Asia-Pacific Power List 2024: Mim Haysom, Suncorp Group

Mim Haysom  

Executive general manager, brand and marketing
Suncorp Group
Australia
Member since 2023

In her role as Suncorp's executive general manager of brand and marketing, Mim Haysom applies her experience to the growth of the company's network of brands in the financial services sector. With a staff of 150 people spread across Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne, Haysom oversees the group's brand, marketing, and customer experience division for nine brands, including Suncorp, AAMI, Shannons, GIO, and APIA.

Having creative responsibility for these brands is something Haysom considers a privilege. And in the past year, this has resulted in work that cuts through and sparks conversation. A recent example was a campaign film by Australian insurance provider, AAMI, titled 'Because Australia'. The film demonstrates that when AAMI's customers are unlucky, the insurer is there to support them. The spot uses a fun and laconic Australian tone, one that is characteristic of Haysom's work and challenges beliefs that financial categories have to be staid and boring. It's a strategy that not only generates reactions, but continues to be a business accelerator. Suncorp's Group net profit was up 5.4% in 2023, while cash earnings increased 13.8% to $660 million.

Another strategy that continues to perform well for Suncorp is based on major sponsorships and sporting partnerships. Haysom has seen strong ROI from sporting partnerships, including Australian Football League,  Netball Australia and Suncorp Stadium, one of Australia's best stadiums, that plays host to national and international names.

As a champion of diversity and inclusion both internally and externally, Haysom has consistently invested in under-represented consumer groups in both sponsorship and traditional brand marketing. With Suncorp's AAMI brand, Haysom was one of the first to partner with Dylan Alcott as part of the Shift 20 initiative, a project that worked with major brands in Australia last year to normalise disability in advertising. As part of the Shift 20 Initiative, AAMI also unveiled an Australian-first Out-of-Home braille campaign, designed to empower individuals with low vision or blindness who read braille.

Apart from spearheading a multi-talented marketing team spanning nine brands and three regions, Haysom has also assumed a leadership position in a group-wide sustainability and diversity committee. This committee sets priorities, establishes goals, and oversees performance in alignment with Suncorp's strategic objectives, encompassing resilience and ESG opportunities and risks.

Prior to her role at Suncorp, Haysom worked across such esteemed brands as CommBank, IAG, ANZ, Woolworths, Lexus and Optus as the general manager for M&C Saatchi.