function createPortfolio() {
const skills = ["TypeScript","Python","FastAPI","RAG/LLM"];
const projects = ["Production RAG & report-generation apps"];
// Initialize experience
const experience = {
companies: ["Xero", "Contour Labs", "Syft"],
role: "Software Engineer"
};
// Build portfolio components
return {
renderUI() {
return skills.map(skill => (
<Component key={skill} type="badge">
{skill}
</Component>
));
},
addProject(project) {
projects.push(project);
return this;
}
};
}ENGINEER // RESEARCHER // DESIGNER
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/ about me
I am a Software Engineer at Xero, building platform features used by thousands of small businesses and architected to scale to millions. I work full-stack; backend APIs, ETL pipelines, frontend features, and production monitoring with a recent focus on shipping production RAG and LLM-powered applications. On the side I run Contour Labs, where I take AI/ML projects from client scoping to production. Previously at Syft Analytics (acquired by Xero), I built ETL pipelines and backend APIs with TypeScript/Node.js on Google Cloud. I'm also completing an M.Sc. in Computer Science (by Research) at the University of Johannesburg, working on deep learning and financial mathematics for portfolio optimization.
/ skills
Languages
Backend / Frontend
AI / ML
Cloud / Infra
/ education
M.Sc. Computer Science (by Research)
University of Johannesburg | 2026
Research focused on Deep Learning and Financial Mathematics; developed advanced Python models for dynamic portfolio optimization (N-BEATS + Deep Reinforcement Learning).
Skills: Python, TensorFlow, Financial Maths, Docker, Keras, NumPy, Sklearn, Deep Learning, FIN-RL, Pandas, Matplotlib
Honors in Computer Science
B.Sc. Computer Science and Electronics
/ certifications
CC Certified in CybersecurityISC2
Issued: 2023
Associate Cloud EngineerGoogle Cloud
Solutions Architect AssociateAmazon Web Services
Cloud PractitionerAmazon Web Services
/ work experience
Xero / Engineer Jan 2025 - Present
FinTech Services / Full-time
Built the generation pipeline behind AI-authored financial reports, producing analyst-grade commentary from live ledger data; the system selects relevant figures, structures each report section, and writes narrative grounded in the underlying numbers.
Implemented a verification layer that checks every figure in the model's output against the computed financials, automatically retrying or flagging any unsupported claim, so generated commentary stays accurate and traceable to source data.
Designed and shipped platform features used by thousands of accounting and small-to-medium businesses, with architecture built to scale to millions of Xero users globally.
Led delivery of a new reporting capability across frontend, backend, and deployment, partnering with Product and Design from prototype through to production; reduced time-to-insight by ~30% and improved client engagement.
Migrated a third-party integration onto the standard connections framework, owning the auth, retry, and save lifecycle; resolved long-standing connection bugs and reduced connection-related support escalations by ~33%.
Enhanced system reliability by implementing rate limiting, batch saving, error handling, and preloading strategies, lowering client-facing errors by ~25%.
Syft Analytics / Software Engineer Jan 2023 - Dec 2024
Contour Labs / Founder & Engineer Sept 2021 - Present
University of the Witwatersrand / Teaching Assistant MAR 2021 - NOV 2021
North-West University / Teaching Assistant MAR 2019 - DEC 2020
/ projects
AI GIS Analyst
Production geospatial RAG.
Led the development of iziMapping, an intelligent geospatial platform for natural-language querying over 100K+ features. Combined ChromaDB with a custom multi-signal retriever (semantic, TF–IDF, fuzzy match, H3 proximity) and intent-aware LLM routing, with a Leaflet UI rendering GeoJSON results.
Technologies used: Python, FastAPI, ChromaDB, GeoPandas, Shapely, H3, Leaflet, LLMs
RAG Systems with Gemma & LangChain
Implemented Retrieval-Augmented Generation pipelines.
Implemented embedding, indexing, and retrieval to enhance response accuracy and minimize hallucinations using open-source frameworks.
Technologies used: Python, NumPy, LangChain, Gemma, FastAPI, Ollama, Vertex AI, Pandas
Deep-Q Networks & PPO
Reinforcement learning for MiniHack environments.
Developed agents using deep-Q networks (3DQN) and Proximal Policy Optimization (PPO) to solve different Mini-Hack Environments with a team of 4.
Technologies used: Python, NumPy, matplotlib, PyTorch, OpenAI gym, Tensor Board
CNNs for Speech Emotion Detection
Audio analysis for emotion prediction.
Developed a CNN model that converted audio to tensors and predicted human emotions with 84% accuracy.
Technologies used: Python, TensorFlow, Keras, Librosa, matplotlib, sklearn, soundfile, Seaborn, Pandas
Autonomous Surveillance Bot
AI-driven security robot simulation.
Programmed and deployed a security robot (in simulation) that scans surroundings for suspicious objects and avoids obstacles to reach targets.
Technologies used: Python, Robotics, ROS, Seaborn, SLAM, Motion Planning
/ talks
Recent talks
Beyond Retrieval: Accelerating AI Development with Google ADK
GDG Devfest Johannesburg 2025 · 01 Nov 2025
Human-AI Interaction in the Global Majority
Deep Learning Indaba Kigali 2025 · 22 Aug 2025
ForecastRL
Deep Learning IndabaX · 08 Jul 2025
/ community
Recent mentorships
Human-AI Interaction Workshop
Deep Learning Indaba Kigali 2025 · 22 Aug 2025
AI Study Jam
Co-organizer and mentor · 24 Apr 2025 - 15 May 2025
Helped guide a 5-week learning sprint from beginner to intermediate AI/ML practice with hands-on exercises and project support.
Google DeepMind AI Hackathon
Technical mentor · 25 Sep 2025
Mentored teams prototyping AI solutions across HealthTech, EdTech, FinTech, AgTech, and GovTech, with emphasis on architecture and applied Google AI tools.
Google Cloud Hero labs
Hands-on mentor · 09 Nov 2024
Guided participants through Gemini 1.5 Pro labs on Vertex AI, helping them complete challenges and apply GenAI tooling in practice.
Google I/O Extended workshop
Co-led mentor · 27 Jul 2024
Ran a hands-on generative AI lab with Vertex AI and Gemini, while mentoring participants through Google Cloud Skills Boost pathways.
Leadership & Volunteering
Mentor — Google Developer Groups (GDG) Johannesburg
Apr 2024 - PresentCo-Lead (Hackathon / Partnerships) — Deep Learning IndabaX
Feb 2024 - PresentMentor — Eskom Expo for Young Scientists
Feb 2023 - Feb 2025Sub-Committee Member (Developer) — Wits Developer Society
Apr 2022 - Dec 2022Mentor — NEMISA Data Science Hackathon
Feb 2021Fundraising & RAG Officer — Student Campus Council (SCC), NWU
Aug 2019 - Dec 2020Awards
Post Graduate Merit Award — University of the Witwatersrand
2021Golden Key Honour Society Award — North-West University
2018Affiliations
/ contact
Schedule a Meeting
Book a 30-minute slot directly on my calendar.