Cape Town · 2026

Shaun Cedric
Thomas.

Director, Partner Marketing at 2U. Senior member of the team managing partner relationships across global higher-education partners. UCT, MIT, Yale, LSE, Harvard. Researcher, lecturer, and quiet operator behind the numbers.

$50M+
Annual Ad Portfolio
10+
Years in Marketing
46
Scholar Citations
Portrait of Shaun Cedric Thomas in Cape Town
· 8888 ·
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01 / About

A few words
about me.

Bio

I'm a marketing leader based in Cape Town, working at the intersection of performance, growth, and higher education. For over a decade I've helped world-class universities turn ambitious enrolment goals into measurable outcomes. UCT, MIT, Yale, LSE, Harvard.

At 2U, I'm a senior member of the Partner Marketing team, managing the relationships between us and our institutional partners. I collaborate across the business on how those partner needs translate into our marketing strategy. Before that, I spent years deep inside the performance funnel: forecasting, attribution, paid media, and the unglamorous work of making numbers move.

Off the clock, I'm a peer-reviewed researcher, a part-time lecturer at Cape Peninsula University of Technology, and Chair of its Marketing Advisory Committee. I write because I think more clearly when I do, and I'm building this site as a place to keep the thinking honest.

I'm also a long-distance runner. Three-time Two Oceans Half Marathon finisher and a marathon finisher. The road taught me something the office rarely does: the work that compounds is the work nobody sees.

02 / Journey

The shape of
where I've been.

Milestones
Sep 2025 - Present

Director, Partner Marketing, 2U

Senior member of the partner marketing team. Managing the relationships between 2U and our institutional partners, and collaborating across the business on how those needs shape our marketing strategy.

Dec 2025

Chair, Marketing Advisory Committee, CPUT

Stepped into the chair role, helping shape the next generation of marketers entering the industry, and giving back to the institution that shaped me.

2024

Began lecturing at CPUT

Started teaching part-time in the Marketing Department. Joined the Industry Advisory Board the same year. Teaching forces clarity in a way the day job rarely does.

2024

First peer-reviewed publications

Published research with Professor R.G. Duffett on social media marketing strategy in health-related non-profits. Two papers in 2024, with two more in the pipeline.

2023

Master of Marketing

Completed at CPUT. The bridge between practitioner and researcher, the lens that now shapes how I work.

Shaun Cedric Thomas at his Master of Marketing graduation, CPUT
2020

Joined 2U

Started as a Marketing Analyst. Five years and four roles later, the same instinct still applies: let the data tell you where to look, then trust the judgement to decide what to do about it.

2014

Where it all began

Marketing intern at Berge Farrell Strategic Brand Design, then Communications Assistant at HPCA. The early roles where I learned that good marketing is, at its core, just clear thinking made visible.

03 / CV

Work, briefly.

Experience
2025 - Now

Director, Partner Marketing

2U

Senior member of the partner marketing team, managing the relationships between 2U and a portfolio of world-class university partners. Collaborate with executive leadership and cross-functional teams on portfolio performance, growth planning, and how partner needs translate into our marketing strategy.

Partner Relationships Stakeholder Management Cross-Functional
2023 - 2025

Manager, Performance Marketing

2U

Directed end-to-end performance marketing for university partners. Oversaw an annual advertising portfolio in excess of USD $50 million across paid search, social, programmatic, and partner channels. Built the forecasting and KPI frameworks used by senior leadership.

$50M+ Portfolio Forecasting Tableau Coaching
2022 - 2023

Lead, Performance Marketing

2U

Led performance marketing strategy for prestigious institutions including UCT, MIT, Yale, LSE, and Harvard. Owned the full marketing cycle from lead generation to conversion, with a sharp focus on qualified prospect volume and cost efficiency.

UCT · MIT · Yale LSE · Harvard Strategy
2021 - 2022

Senior Analyst, Digital Marketing & Analysis

2U

Owned attribution, campaign performance, and revenue prediction models. Surfaced the insights that informed channel investment, regional prioritisation, and campaign optimisation for the strategy team.

Attribution Modelling
2020 - 2021

Marketing Analyst

2U

Supported the strategy team with data analysis, reporting, and ROI optimisation across paid media, with an emphasis on data integrity and decision-ready insights.

Analytics ROI
2019 - 2020

Lead, Digital Marketing

Unilever Food Solutions SA

Led B2B digital marketing for Unilever Food Solutions, building tailored programmes for chefs, delis, and canteens, and strengthening digital visibility across the foodservice channel.

B2B Foodservice
2017 - 2019

Manager, Digital Marketing

ehospice

Led global digital marketing for an international hospice-care platform. Returned as consultant from 2020 to 2022 to guide hospices through their Covid-19 digital pivot.

Global Healthcare
2015 - 2020

Marketing Communications Officer

Hospice Palliative Care Association of South Africa

Built integrated marketing and communications strategies, combining digital campaigns and traditional channels into a cohesive brand narrative for the national umbrella body of South African hospices.

Brand Integrated
Credentials
Education
  • Master of MarketingCape Peninsula University of Technology · 2023
  • Bachelor of Technology, MarketingCPUT · 2017
  • Diploma, MarketingCPUT · 2015
Certifications
  • Digital Marketing AnalyticsMIT Sloan School of Management
  • Digital Transformation StrategyUCT Graduate School of Business
  • Marketing Analytics: Strategy & Decision MakingUniversity of Cape Town
  • AI Foundations for Business LeadersedX
Leadership
  • Chair, Marketing Advisory CommitteeCPUT · Dec 2025 - Present
  • Member, Industry Advisory BoardCPUT Marketing Department · 2024 - Present
  • Part-time Lecturer in MarketingCPUT · 2024 - Present
Languages
  • EnglishNative
  • AfrikaansProfessional
  • isiXhosaElementary
04 / Research

Peer-reviewed publications.

Profile

Four peer-reviewed papers on social media marketing in health-related non-profit organisations, co-authored with Prof. R.G. Duffett. 46 citations on Google Scholar and counting.

View on Google Scholar
Paper 01 - 2025 · Cited by 18

Using social media as a marketing communication strategy: perspectives from health-related non-profit organizations

Co-authored with R.G. Duffett. Published in the Journal of Nonprofit & Public Sector Marketing, 37(3), 373–397.

JNPSM · 2025
Paper 02 - 2024 · Cited by 22

Health nonprofit organizations' use of social media communication and marketing during COVID-19

A qualitative Technology Acceptance Model viewpoint. Co-authored with R.G. Duffett. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 10, 101042.

SSHO · 2024
Paper 03 - 2025 · Cited by 6

Leveraging social media marketing in healthcare-based non-profit organisations: insights from the technology acceptance model

Co-authored with R.G. Duffett. Published by BP International.

BP International · 2025
Paper 04 - 2023

Social media as a marketing communication strategy among health-related non-profit organisations in the Western Cape, South Africa

Master's research at Cape Peninsula University of Technology. The foundational study from which the published papers extended.

CPUT · 2023
05 / Speaking

On stage,
in the classroom.

Recent

I lecture part-time in marketing at CPUT, chair its Marketing Advisory Committee, and speak at industry events on performance marketing, data-led decision-making, and the realities of growth in higher education. Open to keynotes, panels, podcasts, and guest lectures.

Shaun Cedric Thomas presenting alongside the 2U executive team
2U Speaker Panel · Cape Town
Shaun Cedric Thomas presenting at a 2U event
"No Excuses, Just Facts" · Internal Talk
07 / Off the Clock

When the laptop closes.

Running

Most weekends you'll find me on the road. Cape Town's coastline is an unfair training ground, and the local run crew is my second team.

Shaun Cedric Thomas at a running event in Cape Town
Shaun Cedric Thomas in Cape Town
Shaun Cedric Thomas with a training group in Cape Town

Open to a
conversation.