About Me
Hi, I’m George Rouse. I’m a Senior Digital Marketing Manager at Kaseya.
I’ve spent over a decade learning the ins and outs of digital marketing, from SEO and content to project management, always with one goal in mind: combining technology with real human experiences to get results that matter.
Out in The Real World
I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious
I’ve never claimed to have a special talent. What drives me is curiosity. I want to understand how things work and how they can be better. That mindset has taken me from small school projects to global marketing roles for multi-billion-pound companies. That curiosity taught me that real growth comes from diving in and learning as you go.
Working on the Farm
Hard work is a fact of life, one of the great lessons I learnt from my grandad. Every summer for almost 20 years, I helped out on the family farm, working with cattle and machinery. You learn to expect the unexpected.
Best decision I ever made
I always knew I was going to work with computers, and moving to Reading gave me that chance. I started studying Computer Science but realised it was too focused on history and not the future. Dropping out and getting a job was the best decision I made.
Andrew Stuart - Lasting Legacy
On day one at Datto, Andrew was the first to welcome me. As MD, he took it upon himself to ensure everyone was welcomed, valued and respected at all times. He was the perfect role model, and a leader I’ve never met since. Sadly, Andrew passed away in 2018, but left an impact on everyone.
Top 100 Best Small Companies to Work For
The early years at Datto were a lightning-in-a-bottle moment. There were fewer than 30 people in the UK, in one small office. The laughs, the moments and the fantastic teamwork made it the perfect environment to see the power of humans behind technology.
Branded Company Land Rover Defender
A major moment for me. This was the first item I had designed that I got to see in the real world. Seeing this roll around the corner and the whole office come out to look at the Defender was an amazing experience.
Just another Wednesay at work
Maybe one of the wildest days of my life. DattoCon San Diego 17: while my task there was designing the presentation deck for an 80 ft screen, one of the event highlights was Snoop Dogg. That same day ended with a party on an aircraft carrier. Unforgettable.
Nothing can be achieved alone
There’s a point at work when you want to do everything, and you want to be seen as someone who gets stuff done. However, there’s also a point when you realise you can’t do it alone. Projects like DattoCon gave me immense pride in what the team could do.
Developing a Team
At Kaseya, I was able to be part of a powerful digital marketing team. I also stepped up to lead the global search team. I couldn’t be more proud. Our team builds a culture of leaning on each other for help and collaboration, which lets us punch above our weight.
Discovering Cultures
Travel is one of the greatest experiences in life. I’ve been able to travel the world and discover new cultures, from the UAE and Morocco to the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, the Caribbean and the US. Everywhere has something special to discover.
My History
Jumping In Feet First
I didn’t exactly follow a straight path into marketing.
I started out studying IT at Brockenhurst College and then Computer Science at the University of Reading, but I quickly realised that university wasn’t for me and what I craved was hands-on experience.
Going to university was one of the best decisions of my life. It helped me grow up, meet some fantastic people, and it completely changed my life. Leaving at the end of my first year was an even better choice, even if it was a bit of a bumpy ride at times.
While I had a clear goal to work in web development, that wasn’t easy. I started by reaching out to 48 marketing agencies in Berkshire. Only two ever responded to me. One was Jigsaw Design Studio. Mark gave me my first break, and that’s where my career really began.
The Missing Jigsaw Piece
Jigsaw was a small but powerful digital agency. When I started, it was only four people doing web design, development and marketing for all sorts of businesses.
Everything I learned there came from jumping in the deep end and having to make things work. From managing content management systems and online payments to boosting customer engagement with SEO and paid ads, I quickly understood what drives results online.
One project stands out: we built a PHP and MySQL booking system for taxi companies, letting customers get instant quotes and book journeys online. This was well before Uber became a thing. It was challenging, pushed me to improve my coding and project management skills, and taught me that innovation and practicality have to go hand in hand.
While I was there, I was able to put down roots in Reading: buying my first flat, joining a local football team, and taking on the challenge of doing this on a small salary. I still clearly remember seeing a social video about the key stages of a career being learning and earning. While Jigsaw helped me learn more than I could ever imagine, I remember ending a month with £12.28 in my bank before payday.
After nearly five years at Jigsaw, it was time to take the next step.
Stepping up to Datto
Joining Datto in 2016 felt like a big leap into the unknown. Moving from a company of four to 40 locally, and over 400 globally, felt massive. However, I felt at home straight away thanks to the warm welcome from Andrew Stuart, the Managing Director of Datto EMEA.
Datto was already growing fast, but the rate it grew at blew my mind. It meant I could explore new roles and take on a variety of projects.
Over six years, I worked on everything from leading the design of DattoCon17 London to helping onboard Marketo to the EMEA region, project management, and even videography.
Along the way, I earned recognition like the DattoByte Award and the “Ace of Innovation” Award. I watched the company grow, go public with an IPO in 2021, and eventually get acquired by Kaseya, which opened the door to new challenges and opportunities on a global scale.
In March 2021, the COVID lockdown hit and I was asked to return to running the global SEO strategy. I jumped at the opportunity, and it really gave me time to focus and specialise.
All Aboard the Rocketship
While Datto was moving at a wild pace, in April 2022 Kaseya bought Datto for $6.2bn. This move came out of the blue for me, and while I had learnt to expect the unexpected and knew change was constant, this took it to a whole new level.
It was my first time being in a position where we had been acquired. Datto had been the purchaser in the past, and I’d worked to consolidate websites and brands, but we’d never been the acquired brand. What I learned is that change can be scary, or it can be an opportunity. In fact, it can be one of the biggest career accelerators there is.
I ended up running the SEO team for the combined organisation. At first, it was just the two of us running SEO. However, we had over 15 websites to manage, and consolidation wasn’t on the cards yet.
Instead, we built a plan for standardisation and prioritisation that helped us excel and push way above our weight, and we became a powerhouse of technical and content SEO.
New Era of Kaseya
Eventually, the search team grew and my role expanded too. I led the way in developing a “One Search” framework, combining the paid and organic search teams. We maximised the combined team’s output across channels and freed up paid budget where organic was winning, to grow the team’s ROI.
This grew further into website compliance, trademark enforcement on competitors’ ads, brand consolidation, and leading the charge into AI search, all with a team of four people.
Kaseya now has over 5,000 staff and over $1.5bn in annual revenue. My team is growing, developing and maturing into complete marketers.
It’s crazy looking back at how far my journey has taken me. Maybe you see similarities in your journey, or maybe you’re only just setting off. If you embrace change and focus on building the skills you’ll need for the future, then anything is possible.
