Get to Know Paul Hart: The Marketing Expert Behind Murdoch Webster

We’re thrilled to present the September 2024 edition of Brilliant Bios, featuring our Marketing Manager, Paul Hart! Dive in and enjoy his story! 🏆

Introduction

With a career that started in the early days of the Internet and a knack for transforming ideas into impactful strategies, Paul’s story is one of passion, innovation, and relentless curiosity.

Dive in and discover what makes Paul an integral part of the Murdoch Webster team!

Can you tell us a bit about your background and your journey to Murdoch Webster?

As someone who’s worked across the IT industry for decades, I was already familiar with the key players at Murdoch Webster back in 2019 when I first looked at their marketing presence. We swiftly revitalised the brand, messaging, and website, moving away from a look that felt like it was from the early days of the Internet—think Geocities. 😉

What were some significant life experiences that led you to where you are now?

As an '80s baby, I was the very lucky kid on the street with a father who worked in IT back then. Having a computer in the household as I grew up, combined with my curiosity, led me to play all the classic games (booting floppy discs), and as the Internet came online, so did I. This naturally transitioned into a summer computer sales job that embraced my ambitions. I ended up not going back to a 2nd year of university. From there, I’ve always worked in IT, growing in Sales & Marketing roles for a range of Aussie businesses and vendors over the years.

What do you value most about being part of the Murdoch Webster team?

What I value most is that there are genuinely no borders between the Sales and Engineering teams at MW. It’s a very unique attribute.

I loaded Double Dragon back in the '80s and fell in love with PCs. This led into a lifelong curiosity and desire to learn.
Real experience > than any degree!
I would have traveled the world straight out of high school and ended up somewhere exotic. Or I’d be playing basketball—that’d be the dream! A lack of talent, athleticism and height (even though I'm 6'4) are realities one learns along the way.
Plan a great holiday where I could think about investing in great ideas, both mine and others'.
Rigatoni—big, chunky, and always ready to be sauced up nicely.
It would be a year-long mandatory sabbatical for all high school graduates to travel and explore the world.

I have 2 cats at home, but I’m also a dog person. Both have their place! 🐱🐶
I’d find some obscure online communities to learn new things from and get lost in them. This is already a bit of a problem now.
Working with great people and helping shape ideas into strategy and then into results.
Mum’s homemade sausage rolls could cure anything.
I’d make sure whatever I did would have the team pondering my thought processes and wondering if they wanted to be in the room at all… but only a little bit.

Life at Murdoch Webster

Q: What's your favourite office snack, and how does it fuel your cybersecurity success?
Coffee and jerky—not necessarily together. Being awake and fueled helps me stay productive.

Q: What's the most memorable team outing or event you've had at Murdoch Webster?
Hosting a movie night for 70+ customers on a chilly winter’s evening was fantastic! Our Pretty in Pink BBQ was also unforgettable—a sea of pink feather boas, wigs, and costumes all worn by our great partners and the MW team.

Q: How do you think cybersecurity experts will work together with artificial intelligence in the future to tackle cyber threats?
AI agents and tools are here. Ethically deploying them and maximising their effectiveness (without going overboard) is the tricky part. In the marketing domain, we use AI to get the ‘first page’ prepped and planned for most campaigns. Each Brilliant Bio image leans in on some of the fun that can be had with AI!

Q: Imagine a day in the life of a Murdoch Webster employee 10 years from now. How do you envision it?
It’s a little worrying to think about how cyber threats will become increasingly nuanced and smart with AI over the next 10 years. It’ll be exciting to see how we stay leaders in the field. On a practical level for marketing, we’ll evolve with these changes. Hopefully (as an older guy these days) we won’t be too heavily reliant on the next TikTok. I’m not sure Chris is keen on tapping into the latest (future) dance video meme.

Q: What's the go-to playlist or song that gets your team in the zone for tackling cybersecurity challenges?
As a '90s teen, let’s roll with Rage Against The Machine to get the head boppin’ and brain fizzing a little. 🎸💥