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Eugene K. Yiga

Eugene K. Yiga

Brand Strategy & Consumer Analyst | Research & Insights Analyst | Creative Development Specialist

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  • Timeline

  • About me

    Curriculum Developer | Data Storyteller | AI & EdTech Strategist | Writer & Journalist 🎓📚🤖

  • Education

    • University of Cape Town

      2004 - 2007
      Bachelor of Business Science Finance

      While studying Business Science, I also studied music, graduating with distinctions for Accounting and Piano. Altogether, I studied classical piano for eight years in school (receiving a distinction for my University of South Africa exam) and four years in university (at the South African College of Music). Doing so taught me the value of time management when dealing with different priorities, discipline in pursuing rigorous routines, and the value of having passion in everything I do.

    • Coursera

      -

      Activities and Societies: I have always been intellectually curious. It’s the reason I set the goal to read the 100 greatest books of all time in 100 months. (I achieved the goal early and added another 300 books to the list.) It’s also why, as a firm believer in lifelong learning, I've completed over 100 courses in fields such as history, economics, philosophy, psychology, life sciences, social sciences, personal development, and more. (A full list of my certificates is available below.) As part of my career shift, I’ve successfully completed dozens of courses besides those for my Maser of Applied Data Science degree. These include specialisations with Duke University (Excel to MySQL: Analytic Techniques for Business), the University of Michigan (Python for Everybody, Python 3 Programming, and Statistics with Python), UC Davis (Data Visualization with Tableau Specialization), IBM (Key Technologies for Business, AI Foundations for Business, and Data Analysis and Visualisation… Show more As part of my career shift, I’ve successfully completed dozens of courses besides those for my Maser of Applied Data Science degree. These include specialisations with Duke University (Excel to MySQL: Analytic Techniques for Business), the University of Michigan (Python for Everybody, Python 3 Programming, and Statistics with Python), UC Davis (Data Visualization with Tableau Specialization), IBM (Key Technologies for Business, AI Foundations for Business, and Data Analysis and Visualisation Foundations), and DataCamp.I worked as an Alpha Tester with DeepLearning.AI. My responsibilities included testing and improving the quality of courses in development. This also involved reviewing videos, notebooks, and programming assignments to provide feedback during the testing phase; checking that resources were properly cited; reporting issues with the course content using the Git Issue Reporting Tool; and suggesting additional resources (reading, labs, etc.) that would enhance the content. Show less

    • University of Michigan - School of Information

      2022 - 2023
      Master's degree Applied Data Science GPA: 4.0

      Activities and Societies: Phi Kappa Phi Honors Society MADS Mentorship Program I completed over three dozen courses in preparation for this degree (a full list of certificates is available below) and am working through these courses as part of the curriculum: Being a Data Scientist; Math Methods for Data Science; Data Science Ethics; Data Manipulation; SQL and Databases; Efficient Data Processing; Big Data: Scalable Data Processing; Visual Exploration of Data; Information Visualization I; Communicating Data Science Results; Presenting Uncertainty; Data Mining I;… Show more I completed over three dozen courses in preparation for this degree (a full list of certificates is available below) and am working through these courses as part of the curriculum: Being a Data Scientist; Math Methods for Data Science; Data Science Ethics; Data Manipulation; SQL and Databases; Efficient Data Processing; Big Data: Scalable Data Processing; Visual Exploration of Data; Information Visualization I; Communicating Data Science Results; Presenting Uncertainty; Data Mining I; Supervised Learning; Unsupervised Learning; Qualitative Inquiry for Data Scientists; Intro to Cloud Computing for Data Science; Information Visualization II; Causal Inference; Experiment Design and Analysis; Data Mining II; Deep Learning I; Machine Learning Pipelines; Network Analysis; Applied Natural Language Processing; Social Media Analytics; Learning Analytics and Educational Data Science; Data Science for Social Good. (A full list of my projects is available at https://www.eugeneyiga.com/projects/) Show less

    • University of Cape Town

      2008 - 2008
      Post-Graduate Diploma in Accounting

      During my five years at university, I completed several reports and assignments in subjects including entrepreneurship, business strategy, marketing, econometrics, statistics, information systems, financial accounting, equity finance, corporate governance, and ethics. These let me apply course theory and advanced software skills in practical ways. More than that, they also taught me the value of interpersonal relationships and the power of working in an effective team.

  • Experience

    • Millward Brown

      Jan 2009 - Aug 2009
      Brand Strategy & Consumer Analyst | Research & Insights Analyst | Creative Development Specialist

      After being selected as one of only six national candidates for the Kantar Graduate Programme, I gained extensive experience in brand strategy, creative development, ad testing, campaign evaluation, and media planning during my eight-month internship as a Junior Research Executive at Millward Brown.I also published two case studies (one of which analysed social media platforms for the Google Insight Awards) and learned valuable project management skills while working for clients in financial services, healthcare, consumer goods, retail, technology, and sport. Show less

    • Eugeneyiga.com

      Apr 2009 - now
      B2B Copywriter | Creative Consultant | Freelance Journalist | Travel Writer | Urban Photographer

      I’ve written about travel, leisure, food, drinks, marketing, media, television, film, music, theatre, art, books, business, technology, personal development, career development, and more for over 100 different publications across the globe. These include Business Day, CNN, Financial Mail, Travel + Leisure, and Sunday Times. One of my features won the Excellence in Journalism Award from the International Food, Wine, and Travel Writers Association (2017). This was the third annual award I received, following a Silver Award (Special Merit for Online Innovation) at South Africa’s Arts Journalist of the Year (2014) and Writer of the Year from The Writers Bureau (2012). As a copywriter and journalist, I’ve published well over one thousand features to date, having interviewed the likes of Grammy-winning musicians, multinational CEOs, and other leaders in their respective fields. And as a marketing and creative consultant (named one of Travel Massive's top podcasters to listen to), I help people and brands craft and share stories in the most impactful way, be it through words, images, video, or voice. (A full list of testimonials from clients, as well as feedback from readers, is available at https://www.eugeneyiga.com/work.) Show less

    • Synovate Laboratories

      Sept 2009 - Apr 2011
      Global Research Coordinator | Strategic Project Analyst | Digital Content Strategist

      As Knowledge Manager of Synovate Laboratories, the R&D centre of a global market research company, I provided project design and analytical support for studies conducted in over 30 countries worldwide. I was also responsible for internal web management and monitoring online media buzz. I was chosen as one of the first guest bloggers for the World Advertising Research Centre and published almost 20 articles (one of which won a company Thought Leader Award) as well as two whitepapers: the first on building powerful brands and the second on creating successful ads. (Both whitepapers are available as PDF downloads below.) Show less

    • Cognician

      Sept 2011 - Mar 2015
      EdTech Product Manager | Instructional Design Specialist | Learning Solutions Architect

      My role as Senior Writer at Cognician Software, an online learning and coaching company, gave me the opportunity to design and create over two dozen courses. These include a critical and creative thinking course for students at the South African College of Applied Psychology; an induction programme for new employees at Rand Merchant Bank; a retirement planning course for 10X Investments; and Leadership Accelerator, created in partnership with one of the country’s top executive coaching companies and awarded Best Soft Skills Solution at DemoFest, part of DevLearn Conference & Expo 2014.I also designed and created The Monumental Life, a personal development course based on over a decade of my active research into the art and science of self-growth. As one user said: “I’m very impressed with Cognician. I signed up and started going through The Monumental Life. I found myself being more introspective and more appreciative of my life. It’s nice to see a start-up tackling not only a difficult problem, but one that could create significant positive effects for users.” Show less

    • STELLA TALENT MANAGEMENT

      Sept 2016 - Apr 2022
      Television Presenter | Event MC | Corporate Speaker | Voiceover Artist | Commercial Actor

      I completed an Individual Voice Programme with The Voice Clinic in 2015 (followed by the PowerSpeaking Programme in 2017) and continued to develop my public speaking skills through weekly one-on-one sessions with the founder of the Byron Bure Academy of Theatre Arts and later with Debra Glover at the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business. Throughout my career, I represented local and international brands through several media channels (including television, radio, print, and online), having worked top clients including @home, AISA, Bouygues, Castle Lager, Centraal Beheer, Chicken Licken, Discovery Bank, FedHealth, KFC, Lunch Bar, Pearson Education, Pick n Pay, Sprite, Tropicana, TUI Travel, and more.Here’s feedback from Wayne Cornelius, Traffic & Sourcing Manager for Internal Communications at New Media Publishing: “Eugene Yiga was an absolute professional and a real pleasure to work with. During a recent voice over recording for one of our clients, he was able to provide flawless reads on material he hadn’t seen before. His voice is smooth and natural, able to hold the attention of the audience for the duration of the video. He is a definite first choice for any future projects! Thank you, Eugene.” Show less

    • DeepLearning.AI

      Nov 2024 - now
      Curriculum Developer | Course Designer | AI & EdTech Strategist | Data Storyteller

      As a Curriculum Developer at DeepLearning.AI, I create engaging, high-impact educational content that bridges the gap between complex technical concepts and accessible, learner-friendly narratives. My role involves writing scripts, designing curriculum modules, and contributing to the development of cutting-edge specializations that leverage my expertise in communication, storytelling, and data science. This position allows me to combine my passion for education, AI, and storytelling while contributing to the mission of democratizing access to world-class education in data science and artificial intelligence.My key contributions and responsibilities include crafting scripts that transform raw technical material into compelling, interactive learning experiences; collaborating with subject matter experts (SMEs) to ensure that content aligns with their expertise while maintaining a consistent voice across all courses; applying advanced storytelling techniques from my background as a journalist and podcaster to make technical content engaging and memorable; and incorporating insights from learner feedback to continuously refine and improve course materials. Show less

  • Licenses & Certifications