Director of Partner Marketing at GetSmarter, a 2U brand. Previously led digital marketing at Unilever and in the non-profit sector. Operator, researcher, and part-time lecturer at CPUT. I work at the intersection of data, strategy and people — making complexity feel simple and actionable.
Brands and organisations I've worked with
Although short in time, his impact was immense and he delivered value from the day he walked in. … Proactive, dynamic and totally organised. … On account of his mature approach to his responsibilities, I often thought of Shaun as a professional I could always rely upon to get the job done.
He is very resourceful, especially to the Ehospice editors. His knowledge, skills and insight are impeccable. … If you ever need credible marketing or insights into your business or organization, please look no further. Shaun is great and brilliant, he literally becomes your brand.
Shaun's analytical skills are top-notch, making complex tasks seem easy. He's always there for the team, offering help and guidance whenever needed. … He's made a huge difference to our team, both professionally and personally. Any team would be lucky to have him around!
I have had the opportunity to work with many professionals in the digital marketing space, however, Shaun is someone that stands out head and shoulders as the best. His ability to navigate a complexed landscape and deliver results consistently is what makes him a top performer.
Analytical, curious, creative, with the ability to craft the most compelling stories through data, Shaun is your star marketing analyst. Throw any data/marketing related challenge at him, he will come up with at least 4 different solutions. … Working with Shaun is an absolute privilege.
We are fortunate to have Shaun as a strategic and analytical thinking partner, sounding board, and support structure. … The combination of professionalism and his ability to have fun makes him a great employee.
Shaun was an integral part of my team and always a great co-thinker, substantiated with data and insights! What he brings to the team is a passionate drive for success, collaboration and value addition. … A true master at his craft!
Not only has he become someone I can turn to for advice or guidance on any given project, but someone I look up to in my role. He's an extremely hard worker with a never-say-die attitude and a genuine personality. …
Shaun is a tenacious and inspiring colleague. He always brings a smile and analytical eye to whatever project needs his attention and will get to the bottom of any conundrum. I value his input and appreciate the insights and guidance in the world of data he has provided me.
Shaun is an extremely dedicated and driven individual who brings his all to each project. He is a strategic thinker, who is always looking for ways to improve performance. Shaun is meticulous and takes a lot of pride in his work. …
Shaun has impressed me as someone always willing to push himself to achieve the best results. He is easy to work with and adds character to the team. He has also built a skillset that is beneficial to marketing spend strategy.
Shaun is such an asset, as human and as a professional! … Often a shortfall of data folk is that they cannot turn the patterns within the numbers, into action. The success that Shaun has delivered during my time working with him is arguably due to his exceptional ability to do just this.
Having worked alongside Shaun, I can, with confidence, say that he is undeniably a hard worker, consistently demonstrating a strong work ethic and dedication to his tasks. … One of Shaun's outstanding traits is his honesty, creating an atmosphere of trust and reliability. …
I had the pleasure of working closely with Shaun for several years and in our time together I witnessed his problem solving skills using very strategic methods that were both efficient and effective. … Shaun's love for data and data driven decisions is what makes him so great at what he does.
Shaun is an incredibly hard working and passionate individual, who not only gives his all to his work, but aims to foster positive relationships with his colleagues. He has a wide array of skills, and tackles problems while remaining focused. … Shaun is an asset to any company!
I find his skill-set in the digital world is of a high level and he is a creative and ideas-driven young man. … I feel sure that he will always add excellent value to the organisations he works in.
It has been a pleasure to work on collaborative projects with Shaun over the past couple of years in our complementary roles in communication on hospice and palliative care. Shaun has always been more than willing to assist the organisation I work for with projects …
Shaun Thomas is a very motivated and vibrant individual. He constantly challenges the boundaries to reach magnificent results. …
After the banners come down, attention moves. It always does. Last month brought memorial runs, vigils and men in the street after women in Ekurhuleni did not come home. I was glad people showed up. I am also left with the same question 2020 left me with: what happens when the month turns and the country finds something else to care about?
Gender-based violence here is not a short spike. It is an ongoing condition. Race can work the same way in rooms that think the hard work is already done, where bias that nobody means is also bias that nobody sees. A quiet week is not proof that everyone is having the same experience. Some things stay true after the post stops circulating.
What I am asking of myself for October is smaller and harder than a banner. Stay with it after the banner comes down.
I'm a marketing leader based in Cape Town, working at the intersection of performance, growth, and higher education. I've helped world-class universities and institutions turn ambitious enrolment goals into measurable outcomes. UCT, MIT, Yale, LSE, Harvard, Cambridge.
At GetSmarter, a 2U brand, I'm a senior leader on the Partner Marketing team. Before that, I spent years deep inside the performance funnel: forecasting, attribution, paid media, and the unglamorous work of making numbers move. Numbers were how I learned the craft. Relationships are how I extend its reach.
Off the clock, I'm a peer-reviewed researcher, a part-time lecturer at Cape Peninsula University of Technology, and Chair of its Marketing Advisory Committee.
I'm also a long-distance runner. Two Oceans Half Marathon finisher & ultramarathon finisher. The road taught me something the office rarely does: the work that compounds is the work nobody sees.
Senior leader on the partner marketing team. Managing the relationships between GetSmarter and our institutional partners, and shaping how those needs translate into our marketing strategy.
Stepped into the chair role, helping shape the next generation of marketers entering the industry, and giving back to the institution that shaped me.
Started teaching part-time in the Marketing Department. Joined the Industry Advisory Board the same year. Teaching forces clarity in a way the day job rarely does.
Published research with Professor R.G. Duffett on social media marketing strategy in health-related non-profits. Two papers in 2024, with a handful in the pipeline.
Completed at CPUT. The bridge between practitioner and researcher, the lens that now shapes how I work.
Started as a Marketing Analyst. Six years and four roles later, the same instinct still applies: let the data tell you where to look, then trust the judgement to decide what to do about it.
Marketing intern at Berge Farrell Strategic Brand Design, then Communications Assistant and eventually Communications Officer at HPCA. The early roles where I learned that good marketing is, at its core, just clear thinking made visible.
Senior member of the partner marketing team, managing the relationships between GetSmarter and a portfolio of world-class university and institutional partners. Collaborate with executive leadership and cross-functional teams on portfolio performance, growth planning, and how partner needs translate into our marketing strategy.
Directed end-to-end performance marketing for university partners. Oversaw an annual advertising portfolio in excess of USD $50 million across paid search, social, programmatic, and partner channels. Built the forecasting and KPI frameworks used by senior leadership.
Led performance marketing strategy for prestigious institutions including UCT, MIT, Yale, LSE, Harvard, Cambridge, IBM, and Microsoft. Owned the full marketing cycle from lead generation to conversion, with a sharp focus on qualified prospect volume and cost efficiency.
Owned attribution, campaign performance, and revenue prediction models. Surfaced the insights that informed channel investment, regional prioritisation, and campaign optimisation for the strategy team.
Supported the strategy team with data analysis, reporting, and ROI optimisation across paid media, with an emphasis on data integrity and decision-ready insights.
Led B2B digital marketing for Unilever Food Solutions, building tailored programmes for chefs, delis, and canteens, and strengthening digital visibility across the foodservice channel.
Led global digital marketing for an international hospice-care platform. Returned as consultant from 2020 to 2022 to guide hospices through their Covid-19 digital pivot.
Built integrated marketing and communications strategies, combining digital campaigns and traditional channels into a cohesive brand narrative for the national umbrella body of South African hospices.
Four peer-reviewed papers on social media marketing in health-related non-profit organisations, co-authored with Prof. R.G. Duffett. 50+ citations on Google Scholar and counting.
View on Google Scholar →Co-authored with R.G. Duffett. Published in the Journal of Nonprofit & Public Sector Marketing, 37(3), 373–397.
A qualitative Technology Acceptance Model viewpoint. Co-authored with R.G. Duffett. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 10, 101042.
Co-authored with R.G. Duffett. Published by BP International.
Master's research at Cape Peninsula University of Technology. The foundational study from which the published papers extended. Download the full thesis (PDF).
I lecture part-time in marketing at CPUT, chair its Marketing Advisory Committee, and speak at industry events on performance marketing, data-led decision-making, and the realities of growth in higher education. Open to keynotes, panels, podcasts, and guest lectures.
We show up and we mean it. Then life moves on, and the real work is whether we move with it or leave the issue behind.
A mid-year report on running 2,026 kilometres in 2026. 1,048 done. 978 still to go.
What I hand to a model, what I protect from it, and the line I've stopped crossing.
Most weekends I'm on the road. Some mornings, I'm running the dark at 5am with the Renegade Running Co crew. Discipline shows up before the sun does, and so do they.
