CLIVE THOMSON (58) CHAIRMAN INDEPENDENT NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR B.COM (HONS), M (PHIL), CA (SA)
Chairman of the Board and Nominations Committee; interim Chairman of the Remuneration and Talent Management Committee; member of the Risk, Information and Technology, Social and Ethics, Treasury and Sustainability Committees.
Clive has over 20 years’ experience in senior leadership and executive roles. He served as Chief Executive Officer of Barloworld Limited for 10 years, and as Chief Financial Officer for close to four years. Prior to his group CEO role, Clive was Chief Executive Officer of Barloworld Equipment, with responsibility for leading the Caterpillar equipment businesses in Southern Africa, Russia, and Iberia, and was Finance Director of Barloworld Coatings for five years. Clive joined the WHL Board in 2019 and was appointed Chairman in November 2024.
Prior to joining Barloworld, Clive was a partner at Deloitte, with responsibility for audit client services, in addition to which he served in accounting technical advisory and education portfolios.
Other directorships include Vodacom Group Limited and ADvTECH Limited.
NOMBULELO (PINKY) MOHOLI (64) LEAD INDEPENDENT DIRECTOR INDEPENDENT NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR B.SC ENGINEERING, SEP, SMMP
Member of the WHL Risk, Information and Technology, Nominations, Remuneration and Talent Management, Social and Ethics and Sustainability Committees.
Pinky has more than 24 years’ leadership experience in the ICT and Banking sectors and has been a director of companies for several years. She joined the WHL Board in 2014 and was appointed the Lead Independent Director in 2022.
Other directorships and memberships include Chairman of Santam Group Limited.
THEMBISA SKWEYIYA (51) INDEPENDENT NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR B.PROC, LLB, LLM, H.DIP (TAX)
Chairman of the WHL Social and Ethics Committee; Member of the WHL Audit, Treasury, Risk, Information and Technology and Sustainability Committees.
Thembisa is an admitted attorney of the New York State Bar, United States of America, and has extensive corporate finance and legal expertise, having served at Nedbank Capital and Citigroup. She has over 20 years’ experience as a non-executive director, holding various directorships in other listed and unlisted companies. Thembisa joined the WHL Board in 2019.
Thembisa is a member of The Victor Daitz Foundation.
Other directorships include Sanlam Limited and Sanlam Life Insurance Limited
BELINDA EARL (62) (BRITISH) INDEPENDENT NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR BSC (HONS) ECONOMICS & BUSINESS
Chairman of the WHL Sustainability Committee and member of the WHL Nominations and Risk, Information and Technology Committees.
Belinda has over 30 years’ experience in fashion, design, general merchandise, and management and was awarded the Order of the British Empire for services to retail in 2017. Belinda started her retail career at Harrods and served as Style Director for Marks & Spencer plc and was the Chief Executive Officer of Jaeger, a premium British fashion brand, until 2011. She was also Chief Executive Officer of the department store group Debenhams plc from 2000 to 2003, after a career of 15 years in the group. Belinda currently serves as a Senior Advisor to NewtonEurope, a specialist organisation in operational improvement.
CHRISTOPHER COLFER (55) (CANADIAN) INDEPENDENT NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR BA
Member of the WHL Audit, Remuneration and Talent Management, Nominations and Risk, Information and Technology Committees.
Christopher has over 30 years’ experience in international retail, digital transformation, beauty and e-commerce across public, private and start-up businesses in the United Kingdom, Europe, Asia, the United States of America and Australia. He joined Richemont International in 2002, where he was the group CEO of the textiles businesses Chloé, Shanghai Tang, James Purdey & Sons, Old England and Hackett, he was later appointed CEO of Alfred Dunhill Limited and the fashion and textile businesses. Christopher also led Richemont’s early investment in Net-a-Porter, overseeing the growth of the business from start-up to full acquisition. Most recently Christopher has spent his time serving on private and listed boards in the UK, SA and Australia, whilst also managing his own private growth fund. He also currently works as a co-investor and advisor with various global private equity and venture capital firms where he has focused his energies on high growth businesses in the beauty, digital transformation and e-commerce verticals.
Other directorships include Bombora Capital, Medik8, The Dom, Design Milk, LYST.COM and Squiz.
LWAZI BAM (52) INDEPENDENT NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CA(SA)
Chairman of the Audit and Treasury Committees and a member of the Risk, Information and Technology Committee.
Lwazi was previously the Chief Executive of Deloitte Africa having served in various senior leadership roles at Deloitte during his over 29 years with the group.
He was also a member of the Deloitte Global Executive Committee until he stepped down from his roles at Deloitte in May 2022.
Lwazi is a former Chairman of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA); a past President of the Association for the Advancement of Black Accountants in Southern Africa (ABASA), and a former member of the Securities Regulation Panel and Presidential Climate Finance Task Team.
Other directorships and trusteeships include The Standard Bank Group Limited, Anglo American Platinum Limited, Zeda Limited, Resource Mobilisation Fund and the Nelson Mandela Foundation.
ITUMELENG KGABOESELE (53) INDEPENDENT NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CA(SA)
Member of the WHL Remuneration and Talent Management and Risk, Information and Technology Committee.
Itumeleng is an experienced private equity and investment banking professional with over 20 years experience in financial services. He has served as Vice-President at Citigroup’s investment banking division and other major international banks.
Itumeleng is Founder and CEO of Sphere Holdings and an independent Non-Executive Director of Old Mutual Limited.
NOLULAMO (LULU) GWAGWA (64) INDEPENDENT NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR BA; MTRP; MSc; MPhil, PhD
Member of the WHL Remuneration and Talent Management and Risk, Information and Technology Committees.
Lulu has held leadership roles in the public sector and in business and is an experienced executive and non-executive director. Her current roles are as board chairman for Barloworld Limited, FirstRand Foundation, FirstRand Empowerment Foundation and Zutari Africa and Middle East. She has also served on the boards of several listed companies including Massmart, FirstRand Limited, Sun International and Afrox.
ROB COLLINS (54) (BRITISH) INDEPENDENT NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR MA (HONS)
Chairman of the WHL Risk, Information and Technology Committee and member of the Sustainability Committee.
Rob is an experienced executive director, with extensive expertise across retail, digital, agriculture, and food industries. He established the online business within Waitrose, serving as e-commerce director and leading its fastest growing business channel. Rob has spent over 26 years at John Lewis Partnership Plc, holding various management roles until 2020, including Managing Director of Waitrose & Partners and member of John Lewis Partnership board and executive committee.
Rob currently serves as the vice chairman of The Prince’s Countryside Fund, which supports farmers and rural communities.
ROY BAGATTINI (60) EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND GROUP CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER B.COM
Chairman of the Woolworths South Africa and Country Road Group Boards; member of the WHL Risk, Information and Technology, Treasury, Social and Ethics, and Sustainability Committees.
Roy was appointed to the WHL Board and as Group Chief Executive Officer in February 2020. Prior to this he was President: Americas for Levi Strauss & Company, where he was responsible for leading the company’s largest commercial operations, including a significant network of retail stores covering the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, and Latin America. Roy also played an instrumental role in the development and acceleration of the e-commerce and omni-channel capabilities of Levi Strauss.
He has extensive operational, management, and turnaround experience in global consumer and retail markets gained over 20 years in roles including President: Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa for Levi Strauss; President: Asia and Africa for the Carlsberg Group, based in Hong Kong, and in various roles in SABMiller plc internationally and in South Africa.
ZAID MANJRA (58) EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND GROUP FINANCE DIRECTOR CA(SA), MBL
Member of the WHL Risk, Information and Technology and Treasury Committees and member of the Woolworths South Africa, Country Road Group and Woolworths Financial Services Boards.
Zaid has been with the WHL Group for over 15 years and has held various senior leadership roles within the Group’s Finance function. He was appointed interim Group Finance Director in July 2023, and was subsequently appointed as the Group Finance Director and to the WHL Board in December 2023.
SAM NGUMENI (56) EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ANDCHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER: FOODS BCOM, MBA, AMP
Member of the WHL Risk, Information and Technology, Social and Ethics, and Sustainability Committees; member of the Woolworths South Africa and Country Road Group Boards; Chairman of Woolworths Financial Services Board; the Woolworths Trust and WHL Information Management Committee.
Sam has been with the WHL Group for 26 years, primarily in Financial Services, and has more than 17 years retail credit experience. He was appointed as the Group Chief Operating Officer in March 2012. He was previously the Chief Operating Officer of Woolworths South Africa and Chief Executive Officer of Woolworths Financial Services, where he spearheaded the successful joint venture between Woolworths and ABSA Limited. Sam was appointed to the WHL Board in 2014.
Sam is a member of the South African Rugby Executive Council.
CHANTEL REDDIAR (48) DIRECTOR: GOVERNANCE, RISK AND COMPLIANCE, AND GROUP COMPANY SECRETARY BA, LLB, LLM, MBA, AMP
Member of the Woolworths South Africa Board and the WHL Information Management Committee.
Chantel joined Woolworths in September 2016 as the Director: Governance, Risk, Legal and Compliance and Group Company Secretary. Chantel has over 20 years’ experience as a corporate lawyer. In addition to her role as Group Company Secretary, her executive responsibilities include oversight of the Group’s corporate governance, compliance, legal, and risk functions.
Previously, Chantel was Group Company Secretary for Sun International Limited and the Director: Corporate Services and Legal. Prior to Sun International, Chantel served as a Legal Advisor at Nissan South Africa, having completed her articles at Webber Wentzel Bowens.
MANIE MARITZ (54) CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER: WOOLWORTHS FASHION, BEAUTY AND HOME
Member of the Woolworths South Africa Board.
Manie Maritz was appointed as Managing Director of Woolworths Fashion, Beauty and Home in June 2020 and is now the Chief Executive Officer of that division following an internal restructure. He has extensive retail experience across multiple merchandise categories and in various leadership roles.
Manie commenced his career as a buyer in The Foschini Group (TFG) in 1993 where, other than for a period as Brand Manager for Polo and General Manager for LA Jeans, he remained until 2018. At TFG he was the Managing Director of Markham; Group Director of Markham, Fabiani and G-Star with responsibility for TFG’s Africa expansion; and after TFG’s acquisition of Phase Eight (TFG London) in 2014, he was appointed to the board of TFG London and oversaw the integration of TFG London (Phase Eight, Whistles and HOBBS) into TFG. Three years later, with TFG’s acquisition of the Australian Retail Apparel Group in 2017, Manie was appointed to the board of TFG Australia with responsibility for the integration of this business into TFG.
MELANIE NAIDU (53) GROUP PEOPLE DIRECTOR MASTER OF LAW (LLM)
Melanie was appointed as Group People Director on 6 May 2022. She has been with the WHL Group since March 2018 with responsibility for the Group Human Resources function, inclusive of David Jones and Country Road Group. Prior to that, Melanie enjoyed an extensive career in various people and human resource management positions at executive level at Edcon (Pty) Ltd over a period spanning seventeen years. She has also worked as Group Employee Relations Manager at Barlow Motor World and as a lecturer at the University of South Africa.
RAJU VUPPALAPATI (58)CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER: THE COUNTRY ROAD GROUP
Raju Vuppalapati joined the WHL Group on 1 July 2021 to head the multi-channel portfolio of leading fashion and lifestyle brands including Country Road, Mimco, Politix, Trenery and Witchery. Raju was previously CEO of RM Williams, an iconic Australian and globally recognised brand; and prior to that enjoyed an extensive and successful career with Levi Strauss & Co. There he held various regional management roles in brand and consumer marketing, as well as sales and operations, in India, Japan and Singapore; and in his last role at Levi’s was the Regional Managing Director, responsible for the Australian, New Zealand, African, and Middle East markets, based out of Cape Town. Before joining Levi’s, Raju spent 8 years with Unilever in India.
JEANINE WOMERSLEY (39) GROUP HEAD: STRATEGY, INVESTOR RELATIONS AND WOOLWORTHS VENTURES/ EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO GROUP CEO B.COM (HONS) (FINANCIAL ANALYSIS AND PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT), CFA CHARTER HOLDER
Jeanine is an experienced investment analyst having spent 19 years in the financial services industry. She joined Woolworths in June 2020 after a seven year career at HSBC where she was the South African Retail analyst responsible for evaluating market dynamics, curating financial models and providing detailed analyses of the retail sector.
Her early career includes roles across a range of capital market sectors, such as at Allan Gray Limited and Standard Bank Limited where she gained experience in trading across all asset classes, equity advisory, and portfolio management.
