Search Republic is a conglomerate of some of the best digital marketing minds and e-commerce practitioners in the country. When you become a Search Republic partner, you’ll enjoy full access to this formidable resource.
Our Amazing Team
Taryn is a skilled and efficient performance marketer with expertise in paid Google Search and client relationships. She worked for parent company GoSee (formerly Online Republic) for six years before joining Search Republic in 2019. Taryn holds a versatile range of industry experience, having partnered with clients in banking, ecommerce, travel, and healthcare. She loves being part of the team at Search Republic and thrives on helping clients achieve better results.
Optimistic and open-minded, Taryn always wants to be learning. She previously spent a year living in Chile and travelling South America teaching English. Taryn enjoys exercise, yoga, spending time in the sun, reading, and socialising when she isn’t at work. She also has a phobia of buttons.
Karl started his digital marketing career in London in 2005, eventually rising to Head of PPC Marketing. He worked closely with household UK brands such HMV, John Lewis, Argos, and Boots. Returning to NZ four years later, he took on the role of Head of PPC for Localist, one of NZ’s biggest AdWords management companies, before joining Search Republic in 2015. Karl has experience working with household retail brands, national banks, small start-ups, and experienced digital-lead companies. Partnering with such a broad variety of exciting businesses and fantastic people over the years has helped him to think outside of the box when creating strategies and navigating the minds of potential customers. He believes in treating every dollar of a marketing budget with the same care and attention he would give to his own.
When he isn’t at work, Karl loves playing and watching sports, particularly tennis and golf. He values spending time with family and friends, is an avid movie and music buff, and he plays the drums in a garage rock band.
Megan studied a Professional Communication degree which focused on journalism, but included two weeks studying SEO - sparking her interest in digital marketing. After graduating in 2018, Megan joined Search Republic, where she now specialises in SEO and content editing. She loves the tight-knit team and the well-loved Kiwi companies she works with, ranging from major banks and national airlines to travel companies and family-owned e-commerce brands.
Respect for others and meaningful work are of high value to Megan. She believes in embracing fun wherever possible. Outside of work, she enjoys sailing, watching Youtube, and working on drawings for her art Instagram page.
Brad's digital marketing background began in 2002 when he undertook an MBA at the University of Canterbury, focusing on Marketing and Business Strategy. He moved to Ireland after graduation as head of marketing for online Travel company MyGuide, then after 3 years moved to the UK to become marketing team head for social media start-up friendsabroad.com. In 2008 freshly into fatherhood he headed back to NZ with Google for a few years. In January 2013 Brad joined forces with Mike Ballantyne and Isreal to found Search Republic. He has worked with a broad range of clients, including banks, power companies, airlines, and clairvoyants. For 10 years he walked in his clients shoes. Now he strives to do the best he possibly can for his partners within their budgets through understanding their business models and helping them to achieve their marketing and company goals.
As life is short, Brad believes in enjoying every day and fostering positive relationships with everyone around him, especially the amazing team members and partners of Search Republic. When he isn’t at work, Brad enjoys being a dad and husband, mountain biking, and spending time in the great outdoors. He spent four years living in Japan, and almost one year on an island that could be bicycled around in under an hour. Brad has climbed most of NZ’s 3000m peaks, and was alpine climbing in Pakistan on September 11th 2001. He has also completed 10 marathons.
Tessa is an experienced and innovative performance marketer, having started her career with Search Republic in 2013. She moved to Edinburgh four years later, where she took an account director role, and then rejoined Search Republic upon moving back to NZ in 2021. Detail-orientated and the ‘weird’ kid who liked maths in school, Tessa sees PPC as a game you are constantly trying to win. She has worked with e-commerce and Lead Gen clients of all sizes, from education and automotive to both B2C and B2B, involving budgets of more than $200k per week in peak periods. She excels at working beyond tracked Google Analytics data, drilling down to the unique factors that drive profit for each business.
Being curious and questioning everything is something that Tessa values. She believes that the world offers us so much more than most people ever get to experience, so it is important to make the most of even the smallest things. When she isn’t at work, Tessa enjoys music, good food, being outdoors in the sun, keeping active, spending time with loved ones, looking after her health, and creating a life entirely on her own terms.
Natasha’s digital marketing interest was sparked when she worked in digital ad operations for a publisher. Adaptable and dependable, she strives to use her experience to build Google Ad campaigns that have client goals at the forefront. Natasha loves being involved throughout the entire process and seeing real results first-hand, from strategy, implementation, optimisation, and on-going changes.
When she’s not at work, Natasha enjoys ‘just very normal, standard things’ like watching Netflix, reading a good book, catching up with friends, or going on walks. She values positivity and kindness in every aspect of life. Natasha is also partial to wearing a graphic tee to work on Fridays.
Billie joined Search Republic in 2021, after completing a BA majoring in English and Media, Film, and Television, and a Graduate Diploma in Psychology. Being both creative and detail-orientated, she was drawn to SEO because of how it combines the two. Billie enjoys the challenge of finding unique ways to present information and engage the target audience while maximising on and off-page optimisation. She loves working with such a supportive team and seeing results in real-time.
When she isn’t at work, Billie volunteers for the SHOUT mental health text service, and learns NZ Sign Language. She values empathy and having an open mind above all else. She enjoys writing, playing piano, traveling, and spending time with friends and family. Billie also eats her cereal without milk.
Isreal brings over 15 years of diverse digital marketing experience to the Head of SEO role at Search Republic. He has worked with a variety of clients in the past, including start-ups, SAAS, bluechip, Lead Gen, FMCG, finance, and e-commerce. Isreal finds much to love within his job, including working with a great team, the client partnerships he has built, and the varied work. Driven to consistently produce results in alignment with client goals, his expertise lies in thinking outside the box and critical analysis.
When he isn’t at work, Isreal enjoys reading, fishing, writing, eating, and learning. He places high importance on the values of fairness and honesty in all life contexts. He’d also like people to know that he is not, in fact, from Israel.
Tony has managed marketing campaigns across a variety of industries. His Performance Marketing career has involved working on both the client-side and agency-side in various marketing roles, such as sales, account management, and campaign management. Tony works with a range of clients, from car dismantlers to global travel suppliers. He enjoys understanding their industry and applying his expertise in Paid Media, Google, and Microsoft Search to help them reach their marketing and business goals. Tony loves all things marketing and is constantly looking to upskill. He recently completed a Level 7 Diploma in Digital Marketing.
Outside of Search Republic, Tony enjoys social time with family and friends over a BBQ. He believes trust is the foundation for every great relationship and values positivity, motivation, and challenging yourself. Tony has lived in many cities throughout NZ, mainly the South Island. He loves Auckland, and you can find him exploring the Northland Region in his free time.
Alea joined Search Republic in 2022 as a Digital Marketing Executive after graduating from AUT majoring in Marketing, Advertising, Retailing and Sales, with a minor in Entrepreneurship and Innovation. As a digital marketing executive she specialises in paid ads for Google, Facebook and Youtube. Alea really loves the fun and welcoming culture at Search Republic and how she is learning so much from her mentors and coworkers. And the amazing coffee of course!
Outside of work, Alea enjoys playing with her "nebelung" cat Pocki, watching movies/shows, cruising on her skateboard and having bake nights/fiestas with friends.
Estelle joined Search Republic in 2022, after returning to uni to study marketing, where she enjoyed learning about the intricacies of SEO and digital marketing. You may see Estelle’s blogs posted occasionally on our website and if you spare a minute, we would highly encourage you to have a read and potentially learn something new.
In her spare time, Estelle likes to travel and has previously visited Australia, Fiji, America, Canada and various parts of New Zealand. Although she loves to stay active, she also enjoys reading a good book or watching a good show. Her friends and family are very important to her and values helping and supporting others. She says the best thing about Search Republic is the ‘friendly team and supportive environment’.
Lawrence was born in Sydney, Australia and moved to Dunedin at the age of 9 for his dad to attend Otago University. He followed in his dad’s footsteps and attended Otago, graduating with a BComm in Management and a desire to expand his knowledge in marketing. As a result, he completed his final year, graduating with a Master of Marketing in 2022.
Lawrence values his friends and family and likes to spend time with them in his spare time. He also loves to stay active and has a passion for basketball which he enjoys due to his competitive nature. Lawrence likes to travel and has travelled to Japan, Fiji, and Singapore; he is planning to visit the States next. His favourite thing about Search Republic is the friendly environment and extensive knowledge his colleagues have of digital marketing. He is excited to have the opportunity to learn from them as a new grad.
Briony joined the team in July 2022, after completing her Bachelor of Arts Specialising in Communications from UoA, followed by a Postgraduate Diploma in Communications from AUT. Writing and fixing grammatical errors are her area of expertise. Briony’s favourite thing about Search Republic is the working environment - she loves constantly learning new things daily!
When she’s not at work, you can find Briony out on hikes or walks, and she also enjoys going out for dinner with her partner and friends. The values that drive her are kindness, loyalty, respect, and honesty. Briony is a super-fast reader, and she can easily finish a good book in just one day.
After Larysa finished her Business Marketing and Business studies in Toronto, she moved on to work in agency marketing for 6 years before joining Search Republic as a Performance Marketer. Her area of expertise is in search marketing, specifically Google Ads. Larysa enjoys the vibrant team culture and her core values include loyalty and a great working team environment. In her spare time, Larysa enjoys spending time with her friends and family, going to pilates and yoga classes, plus anything health and wellness related. Larysa has a passion for languages - speaking Ukrainian, Polish as well as English - plus she loves to play Taylor Swift songs on the guitar. We are lucky to have Larysa onboard with us.
