Board of directors
Non-executive directors
Independent non-executive chairman
Dip Law, Grad Dip Company Law
Appointed 1996
David Nurek (69)
Member of the remuneration and nominations committee
Member of the social and ethics committee
Directorships: Non-executive chairman of Trencor
Expertise and experience: Legal, commercial and governance. David practised as an attorney with Sonnenberg Hoffman Galombik for 32 years, including 23 years as a partner and director. He joined Investec Group in 2000 and was regional chairman of the group’s Western Cape businesses and global head of legal risk for the Investec Group. David retired from the Investec Group on 31 August 2019. He has served as non-executive director and chairperson on boards of listed companies for many years.
Specific contribution to the board: David brings the benefits of a wealth of first-rate experience gained from serving as non-executive director and chair on the boards of listed companies over many years. This deep understanding of the functioning of corporates and boards, coupled with his proven leadership ability, contributes to the effective functioning of the board. He ensures that all voices are heard, while at the same time promoting consensus amongst board members. David’s attention to detail and ability to understand and interrogate business strategies contribute to the board’s capacity to guide management and ensure that the group’s plans and strategies are appropriate and are properly executed.
Independent non-executive director
B Econ (Hons) (cum laude), M Com, D Com
Appointed 2008
Prof. Fatima Abrahams (57)
Chairperson of the remuneration and nominations committee
Chairperson of the social and ethics committee
Directorships: Lewis Group and The Foschini Group. Chairperson of TSiBA Education.
Expertise and experience: Human resources and remuneration. Prof. Abrahams is an academic, experienced company director and a registered industrial psychologist. She is currently a senior professor (part time) at the University of the Western Cape, having also served as dean of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences.
Specific contribution to the board: Fatima serves as a non-executive director on the board of a number of listed companies, with particular involvement in retail businesses. She chairs the social and ethics committee, as well as the remuneration aspects of the remuneration and nominations committee. Her strong academic qualifications and experience have provided her with expertise in this regard. She has fulfilled similar roles for other listed and unlisted entries, which is of benefit to the group.
Independent non-executive director
B Com (Hons), CA (SA), CMS (Oxon)
Appointed 2008
John Bester (73)
Chairman of the audit and risk committee
Member of the remuneration and nominations committee
Directorships: Non-executive director of HomeChoice South Africa, Intembeko Investment Administrators, Personal Trust and Tower Property Fund. Trustee of the Children’s Hospital Trust and the Children’s Hospital Foundation Trust.
Expertise and experience: Accounting and finance. John spent 16 years in the accounting profession, including serving as a partner of Ernst & Young for 10 years. He has been involved in commerce and industry for a further 38 years.
Specific contribution to the board: The group’s lead independent director, John has wide-ranging business experience and has been chair of the audit and risk committee for 10 years. He has discharged his responsibilities in this regard exceptionally well, using his technical knowledge, diligence and maturity to good effect. He has extensive experience on financial and commercial matters and has a deep understanding of auditing standards and requirements. In relation to risk matters, he has extensive engagement with the internal audit and IT departments and has intimate knowledge of the manner in which these functions are undertaken.
Independent non-executive director
B Sc, CA (SA)
Appointed 2008
Fatima Daniels (59)
Member of the audit and risk committee
Directorships: JSE, Momentum Metropolitan Holdings, Tongaat Hulett, Rand Refinery, AfriSam and various MTN subsidiaries
Expertise and experience: Accounting and finance. After spending six years in the auditing profession Fatima went on to lecture in financial accounting and then spent over a decade in various positions in corporate South Africa.
Specific contribution to the board: Fatima has served on the audit and risk committee for 11 years and has considerable experience in this regard. She also serves on the boards and audit committees of a number of other listed companies and has wide-ranging business experience. Given her academic background, strong analytical and critical thinking skills, and extensive business experience, Fatima has made an extremely valuable contribution to the deliberations of the board and the audit and risk committee.
Independent non-executive director
B Compt (Hons), CA (SA)
Appointed 2017
Nonkululeko Gobodo (59)
Member of the audit and risk committee
Directorships: Chairman of Mpumelelo Ventures and non-executive director of PPC
Expertise and experience: Accounting, auditing and finance. Nonkululeko was a founder and former executive chairman of SizweNtsalubaGobodo, the country’s largest black-owned accounting firm. She is currently the chief executive officer of Nkululeko Leadership Consulting.
Specific contribution to the board: Nonkululeko has extensive experience in financial matters and is an extremely valuable member of the audit and risk committee. She has a deep understanding of accounting practice and IFRS issues as they apply to the group and is a valuable sounding board for management and the audit and risk committee in this regard.
Independent non-executive director
Appointed 2006
Martin Rosen (69)
Member of the remuneration and nominations committee
Expertise and experience: Retail and marketing. Martin is an accomplished retailer and marketer, having spent 33 years with Pick n Pay before starting his own marketing consultancy in 2004.
Specific contribution to the board: Martin has developed extensive expertise and experience in the retail sector as a result of his role as a senior executive in a leading retail group and his current consulting business, which is of real value to the group. He brings unique insights to issues considered by the board, and has been of help to management as a sounding board from time to time.
Executive directors
Bertina Engelbrecht (56)
Group human resources director
B Proc, LL M, admitted attorney
Appointed as a director in 2008
Expertise and experience: Human resources. She was previously general manager for Shell SA Energy and regional human resources manager for Shell Oil Products Africa. Prior to this she was director of organisational effectiveness at Sea Harvest, managed her own consultancy practice and spent eight years with Transnet.
Michael Fleming (52)
Chief financial officer
B Com, CTA, CA (SA)
Appointed as a director in 2011
Expertise and experience: Accounting, finance and investor relations management. Michael was previously chief financial officer of Tiger Brands Limited. He joined the Tiger Brands group in 2000, was appointed as financial executive of the Tiger Brands consumer brands division in 2005 and promoted to chief financial officer in June 2008. While CFO of Tiger Brands, he also served as a non-executive director of Oceana Group Limited.
Vikesh Ramsunder (48)
Chief executive officer
B Com, MBL
Appointed as a director in 2019
Member of the social and ethics committee
Expertise and experience: Retail and commercial. Vikesh was appointed chief executive officer in January 2019. Prior to this he was chief operating officer of the Clicks brand from 2015, and was managing director of UPD, the group’s pharmaceutical wholesaler, from 2010, where he was instrumental in driving UPD’s integrated pharmaceutical wholesale and distribution strategy. He has served in store, logistics and management positions across the group since joining in 1993.
Board composition and diversity
