Gus W

Chief Marketing Officer

Fractional CMO for B2B, Tech, AI, Medtech & Healthcare Brands | 20+ years, 160+ clients | Read about the 8 marketing problems I solve.

Queensland, Australia

Summary

In short, I drive company growth.

I’ve worked with 160+ companies over 20+ years — scaling VC-backed startups, growing private equity portfolios, driving results for ASX-listed firms, and consulting to global brands like Johnson & Johnson. I help businesses unlock growth, fast.

I’ve delivered results across APAC, the US, and Europe. Building teams, cutting marketing waste, and driving measurable results.

The 8 Marketing Problems I Solve:

1. Wasted marketing spend

Marketing budgets vanish into agencies, ads, and tools with little to show for it. Vendors overcharge, campaigns underperform, and money leaks through lack of measurement. I stop the bleed and make every dollar work harder.

2. Not enough leads, poor-quality leads, poor conversion

Lead gen is patchy, and too many low-quality leads waste sales time. I audit what’s in place, optimise what’s working, and explore fresh channels to drive more leads that actually convert.

3. WTF are we doing?

Random acts of marketing don’t deliver results. I bring a clear, focused plan your team can follow — something that’s lived, not laminated.

4. If your message isn’t clear, your marketing won’t work

When your team struggles to explain your value, customers don’t get it either, and you end up competing on price. I help nail a concise pitch that aligns your team and resonates with buyers.

5. Who’s guiding your marketing team towards awesome?

Marketing teams are full of talent but lack coaching. I mentor and develop marketers, helping them focus on what matters, stay engaged, and deliver big impact, so CEOs can stop playing part-time CMO.

6. Removing marketing blind spots

Gut feel isn’t enough. I make sure your tracking and attribution are set up right, so you get a clear view of what’s working, what’s not, and where to focus next.

7. Lack of efficiency and automation

Marketing teams drown in admin and project management. I streamline systems and introduce smart automation to save time and improve output.

8. Failing to capitalise on existing customers

The gold’s often right in front of you. I help unlock revenue from your existing base with better retention, upsells, cross-sells — and importantly intelligent pricing strategies that boost margins.

How I work:

I only take on three clients at a time to go deep and stay embedded like one of your staff.
I ramp up quickly, focusing first on quick wins and high-impact changes.
I execute hands-on, and when needed, I bring in trusted specialists from my network at a fraction of agency costs.

Results I’ve delivered:

Monash IVF (ASX): Halved customer cost per acquisition, doubled website conversion rates, returned $500K in savings, and led award-finalist campaigns.
Annalise.ai (VC-backed): Tripled order intake, increased leads by 160%, built global credibility, and reduced external marketing costs by over $300K.

If any of the marketing problems above sound familiar, sing out — I’ll send through a relevant case study.

Experience

Annalise.ai

Director of Marketing (Global) (2022 - 2024)

Annalise.ai (AI healthcare leader)

● Developed and executed a global marketing strategy, propelling Annalise.ai's industry-leading medical imaging AI solutions to achieve 3 x order intake growth, 160% lead growth and significant growth in brand awareness. This was achieved through targeted events, lead gen digital campaigns, leadership profiling, and data driven PR campaigns, all while collaborating closely with sales for seamless lead conversion.

● Moved away from generalist marketing agencies and reinvested savings of over $300,000

● Rapid hire and mentoring of a high-performance multi-functional, global marketing team across APAC, USA and EU.

● Developed an in-house PR agency model resulting in major global media exposure in media such as Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, ITN as well as respected trade media. This was crucial to building out brand awareness while containing marketing costs.

● Raised and tracked brand awareness through a combination of events, strategic award submissions and intensive public relations activity.

● Achieved an 80% submit-to-win strike rate on award submissions. (Good Design Awards, Medtech Awards, Interaction Awards, The Minnies).

● Designed, built and validated core messaging strategies in key markets guided heavily by the market research projects I led.

Global Director Digital Performance (2019 - 2022)

TIO International (Specialist Dental Marketing Agency)

● Massively improved client satisfaction in Australia and New Zealand within 6 months, I reversed the trend, achieving a remarkable 98% client retention rate through a dedicated client success program.

● Member of the Senior Leadership Team (I was promoted to a Global leadership role within 6 months of joining the company).

● Motivated, led and nurtured a high-performance marketing team across multiple

time zones and marketing disciplines.

● Strategic marketing and promotion of AI-driven remote medical monitoring and diagnostic tools Dental Monitoring & SmileMate.

● Workshop facilitation and event management: I organised and presented at the Australia and New Zealand marketing roadshow educating doctors and practice managers on best practice patient acquisition techniques.

Digital Marketing Manager (2018 - 2019)

● Increased new monthly enquiries by 57% in under 90 days while reducing overall ad spend.

● Implemented a PR strategy that resulted in significant national television exposure (channels 7, 9, 10 and ABC) and increased brand awareness. Importantly this activity could be directly linked back to increased website conversions.

● Pioneered a data-driven approach ensuring all marketing spend was measurable against revenue. This was done using Facebook quiz that used lead scoring to dynamically improve lead and audience quality over time.

Group Digital Manager (2016 - 2018)

● Headhunted for the role by two-time CMO 50 marketer Everard Hunder to manage digital marketing across all nine medical imaging and IVF businesses in the group.

● Achieved massive growth in all key paid search metrics including significant reductions in cost per acquisition metrics.

● Finalist in the Google advertising awards (Search Innovation, APAC)

● Handed back $500,000 to the business in the first year while also increasing lead volume and marketing collateral effectiveness.

● Reduced the company's reliance on external marketing agencies by building an in-house, global creative marketing practice producing high-performance online and offline assets.

● Hired and managed specialist healthcare PR agencies and consultants to significantly increase the profile of our doctors and flagship brand.

Founder / Director (2004 - 2016)

● Bonsai Media is a multifunctional marketing agency based in Melbourne which I ran for 12+ years (Sold business 2016)

● Consistently grew revenue year on year while leading and nurturing a team of 5 marketers as well as a team of international contractors.

● Clients ranged from start-ups to Government as well as global brands like Johnson and Johnson Medical and B2B tech business Oracle Aconex.

● Developed and managed the successful execution of hundreds of B2B and B2C marketing campaigns resulting in extremely high client retention rates.

● Designed all business processes to ensure the highest standards of quality control.

Key Skills

Public Relations Campaign Strategy Digital Marketing Brand Strategy Marketing Strategy

Qualifications

Mini MBA (2022)

Mark Ritson Mini MBA in Marketing

Masters of Digital Communication (2002)

Griffith University

Bachelor of Arts (2000)