Hi, my name is Mnguni Zulu! I'm glad you have come to my personal page and I would like to tell you a bit about myself: Where I'm from and what makes me tick.
I am a bit of a nerd, and not ashamed to say it. I think learning is fun! Especially when I am learning about new tools and techniques I can then use on future data projects. I am very driven, focused and dedicated. Wherever there is a problem, I ask: Where? Why? How? When? I often find myself thinking about work-related problems in the middle of the night, and getting up at midnight to note down some idea I have.
Being a data analyst let's me do what I have always had a passion for: Figuring out what is happening and why? In fact, I think that analytic thinking is a skill more people should have. For me this is not only a job, but a way of thinking and being.
A bit of my Background
As is obvious from my surname, I do have Zulu heritage, which is from my father's side. However I grew up in Berlin, Germany and German was also my first language. It wasn't until the second grade that I started learning English.
After spending my formative years in Berlin, the whole family moved to Cape Town, in South Africa, where I continued my schooling at the DSK (Deutsche Schule Kapstadt). This lovely school nurtured my curiosity for numbers and science, and left an immensely positive impact on me. At the age of 15 I went to a local South African school called 'Fairmont High School'.
Although moving from a German speaking and german curriculum school to a South African semi-public school, was a little difficult, I can say that it was an important step for my personal development. I learned how to stick out of the crowd, how to stay away from the wrong crowd, and learned what it meant to be a South African. I basically acquired my second identity. . . I became a German South African!
I excelled at Fairmont High School, and once I was done with Matric (on Higher Grade) I was admitted at Stellenbosch University. The University was absolutely fantastic! I was and am honored to have been lectured by renowned persons in the fields of Economics and Investments/ Business Management. Although I found Economics very interesting, I found my natural talent with number-intensive subjects like Investments, Statistics etc.
Back then I knew very little about the various options or possible career paths available to me. Had I known then, that I could make a career out of something like data analysis/science, I believe I would have changed course immediately.
I see life as a classroom. We can learn from every challenge we overcome. When you view life this way, it's difficult to regret the round-about way I eventually came to do what I love. Most probably, it is because of my educational background, combined with my diverse working experience that I am the analyst I am today.
After graduating, I moved to Botswana, which was as different from Cape Town as could be. I started and concluded my own project in Residential Real Estate, before beginning my job as a production manager for an amazingly interesting project. Blue Pride was a commercial producer of indigeneous seed oils, and I had the priviledge of being part of this very impactful business.
After COVID-19, almost everything changed, and I said farewell to Blue Pride, to go into business with my wife. We started a micro-brewery, which experienced astronomical growth in a short time. We kept innovating, building our own processes and even some equipment like the pasteurizer. It's probably around this time that I realised that I am really into analysis! For a long time I had thought that I loved business. What it really was, was the an obsession with data, process optimisation and technique.
Today I am back home in Germany and live in Gelsenkirchen with my wonderful wife Susan and our angel of a daughter, Amani.
My Work Experience
After my graduation from Stellenbosch University, I moved to Botswana, looking for a challenge in what can rightly be called a developing country with a lot of potential. I was engaged in a small residential project wher I bought and developed a property. Today there are 3 homes and one multi-residential property where once stood nothing but empty fields. I was quite proud of myself for what I managed to do.
It was in 2013 that I met two investors that wanted to start a company to produce indigeneous seed oils, like Marula and Mongongo oil. After doing a feasibility study and writing their business plan, they asked me whether I would like to be a part of the team and lead the project as a production manager. The project was so interesting that I had to say 'Yes!'
I was part of the project for 7 years and gained invaluable experience in leadership, planning, systems and process optimisation.Additionally I got to work on data collection, data management, filtering and analysis. All things I had already done in my Bachelor's. This is where I first began to draw on the power of data for crucial decision-making, especially in the area of procurement and finace. I also learned a lot from my mentors who were those same investors. They went on to start several busniesses in the USA and Southern Africa.
My most recent role was as a commercial manager at an online retailer. Although I had issues with some aspects of management, I had a great deal of admiration for the founders and how they managed to build a hobby into a sizeable business. What I immediately realised was there was so much data being generated, which was not being analysed. I set to the task of working with this data, to solve problems and predict demand for procurement purposes. I eventually decided to leave so I could pursue a full-time course for Data Analytics. The best decision I ever made!
My Hobbies and Outlook
When I'm not working, I love to read a good book. It can be sc-fi, self-development or even a novella. Although I am convinced I have no artistic bone in me, I do appreciate art in various mediums. It's been two years since my last visit to a museum or opera, but if you have spare tickets, you know where to send them. I enjoy walks in one of the parks near my home, or cooking an experimental meal with my wife. I also enjoy painting with my daughter, or watching a movie with the family.
Things which I would like to do when time permits, is to continue learning French, and keep travelling to new countries, like New Zealand or Chile. . . All those places which are at the edge of the world and still have some unspoilt nature.
I am optimistic about the future! I want to contribute to a better future for all people. This is an ambitious goal, but I believe we can all do our part by being the best version of ourselves. This means, striving to be productive and engaged in something we are passionate about. This way, work will seldom feel like a chore.
I want to keep learning more and working with more and more complex data. I want to become a data scientist. Transforming raw data into actionable insights is a passion.
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