Overview

Matthew Poulter

Development and Marketing Manager

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• 

  Development and Marketing Manager

  Kiddiwinks

  2018 – present

  Kiddiwinks is a family business that grew from a passion for everything LEGO® related. The family in question happens to be my own, and I have therefore quite literally grown up with Kiddiwinks.

  After working as a part-time consultant, I moved to a full-time management position and, for the past 4 years, have worked to help develop and improve our customer experiences.

  My responsibilities include managing the design and development of the Kiddiwinks digital infrastructure and website (used by both customers and staff members). A large part of this involved upgrading and migrating several legacy systems. During this time, I was also able to introduce a customer loyalty programme which has seen great success in the 2 years that it has been running.

  My other main role at Kiddiwinks is heading up the marketing efforts, both digital and physical. This includes everything from creating campaign plans to writing and designing the weekly newsletters and regular social media posts.

  In addition to these responsibilities, I am involved in shop floor planning, general staff management, and financial record-keeping. I also step in as a sales assistant when the occasional need arises.

  During my time at Kiddiwinks, the business has seen strong growth, despite the economic conditions (including a 25% increase in consumer sales from 2019 to 2020). Due to this growth, as well as my work on improving the digital infrastructure, Kiddiwinks is now in a strong, self-sustaining position.

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  Freelance Web Developer and Editor

  Simple Squid

  2010 – present

  I founded Simple Squid in 2010 as the business behind my freelance web development work. Since then, I have developed websites and web applications for various businesses and individuals.

  My freelancing hasn’t only been limited to web development and has extended to graphic design and video editing (amongst other things).

  I have also been actively involved in the open-source community and I maintain a few PHP packages myself.

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  Robotics Teacher

  Forres Preparatory School

  2016 – 2020

  My extended involvement with the FIRST LEGO League robotics competition led to my appointment as the LEGO robotics teacher and coach at Forres Preparatory School. I taught lessons on two or three afternoons every week to kids aged 9 to 13, teaching the basics of coding and engineering by building and programming LEGO robots.

  In the second half of each year, the focus of the lessons shifted to preparing for the FIRST LEGO League competition. Each year I took three Forres teams to the regional competition and twice was able to take one of the school teams to the national competition in Johannesburg.

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  Development and Marketing Consultant

  Kiddiwinks

  2015 – 2017

  My official involvement with Kiddiwinks started in 2015 as I began consulting part-time with the day-to-day operations of the business. This included assisting with the development of existing systems and helping to create marketing plans, newsletters, and social media posts.

  I also assisted with the ordering and managing of stock, teaching robotics classes, organising LEGO children’s parties, and the planning and opening of a new Kiddiwinks shop in 2017.

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  Research Assistant

  Rondebosch Boys’ High School

  2015

  At Rondebosch, I worked on and initiated a variety of projects aimed at finding ways to help teachers and students at the school, predominantly using technology. This included setting up the school’s virtual learning environment and creating a teacher peer-review system using recorded lessons.

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  Bachelor of Science Honours specialising in Computer Science

  University of Cape Town

  2019 – 2020

  I completed my Bachelor of Science Honours degree specialising in Computer Science in mid-2020, although my graduation was postponed to July 2021.

  I found this to be the hardest year of my studies due to several personal reasons as well as my becoming more actively involved at Kiddiwinks. In fact, I failed one of my final courses in 2019 and had to learn the hard lessons of resilience and perseverance as I took another course the following year to complete my degree.

  My course results were:

  Course	Mark
  Honours Research Project	75
  Research & Innovation	79
  Functional Programming	80
  Compilers 1	76
  Compilers 2	87
  Big Data	80
  Network Security	79
  High-Performance Computing	70
  Mathematics: Cryptography	F
  Human Computer Interaction	83

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  Fellowship Programme

  Allan Gray Orbis Foundation

  2017 – 2019

  I was selected to join the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation's Fellowship Programme in 2017. In addition to funding three years of my university fees, this was an exciting and eye-opening experience for me as I was mentored and guided towards life as a high-impact, responsible entrepreneur.

  I attended many entrepreneurship workshops, master classes, mentorship sessions, and festivals organised by the Foundation. I have since graduated from the Fellowship Programme and am now an Allan Gray Fellow.

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  Bachelor of Commerce specialising in Information Systems & Computer Science

  University of Cape Town

  2016 – 2018

  I graduated with my Bachelor of Commerce degree specialising in Information Systems & Computer Science in April 2019. I enjoyed my time studying, and, as a result, found myself picking up several extra courses along the way.

  Skills wise, I learned how to work under pressure, I gained a strong understanding of business, and I improved my verbal and written communication skills.

  I was grateful to be placed on the Dean’s Merit List as well as being awarded a Commerce Faculty Scholarship.

  My course results were:

  First year:

  Course	Mark
  Financial Accounting	86
  Financial Reporting I	83
  Evidence-based Management	70
  Computer Science 1015	95
  Computer Science 1016	88
  Microeconomics	81
  Macroeconomics	57
  Mathematics 1010	98
  Mathematics 1012	95
  Introductory Statistics	94

  Second year:

  Course	Mark
  Management Accounting I	66
  Business Law I	55
  Computer Science 2001	80
  Computer Science 2002	66
  Systems Analysis	61
  Systems Design & Development	69
  Mathematics 2000	52
  Business Ethics	57

  Third year:

  Course	Mark
  Professional Communication	78
  Computer Science 3002	67
  Computer Science 3003	67
  I.T. Project Management	68
  BPM & Enterprise Systems	57
  Electronic Commerce	67

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  National Senior Certificate

  Rondebosch Boys’ High School

  2010 – 2014

  During my time at Rondebosch, I was amongst the top academics as well as being heavily involved in music and community service.

  I held many positions of leadership, including being a school prefect, a member of the Representative Council of Learners, and the leader of several of the school’s music ensembles and bands.

  Skills that I acquired at school were time management, creative leadership, and compassion.

  I was grateful to attain the following achievements and awards whilst at school:

  • 3rd in the Western Cape for Information Technology in Matric (2014)

  • The Mike Reeler “Altius et Latius” Award for allroundership (2014)

  • Distinction Awards for Academics, Music, and Service (2013, 2014)

  • The GH Broster Trophy for outstanding service (2013)

  • Subject prizes in Mathematics, AP Mathematics, and Information Technology (2013, 2014)

  • Selected for the Standard Bank National Schools’ Big Band (2011, 2013, 2014)

  • Finalist (top 17) in the South African Programming Olympiad (2014)

  • Gold certificate (top 10) in the UCT Mathematics Competition (2012, 2013)

  • 2nd Place in the FIRST LEGO League South African National Championships (2010, 2012)

  My final National Senior Certificate results were:

  Course	Mark
  English Home Language	88
  Afrikaans First Additional Language	76
  Mathematics	98
  Advanced Programme Mathematics	91
  Physical Sciences	90
  Information Technology	96
  Music	83
  Life Orientation	91