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Sashan L.

CRM & E-Retention Specialist

South Africa8+ years experienceAvailable now$8,000/mo

Compare at US rates $24,000/mo?

AI Experience

🤖 ChatGPT - Generates campaign ideas and sharpens CRM copy, subject lines and preheaders, then analyses campaign performance to shape segmentation and testing strategies. Also maps customer journeys, working through entry and exit criteria, audience splits, exclusions, trigger logic and personalisation rules, and troubleshoots or simplifies complex campaign logic ahead of the build in the CRM platform.
🧠 Claude - Works through complex information with it, reviewing campaign logic and workflows and refining briefs. Also uses it to explore alternative approaches to customer journeys and segmentation.
✨ Leonardo AI - Uses image generation for creative ideation, developing visual concepts that help shape the creative direction of campaigns.
✨ Braze AI - Worked with send time optimisation and intelligent channel selection to pin down the best moment and channel for reaching each individual customer.

Notable Highlight

Led CRM strategy across eight European markets for three beauty brands, delivering 19M+ campaigns that generated approximately 35,000 customer conversions, doubled the previous year's conversion rate for the Origins brand, and improved overall performance through data-driven segmentation and campaign optimization. Works hands-on with ChatGPT, Claude, Leonardo AI and Braze AI - the AI Experience section above has the examples.

Experience Summary

Sashan is a results-driven CRM and E-Retention Specialist with 7 years of digital marketing experience, including 1.5+ years specializing in CRM strategy, lifecycle marketing, and customer retention for EL’s Spain RO. He currently manages end-to-end CRM execution for three global beauty brands-Aveda, Darphin, and Origins-across eight European markets, including Germany, Austria, France, Spain, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Italy. His hands-on expertise spans Braze, Klaviyo, email and SMS marketing, customer segmentation, personalization, automated customer journeys, A/B testing, performance analysis, and retention-focused campaign optimization, supported by four active Braze certifications. Sashan combines strategic CRM planning with strong execution and data-driven optimization, using GA4, Looker Studio, Power BI, and advanced Excel reporting to evaluate campaign performance, customer behavior, attribution, and retention opportunities. His broader digital marketing background includes e-commerce management, website operations, content marketing, SEO, and platforms such as Shopify, WordPress, Shopkeeper, and Drupal, giving him a comprehensive understanding of the customer journey from acquisition through post-purchase engagement and retention. With experience managing CRM programs across multiple markets and brands, Sashan brings strong international exposure, technical CRM expertise, and the ability to build personalized, performance-focused customer journeys that support engagement, loyalty, and revenue growth.

Key Achievements

  • Managed 19M+ CRM Emails Annually: Led large-scale CRM campaign delivery across three beauty brands and eight European markets, consistently achieving strong 40-45% unique open rates.
  • Generated 35,628 Customer Conversions: Improved overall CRM conversion performance by 1 percentage point while simultaneously reducing total email volume through smarter segmentation, targeting, and campaign optimization.
  • Doubled Origins’ Email Conversion Performance: Optimized CRM strategy and reactivation initiatives to double the Origins brand’s email conversion rate compared with the previous fiscal year.
  • Successfully Reactivated CRM Programs Across Three Markets: Relaunched and restored full lifecycle CRM communications for Origins in Italy, Spain, and France, helping re-establish ongoing customer engagement and retention activity.
  • Led Multi-Market CRM Strategy for Three Global Beauty Brands: Owned CRM strategy and end-to-end campaign execution for Aveda, Darphin, and Origins across eight European markets, coordinating localized customer engagement initiatives at scale.
  • Improved CRM Efficiency Through Campaign Optimization: Increased conversion performance while reducing campaign volume, demonstrating the ability to prioritize higher-impact customer communications rather than relying on increased send frequency.
  • Managed International CRM Operations Across Eight European Markets: Supported customer lifecycle programs across Germany, Austria, France, Spain, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Italy, working across diverse market requirements and customer audiences.

Skills

Brings hands-on experience across CRM Strategy and Management, Lifecycle and Retention Marketing, Multi-Channel Campaign Execution, Email Marketing, SMS Marketing and Customer Segmentation and Personalization. Also works across:

  • Automated Customer Journeys and Trigger Flows
  • Cross-Sell and Post-Purchase Automation
  • A/B Testing and Campaign Optimization
  • Data Analysis and Performance Reporting
  • CRM Attribution Analysis
  • Email Deliverability
  • Performance Marketing
  • Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
  • Content Marketing
  • Web-Based Campaign Management
  • E-Commerce Management
  • Competitor Analysis
  • Customer Engagement
  • Braze
  • Klaviyo
  • Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
  • Google Looker Studio
  • Power BI
  • Advanced Excel Reporting
  • Figma
  • Jira
  • Shopify
  • WordPress
  • Shopkeeper
  • Drupal
  • Social Media Marketing
  • Google Workspace
  • Microsoft Office Suite

Work Experience

CRM & E-Retention Specialist

ELS · Feb 2025 - Present

  • Develop and implement multi-channel CRM strategies across email, SMS, and social media to drive engagement and retention.
  • Collaborate with creative teams to produce compelling content and high-performing CTAs that enhance customer response rates.
  • Continuously test, analyze, and optimize campaign elements to maximize performance and effectiveness.
  • Leverage customer data and insights to deliver personalized, data-driven communications that strengthen brand loyalty and retention.
  • Partner with Web Analysts and CRM teams to align on strategy, ensuring a seamless and data-driven approach to digital marketing.
  • Drive continual campaign evolution through cross-functional collaboration, optimizing processes and performance across channels.
  • Analyze campaign data to identify high-performing elements and areas for improvement, driving optimized customer engagement.
  • Ensure email deliverability remains strong and compliant with anti-spam standards, maintaining a positive subscriber experience.
  • Monitor key engagement metrics, including open rates, click-through rates, and conversions, using insights to inform ongoing campaign enhancements.
  • Lead CRM strategy and end-to-end campaign execution for Aveda, Darphin, and Origins, delivering lifecycle marketing across 8 European markets.
  • Successfully reactivate Origins CRM programmes for Italy, Spain, and France, restoring lifecycle communications and customer engagement.
  • Increase overall email conversion rate by 1 percentage point while reducing total email volume, resulting in 35,628 customer conversions in FY26.
  • Increase Origins' email conversion rate by 0.08 percentage points, doubling performance through CRM optimization and market reactivation.
  • Oversee the delivery of 19+ million CRM emails annually across three global beauty brands, consistently achieving strong engagement with unique open rates of 40-45%.

Brand.com Executive

EL · Oct 2023 - Feb 2025

  • Support Brand.com go-to-market strategy for the brand in close relationship with the brand manager, director, regional, and affiliate leadership teams.
  • Conceptualize and build strategies with off-line promotion and activities to drive online traffic in coordination with digital marketing teams and brands.
  • Define Advertising & Promotion needs and activations (including always-on) to drive brand.com sales.
  • Collaborate on media agency briefing for a holistic view and lead online always-on strategy in strong relation with the brand and media team.
  • Manage and execute CRM and SMS campaigns in collaboration with local, regional, and global brand teams.
  • Stay abreast of market and regional competitive activity and trends, and investigate new e-commerce opportunities.
  • Plan, coordinate, and ensure the update and refresh of brand sites.
  • Own the quality assurance (QA) of the brand.com site, in particular the purchase experience.
  • Plan and coordinate all brand.com consumer marketing activities in partnership and alignment with the brand.
  • Track online campaigns performance, including CRM & paid digital media programs, to maximize site traffic, sales, and ROI.
  • Lead forecasting, demand planning, and online customer service aspects of the Affiliate's brand sites and e-commerce boutiques in collaboration with the supply chain team and brand product manager, proactively reporting strategic and tactical changes to the DP team.
  • Monitor and analyze brand site activities, report feedback, and highlight opportunities for optimization.
  • Follow up on performance and adjust online strategy accordingly based on local objectives (traffic, reach, conversion, business, consumer journeys, engagement per brand).
  • Highlight opportunities for optimization and improvement in terms of efficiency and effectiveness based on insights.

E-Commerce Administrator / Manager

CP · June 2021 - Sept 2023

  • Oversee and manage e-commerce stores for both iRobot ZA and Mobile In Africa, including the development and maintenance of both websites.
  • Manage the customer care team and online resources.
  • Provide junior account management on iRobot ZA, supporting retail customers with weekly buy-in and sell-out, customer queries, technical queries, and reporting.
  • Support the management of various marketing campaigns across digital and social media channels.
  • Formulate and implement promotional activity across e-commerce and retail stores to increase sales, promote new products, and assist in clearing aging stock.
  • Ensure clear and concise communication with the marketing agency for all promotional activity, working hand-in-hand to grow the brand and increase sales.
  • Provide accurate reports on a weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly basis, including critical analysis of data and recommendations to increase turnover and minimize aging stock values.
  • Compile concise presentations that include key data relating to business cases for promotions, price changes, competitor analysis, and new product ranges.
  • Performance manage retail channels and provide support during sales declines outside of promotional periods.
  • Develop strategic product plans based on customer feedback and requirements, including quarterly reviews of product range, pricing analysis, competitor analysis, and stock holding.
  • Conduct monthly research on industry best practices to continuously improve the e-commerce stores.

Senior Content Editor

MP · Sept 2019 - May 2021

  • Manage a team of 4 content editors.
  • Create written content for products in the Cycle Lab Hardlines categories (Bicycles, Components, Nutrition).
  • Manage and maintain content on the website.
  • Ensure website issues are resolved promptly and notify website managers of issues beyond your control.
  • Upload online banners and store cards to drive awareness of special promotions.
  • Provide key input and content for weekly mailers and social media posts.
  • Pull and analyze daily sales reports to determine key products for promotion based on customer preferences.
  • Research methods of improving content across platforms to ensure content is reader-friendly and informative.
  • Handle customer queries on online platforms.
  • Handle all e-commerce transactions and purchases made through the online store, including order allocation to stores, customer liaison, and daily sales transaction analysis.
  • Assist with The Pro Shop website when needed, ensuring all MoreCorp customers receive impeccable levels of service.

Retail Marketing Intern

ISA · Sept 2018 - Sept 2019

  • Conduct weekly retailer product analysis (online and in-store).
  • Analyze monthly Retailer Sell Out data.
  • Analyze Sell Out Reports on a monthly and quarterly basis for South Africa.
  • Analyze Monthly Sell Out Data of South Africa in comparison to Africa (Egypt and Nigeria).
  • Assist the Retail Sales/Marketing Manager with the management of 2 Retail Accounts (support role).
  • Work with digital agencies to implement, manage, and roll out successful marketing campaigns within the South African region.
  • Raise Purchase Orders.
  • Review and analyze market trends from data received from insight companies (GFK and IDC).
  • Update sales, marketing, and advertising indicators on share drives.
  • Assist the Retail Sales Manager with compilation of presentations.
  • Conduct continuous market and product research and competitor analysis.
  • Support ad hoc duties relating to business needs, including travel arrangements for business trips, vendor liaison, and filing of expense reports.

Marketing/Claims Graduate

SS · Apr 2018 - Sept 2018

  • Assist the Marketing department with compilation of content for weekly communications and marketing plans for various internal and external drives and programs.
  • Create marketing content (email, social media) for internal and external communications.
  • Register claims and perform administrative tasks.
  • Assist with compilation of monthly reports for the claims manager.
  • Create a system of electronically filing all documents regarding motor vehicle claims, including vehicle registration and deregistration documents.
  • Seek more efficient methods to compile visuals of monthly claims reports through additional programs.
  • Support the claims team with various ad hoc duties.

Sourced by Julianne Melencion