Eben Uys

I've spent 18 years figuring out what it takes for people to perform at their best, and what organisations need to look like for that to be possible. My background is in analytics and consulting, MSc Mathematical Statistics, and more than a decade turning data into decisions across financial services and retail. But what I've become is someone who builds the conditions for high performance: through organisational development, coaching, culture work, and learning design.

At iO-Sphere I built end-to-end learning experiences, grew a team from scratch, and shaped a culture where people did their best work. At Mastercard I led people experience and skills transformation at a global level translating what employees were telling us into decisions that changed how the organisation developed and looked after its people. This combination of evidence-based grounding and human capability development is what I bring to every organisation I work with.

Currently completing an ICF Level 1 accredited OD coaching certification.

Coaching, Learning & Culture Lead at iO-Sphere (2023-01 – 2025-11)

Early employee (#4) and founder-adjacent leader in a growing data education business operating across the UK. Worked across business strategy, organisational development, people leadership, and learning design and delivery through multiple business growth phases and strategy direction changes.

• Founder Advisory: Trusted partner to the founder on business structure, team challenges, hiring strategy and strategy changes. Effectively served as an internal OD advisor as the company scaled.
• Culture & Organisational Developemtn: Defined and embedded company values, operating rhythms and ways of working. Led the company-wide culture survey: designed the constructs, analysed results, and led the response. Involved in hiring across operations, sales, marketing, and coaching, assessing culture and values fit.
• Learning Program Design: Designed and built end-to-end learning programs including content, scenarios, coaching frameworks, and delivery models. Core programs: the Data Experience Accelerator (14 cohorts, ~500 learners, 75%+ placement rate) and the Data Leadership Accelerator (4 cohorts).
• Immersive Learning Experiences: Built immersive, real-world simulations including a synthetic e-commerce company. Developed the structured problem solving, critical thinking, storytelling and collaboration modules that became central to all iO-Sphere programs. Shifted learners from tool-centric thinking to impact- and judgment-centric thinking.
• Corporate Training Lead: Led end-to-end design and delivery of bespoke corporate training for Wise, Motorway, WatchFinder, and Dunelm. The Dunelm engagement, a 100+ person program, was reframed from technical training into a masterclass on decision quality, critical thinking, and judgment.
• People Leadership & Team Expansion: Grew the South African office from just me to 15+ people, the company's largest hub. Hired and onboarded people across marketing, sales, and delivery.

Director, People Analytics and Experience at Mastercard (2019-10 – 2022-10)

Led employee experience and skills transformation for a global workforce, partnering with HR and business leaders to translate people insights into organisational strategy. Worked at the intersection of measurement, OD, and HR strategy.

• Employee Listening: Led Mastercard's global employee listening program. Developed measurement constructs, led analysis and storytelling, and translated results into strategic initiatives across learning, talent, and culture.
• Executive Advisory: Partnered with senior leaders up to CPO level on workforce strategy, capability planning, and organisational culture. Translated people data into clear strategic recommendations.
• Skills Transformation: Led Mastercard's future skills initiative — mapping current capability against future business needs and designing bridging strategies across learning and talent.
• Operating Model Design: Contributed to the design and launch of an internal talent marketplace, building frameworks for career progression and internal mobility grounded in skills data.
• Capability Measurement: Redefined how people strategy and learning effectiveness were measured — shifting beyond completion metrics to indicators of genuine capability change and organisational health.

Director, Advanced Analytics Consulting at Mastercard (2017-10 – 2019-09)

Led cross-functional analytics teams and managed a major client retainer for one of South Africa's grocery retailers, combining consulting and team leadership.

• Team Leadership: Led a cross-regional team across Cape Town and India — responsible for team development, performance, culture, and delivery quality.
• Client Partnership: Primary relationship lead for a major grocery retailer — scoping and presenting insight projects across marketing, customer, promotions, and assortment. Secured contract renewal during tenure.
• Consulting Delivery: Scaled consulting offerings across the EMEA region — managing client relationships and translating data into strategic recommendations for global retail brands.

Manager, Advanced Analytics Consulting at Mastercard (2016-03 – 2017-09)

Analytics consultant for global banking partners, managing end-to-end delivery of complex advisory projects and senior stakeholder relationships.

• Consultative Problem Solving: Partnered with global banking clients to diagnose business challenges, scope projects, and design interventions — moving beyond data reporting to strategic recommendations.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Managed senior relationships in corporate environments, navigating competing priorities to build buy-in and drive implementation.
• Storytelling & Delivery: Translated technical outputs into clear business narratives and actionable next steps for non-technical leadership teams.

Analytical Consultant & Statistician at Lightstone (2008-12 – 2016-02)

Seven years building an analytical consulting practice across property and retail sectors — evolving from statistician on Lightstone's core product into client-facing advisory and consulting roles.

• Client Advisory: Lead consultant for a major South African bank on a long-term retainer — scoping projects, facilitating workshops, and translating property data into commercial, risk, and customer insights.
• Consumer Insights: Delivered segmentation, location optimisation, and revenue potential models for retail clients — presenting findings and strategic recommendations to senior teams.

Lecturer at University of Pretoria and UNISA (2008-01 – 2014-12)

Taught applied statistical modelling subjects at the University of Pretoria and UNISA.

Candidate Researcher at CSIR (2008-02 – 2008-11)

Statistical modelling and analysis.

MSc in Mathematical Statistics – University of Pretoria (2008-01 – 2010-12)

BSc Honours in Mathematical Statistics – University of Pretoria (2007-01 – 2007-12)

BSc in Actuarial & Financial Mathematics – University of Pretoria (2006-01 – 2006-12)