Head of Data Science | 30 Under 30 Future Data & Analytics Leader | M.IT Big Data Science | Speaker Professional Experience Head of Data Science (Africa & the Middle East) The HEINEKEN Company | April 2023 - Present Spearhead multiple data science & AI initiatives across multiple countries, delivering €42M in 2023 and €36M in 2024 Developed and supported the delivery of scalable AI systems on Azure Databricks affecting both internal and external stakeholders Pioneered Generative AI globally, launching pilots to accelerate innovation and deliver measurable value Built a Value Measurement capability to measure and optimize ROI for HEINEKEN’s top 15 global initiatives Lead ~11 cross-functional data professionals, fostering collaboration in an Agile environment using tools like Jira and Azure DevOps Led multiple foundational capability initiatives at HEINEKEN that enhanced the skills of over 500 global analytics professionals, including the development of an MLOps infrastructure-as-code platform that accelerated time-to-value and a developer experience framework that streamlined onboarding and boosted productivity Lead Data Scientist & ML Engineer Absa Group Limited | October 2017 - March 2023 Developed and deployed a credit risk model that increased lending base by 25% and boosted accuracy by 130% Led an Ethical AI program, creating governance frameworks to ensure responsible AI use at scale Streamlined end-to-end ML pipelines with CI/CD (Jenkins, GitLab) and container orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes) Oversaw a global team, collaborating with executives to define and track strategic KPIs in multi-million-dollar projects Implemented advanced analytics solutions (recommendation systems, segmentation, forecasting) across the Retail Bank Technical Content Creator (Part-Time) SuperbNode | February 2019 - November 2020 Authored articles on DevOps, data infrastructure, and analytics, bolstering brand authority Business Analyst Signature Business Solutions | April 2017 - October 2017 Refined KYC reconciliation at Rand Merchant Bank, leading to more accurate financial compliance Rewrote the Discovery Vitality Booster payout process, recovering R1.3M in erroneous payouts Skills & Expertise Leadership & Strategy: Managing Global Data Teams, Stakeholder Engagement, Cost Management Technical Expertise: Data Science, Machine Learning, Software Development, AI System Design, Python, SQL, Generative AI, Causal Inference, Docker/Kubernetes, AWS, Azure Big Data & MLOps: Spark, Hadoop, CI/CD, Model Deployment, Data Pipelines Value Measurement: KPI/ROI frameworks, Experimentation, A/B Testing, Quasi-Experimental Methods Soft Skills: Mentorship, Public Speaking, Cross-Functional Collaboration, Communication Awards & Recognition Young Data Professional of the Year 2025 - Recognized for outstanding contributions to the South African data community 30 Under 30 Future Data & Analytics Leader - Outstanding achievement in data science leadership Industry Speaker - Regular keynote speaker at major data conferences Additional Contributions Mentorship Mentored multiple students and professionals globally pursuing data science careers Mentees have successfully secured positions at companies like Amazon, Boston Scientific, and Accenture Conference Speaker Spoken at multiple conferences, representing both personal expertise and corporate initiatives on national and global stages Delivered actionable insights on data science applications and solutions addressing unique challenges in Africa Speaking & Thought Leadership Data Science Keynote Speaker - Sharing insights on ML best practices and industry trends Technical Blog Author - Published articles on data science, AI ethics, and responsible technology Industry Panel Discussions - Regular participant in discussions on the future of AI and data science Mentorship & Training - Active mentor for emerging data scientists and AI professionals Professional Development Continuous Learning - Regular participation in advanced courses and certifications Industry Engagement - Active member of professional data science and AI communities Research Contributions - Ongoing research in AI ethics and responsible machine learning Conference Participation - Regular attendee and speaker at leading industry events For a detailed resume, portfolio examples, or to discuss collaboration opportunities, please feel free to contact me.