Predictions

Looking ahead, Shad predicts that AI will revolutionize marketing, enabling advanced personalization, predictive analytics, and automating routine tasks to allow teams to concentrate on strategy and creativity.