Group

Pepkor clothes families, improves homes and connects the nation.

With over a century of experience, we are dedicated to addressing customer needs through our unmatched capabilities in retail, distribution and global sourcing, enabling individuals — particularly those with limited disposable income — to live with dignity, respect and pride.

We make a positive difference by solving customer needs and making life’s essentials affordable and accessible to all, uplifting the lives of our customers and the communities we serve. Our customer-first approach enables us to respond to evolving demands, while our commitment to employee development and community support underpins sustainable, long-term value.

Our retail foundation drives growth across fintech, while our presence in the informal market extends our reach and strengthens our ability to operate in dynamic, high-growth environments.

History

Pepkor’s journey reflects our deep understanding of our customers and the value retail market, founded in the legacy of our brands.

Strategy

Pepkor’s consumer platform centres on a deep understanding of customers’ ever-evolving needs while acquiring customers at scale and continuously offering and growing value across products, services and channels.

Consumer platform and products

Pepkor’s platform is built on trusted brands that acquire customers at scale and serve essential everyday needs through an expanding range of products and services.

Monetisation and customer value

Customer relationships are deepened and monetised through financial services, connectivity and digital engagement, growing lifetime value and share of wallet.

Omnichannel reach

Customers are served wherever and however they transact, across integrated physical, digital, formal and informal channels.

Scale and leverage

Unparalleled scale enables efficient execution at the lowest cost, with the ability to replicate the model and drive growth across new markets.

Growth levers

Retail core

We drive growth in our retail core through category expansion, segment extension into mid and upper markets, and targeted geographic expansion into new territories.

Financial services and connectivity

We unlock customer value by scaling retail credit, leveraging our insurance capability, deepening connectivity and exploring adjacent financial services opportunities.

Omnichannel

We extend our reach by integrating physical stores, digital platforms and the informal market to serve customers seamlessly across all channels.

Leverage and efficiency

We enhance performance through supply chain optimisation, strategic sourcing and the use of data, technology and AI to execute at the lowest cost.

Leadership

Board of directors

Pepkor is led by a highly experienced, committed and passionate leadership team.

Pieter Erasmus

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

BCom (Hons) RAU, CA(SA)

Pieter was appointed as a non-executive director on 12 January 2022 and as chief executive officer on 1 October 2022. He completed his articles at Coopers Theron Du Toit (now PwC) in 1990. Pieter spent his early career at Hewlett Packard and in the Remgro group before he joined PEP as financial director in 1998. He was appointed as group managing director of Pepkor Limited in 2001, a position he held for 16 years, until his resignation in 2017. Pieter also previously served as a non-executive director of the company from 1 October 2018 to 29 January 2019. He is currently a director of, inter alia, the Vista group, a multi-jurisdictional investment holding group, and serves on the board of Pepkor’s major subsidiary.

Member of the investment committee

Member of the social and ethics committee

Riaan Hanekom

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

BAcc, BCom Hons (Acc), CA(SA)

Riaan was appointed as group chief financial officer on 18 August 2017. He completed his articles with Ernst & Young in 1995, whereafter he spent six years with Shoprite as a financial manager. Riaan was the Woolworths retail operations group head of finance and administration when he joined the Pepkor group as commercial director of Shoe City in 2006. He was appointed as the commercial director of Ackermans in 2008 and financial director of Ackermans in 2009. Riaan was appointed as the group financial director of Pepkor in February 2016. He serves as a director on a number of subsidiary boards in the group.

Member of the investment committee

Ian Kirk

ACTING CHAIR AND LEAD INDEPENDENT NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

CA(SA), HDip BDP, FCA (Ireland)

Ian was appointed as an independent non-executive director on 1 June 2021. He is a CA(SA) and FCA of the Republic of Ireland. Ian has held numerous leadership positions and most recently held the position of Group CEO of Sanlam, which he retired from in December 2020. He has had extensive strategic and operational management experience locally and internationally. He was appointed by the President of the Republic of South Africa as a member of the Presidential State-Owned Enterprise Council in June 2020. He currently also serves as a non-executive director on the boards of the JSE, Netcare, Clientèle and Shriram General Insurance Company (India) and chairs the boards of SCOR UK and The Channel Managing Agency Limited (UK).

Chair of the investment committee

Acting chair of the nomination committee

Member of the human resources and remuneration committee

Paula Disberry

INDEPENDENT NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

BA (Hons), MA (Cambridge)

Paula was appointed as an independent non-executive director on 1 June 2021. She holds a BA (Hons) and MA in Natural Sciences (Neurophysiology) from Cambridge. She has considerable retail experience, covering fashion, general merchandise and grocery, having held senior executive management positions at Woolworths and Pick n Pay locally. Paula also has significant international experience through her former roles with Tesco, BP, Colgate-Palmolive and Woolworths. She has previously served on the boards of the Country Road Group and Woolworths (African subsidiary boards and risk committee) and currently serves on the boards of ADNOC Distribution (Abu Dhabi), Sefalana Holding Company (Botswana), Sundry Markets (Nigeria) and Banhoek Chilli Oil (UK).  She is a managing partner at Retailigence (UK), an AI-based retail software provider, and is the retail/FMCG advisor with a number of African private equity companies.

Member of the investment committee

Member of the social and ethics committee

Hester Hickey

INDEPENDENT NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

BCompt (Hons), CA(SA)

Hester was appointed as an independent non-executive director on 1 June 2021. She is a CA(SA) and holds a BCompt (Hons). Hester has held non-executive positions in several JSE-listed companies and has significant experience as a member and chair of audit committees. She was the former chair of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants. Hester currently also serves on the board of Northam Platinum.

Member of the audit and risk committee

Zola Malinga

INDEPENDENT NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

BAcc (Hons), CA(SA)

Zola was appointed as an independent non-executive director on 1 June 2021. She is a CA(SA) and is the co-founder and executive director of Jade Capital Partners, an investment company with a portfolio in the real estate and industrial sectors. Zola has experience in investment banking, real estate, investment management and corporate governance, having held roles at Investec Bank and Standard Bank. She has previously served as a non-executive director on the boards of Hospitality Property Fund Limited, Grindrod Limited and Grindrod Bank (chair of the audit and compliance committee). She currently serves on the boards of SAPPI and Jade Capital Partners and chairs the St Mary’s School Foundation.

Chair of the audit and risk committee

Member of the social and ethics committee

Isaac Mophatlane

INDEPENDENT NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

IT entrepreneur

Isaac was appointed as an independent non-executive director on 1 June 2021. He is the co-founder, a shareholder and director of the Randvest Group, a private investment firm specialising in strategic investments in technology companies. Isaac co-founded BCX in 1996, which was sold to Telkom in 2016, thereby creating one of the leading African information and communications technology (ICT) companies. Isaac has extensive insight into the technological developments and challenges facing companies. He serves as an independent non-executive director of Mustek.

Member of the human resources and remuneration committee

Member of the nomination committee

Nunu Ntshingila

INDEPENDENT NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

BA, MBA

Nunu was appointed as an independent non-executive director on 15 November 2023. She has extensive experience in technology, mining, marketing and advertising, having served in a number of business leadership positions. Nunu served as Meta‘s regional director for Africa from September 2015 to September 2022. Prior to that she was the group CEO of Ogilvy Africa from January 2004 to January 2012, and executive chair of Ogilvy & Mather until August 2015. Nunu has also served as a director of Transnet, Old Mutual, Telkom, Ogilvy Global and Ivanhoe Mines and currently serves as chair of the Women for Women International board. In 2005, she founded Ntinta Investments, which has held interests in various companies in Africa.

Chair of the human resources and remuneration committee

Member of the social and ethics committee

Fagmeedah Petersen-Cook

INDEPENDENT NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

BBusSc (Act.Sc.), FIFoA, Certificate in Climate Change and Sustainability, FASSA, PGDip Global Business OXON, PGDip (MgtPrac) UCT GSB, CD(SA) IoDSA

Fagmeedah was appointed as an independent non-executive director during April 2018 and is the designated insurance director for the group. She is an actuary with over 25 years’ technical experience in the financial services sector and brings enterprise risk management skills to the boardroom. She previously served as the chief investment officer at the Eskom Pension and Provident Fund and an executive director of Prudential. Fagmeedah served on the board of Telkom SOC as a non-executive director, where she chaired the investment committee until retiring from that board in 2022. Fagmeedah champions ESG principles at the various companies where she is involved. She currently serves on the boards of, inter alia, Valterra Platinum, Absa Pension Fund, Famous Brands, Africa Reinsurance SA, Capitalworks Fund III and Momentum Medical Scheme. Fagmeedah was also appointed as curator of 3sixty Life Limited during February 2023.

Chair of the social and ethics committee

Member of the audit and risk committee

Member of the investment committee

Richard Wainwright

INDEPENDENT NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

CA(SA), BCom (Hons)

Richard qualified as a chartered accountant in 1988 and holds a BCom (Honours) degree in Financial Management from the University of Cape Town. He is a seasoned executive who previously held various senior positions at Investec Bank Limited, having worked for the group for over 30 years. During his tenure at Investec, he was involved with the creation and growth of many businesses within the Investec Corporate and Institutional Banking division. Richard served as CEO  of Investec South Africa from February 2016 until his retirement from the role in April 2024. Richard has extensive investment banking, capital markets, risk and audit expertise. He is involved in a number of businesses and NGOs and also serves on the board of Santam Limited.

Member of the audit and risk committee

Member of the investment committee