Bophelo Maake, Business Intelligence Analyst

You’ve only got a few minutes to explain to someone you’ve just met what you do. What do you tell them, including your title and what it means? Think of this as your elevator pitch!

I am business intelligence analyst at Capitec. Basically, my job involves transforming data into insights that help drive business values. I’ve worked in many different areas at Capitec, including marketing, operations and risk, but I’m currently working as a team lead within the credit sales analytics team.

How long have you been at Capitec?

I joined Capitec just over five years ago. The culture makes it a happy work environment. Everyone is always thinking ahead and willing to help one another, especially when it comes to knowledge sharing. You get a lot out of Capitec because you’re working with people who want to make the products we offer better, people who are willing to learn and share knowledge.

What’s the first thing you do when you get to the office every morning?

Before lockdown, I’d start by checking my emails and writing a to-do list. Once that was done, I’d get coffee with my colleagues. Now it’s a bit different! Instead of “leaving the office” to get coffee, I make a cup in the kitchen and schedule regular virtual catch-ups with my colleagues.

Given that many people are working from home at the moment, what is your top tip for working remotely?

Because most meetings happen virtually now, it’s important to learn how to use the scheduled time efficiently. Go into a meeting with purpose and make sure the time is well spent. Our meeting culture has definitely changed; we no longer have meetings about meetings! Every meeting has a purpose.

Tell us about a typical day at the office.

That will depend on where we are in the month. At month-end, for example, I’ll have more meetings as I have to report back on any month-end issues. During the middle of the month, I usually have fewer meetings because we’ve already prioritised the work we need to do with our clients.

The two constants in my day are balancing my time between my work and meetings, both external and internal, which include our daily 15-minute team stand-ups. We use the stand-ups to catch up on what we did the previous day, what we’re planning to work on today and if we’re experiencing any obstacles.

Where do you fit in within Capitec? And who do you report to?

I work in the data and analytics division, and more specifically, the analytics guild. I report to Carl du Toit, who is our data product owner, and Nhlanhla Radebe, who is the guild head of analytics.

What are your go-to tools for getting your job done efficiently and effectively?

A definite go-to for me is email. I use it to set up a daily to-do list and schedule meetings. Another lifesaver, especially during lockdown, is Microsoft Teams. I use it to set up and record meetings, and to present reports.

What type of skills do you need to be good at what you do? 

Communications skills are extremely important because you need to share – or communicate – your analyses and insights to various stakeholders. Attention to detail is also critical, as one incorrect number can make an entire presentation or analysis inaccurate, and Capitec makes business decisions based on our figures and findings. General problem-solving skills will also take you far. On the technical side, you need to know how to use SQL to build queries that extracts data from different databases for analysis.

What are you most excited about in your role?

I work with an amazing team of analysts, data engineers and data scientists. I get to do a lot collaboration and this allows me to expand my skillset  outside my current role.

What did you study? 

A BCom in economics and statistics.

What did you want to be when you grew up? 

I didn’t really know much about data and analytics; no one I knew was working in that field. But I remember reading an article about data and analytics, and I thought it sounded like an interesting career to pursue. And here I am!