Shaun Aukland

About Shaun Aukland

Hi, I\'m Shaun- & With over 18 years of professional experience, my 15-year journey at Google has been focused on building and leading high-performance commercial organizations through a period of 10x scale. This experience in a hyper-growth environment has shaped me as a \"builder\" at heart, passionate about architecting scalable strategies and GTM plans that drive impactful growth by connecting innovative technology with enterprise needs. & My career centers on translating complex AI, SaaS, and Data Platform technologies into clear market opportunities. I specialize in designing and implementing repeatable GTM frameworks—most notably a Joint Business Plan (JBP) model I developed that was adopted as a global best practice at Google. I thrive on partnering directly with C-suite leaders to solve their most pressing challenges and have had the privilege of sharing these learnings at over 75 conference keynotes globally. & - My leadership philosophy is focused on empowerment, curiosity, and creating inclusive, high-performance cultures. Whether leading direct reports through critical transitions as an interim Head of Industry or orchestrating large, globally distributed teams of 30+ specialists, my approach is rooted in providing clear vision, removing roadblocks, and mentoring talent to achieve their best work. This commitment is recognized for bringing clarity to ambiguity and extends to my community work through D&I recruiting and my scholarship fund: I am fundamentally driven by technology\'s power to transform businesses and improve lives. The opportunity to help companies navigate technological shifts, build effective GTM engines, and create significant, lasting value through strategic partnerships is what excites me most. Let\'s connect.

Experience

1. Global Partnership Lead, Airbnb

   Google

   Nov 2020 — Present · San Francisco, CA, US

   Lead and mentor a multi-region, high-performing, cross-functional team responsible for driving the global strategic partnership with Airbnb.• Champion client success as a top priority, leading a global strategic partnership with a key travel enterprise and guiding a large cross-functional Google team to achieve shared objectives through innovative, multi-year initiatives.• Architect and execute innovative Joint Business Plans (JBPs) meticulously aligned with delivering significant, measurable value against clients\' core business objectives.• Pioneered a JBP framework that was adopted as a global best practice at Google, significantly enhancing strategic alignment and partnership depth with large customers worldwide.• Drive adoption of cutting-edge AI-driven insights and advanced measurement frameworks (e.g, GeoX incrementality) to optimize client strategies and unlock transformative business outcomes.• Serve as a trusted C-level advisor on digital transformation and market strategy, ensuring Google\'s solutions directly address clients\' evolving commercial needs.• Recognized as an internal thought leader, developing and delivering influential training on Go-To-Market strategy, data science application, advanced measurement, and JBP best practices to Google executives and global client-facing teams.• Foster robust internal collaboration across diverse specialist teams (Data Science, Product, Engineering, Marketing, gTech) to deliver cohesive \"One Google\" solutions that maximize overall client partnership value.

Education

• University of Wisconsin-Madison

  Bachelor of Arts - BA, Communication Arts, Rhetorical Studies & Human Communication

• University of Cape Town

  Humanities, Communication Arts, Study Abroad

• University of Wisconsin-Madison

  Certificate, African Studies

Skills

• Leadership
• Facebook
• Public Relations
• Digital Media
• Social Media
• Public Speaking
• Digital Marketing
• Marketing Strategy
• Strategic Planning
• Online Advertising
• Project Management
• Social Media Marketing
• Strategy
• Advertising
• Online Marketing
• Sem
• Event Planning
• Blogging
• Marketing