Resume
Daniel Wertheimer
Group Lead: Knowledge & Insights · Recognised Data Leader · Speaker
Experience
Group Lead: Knowledge & Insights (Sales Execution & Data Products)
Coca-Cola Beverages Africa
- →Build and deliver AI-driven decision products and commercial analysis that directly inform where and how the business grows across emerging African markets
- →Lead on-the-ground execution of data solutions with country teams, ensuring adoption translates into measurable commercial outcomes
- →Sit at the intersection of data, commercial strategy, and internal process to turn how the business understands its markets into how it acts in them
Head of Data Science (Africa & the Middle East)
The HEINEKEN Company
- →Led data science & AI initiatives across multiple countries that delivered measurable business value year on year
- →Pioneered Generative AI globally, launching pilots that accelerated internal processes and unlocked new ways of working
- →Built a Value Measurement capability that gave leadership line-of-sight into the ROI of the top 15 global AI initiatives
- →Led ~11 cross-functional data professionals and upskilled 500+ global analytics professionals, raising the analytical baseline across the organisation
Lead Data Scientist & ML Engineer
Absa Group Limited
- →Developed a credit risk model that expanded the addressable lending base by 25% and improved prediction accuracy by 130%, directly enabling safer growth
- →Led an Ethical AI program that established governance frameworks adopted across the retail bank
- →Streamlined end-to-end ML pipelines with CI/CD and containerisation, reducing time from development to production
Business Analyst
Signature Business Solutions
- →Refined KYC reconciliation at Rand Merchant Bank, reducing compliance risk through improved data accuracy
- →Rewrote the Discovery Vitality Booster payout process, recovering R1.3M in erroneous payouts
Skills
Leadership & Strategy
Cross-functional team leadership, stakeholder engagement, multi-market delivery, cost management
Technical
Python, SQL, Machine Learning, Generative AI, Causal Inference, Docker/Kubernetes, Azure, Microsoft Fabric
Big Data & MLOps
Spark, CI/CD, model deployment, data pipelines, Power BI
Value Measurement
KPI/ROI frameworks, A/B Testing, Quasi-Experimental Methods
Recognition
Young Data Professional of the Year 2025
Recognised for outstanding contributions to the South African data community
30 Under 30 Future Data & Analytics Leader
Outstanding achievement in data science leadership
Keynote Speaker
Regular speaker at major data & AI conferences nationally and globally
SA National AI Strategy Working Group
Contributed to South Africa's national AI strategy through the National Advisory Council on Innovation (2024)
Advisory Committee Member — Eventful People
Ongoing advisory role supporting data and analytics community development (2023 – Present)
Mentorship
Mentored multiple students and professionals globally pursuing data science careers. Mentees have gone on to secure positions at Amazon, Boston Scientific, Accenture, and more.
Want to work together?
Open to speaking engagements, advisory roles, and interesting collaborations.
Get in touch