Val is a highly experienced strategist and leader with extensive experience in the restaurant sector. She served as marketing director of Edgars, senior vice president of multinational food company, Rich Products Corporation, and managing director of Tequila Advertising. Val joined Famous Brands in 1999 as marketing director of Debonairs Pizza and later served as managing executive of Wimpy (then 506 restaurants) and Steers (then 492 restaurants) before her appointment as head of the quick-service restaurant brands. Val ran her own consultancy for the last eight years, specialising in business strategy and planning, before joining the group.

Cristina has 14 years’ experience as a CFO in listed companies and was voted Businesswoman of the Year (corporate category) by the Businesswomen’s Association of South Africa in 2013. After qualifying as a chartered accountant, she joined Group Five and was appointed as CFO in 2008. Cristina has led finance teams that have been consistently recognised in the Investment Analysts Society annual awards for reporting and disclosure, and in the Institute of Chartered Secretaries / JSE reporting awards.

Kevin has been with the group for 30 years. He started as an operational manager at Spur Steak Ranches (Spur), and was soon promoted to regional manager of KwaZulu-Natal. Kevin assisted the group with building the international business in Mauritius, Australia and the United Kingdom. Kevin was appointed managing director of Panarottis in 1999. In 2011 he was appointed as the national franchise restaurant executive and became chief operating officer (COO) of Spur in 2018 before becoming group COO on 15 October 2020.

Age: 50

Moshe has a background in communications and marketing, with a strong focus on building effective stakeholder relationships. He is closely involved in the ongoing development of an inclusive culture across the organisation. This track record resulted in him becoming one of only 20 African leaders chosen to attend an ethics leadership conference in Germany in 2018. Moshe completed the UCT Graduate School of Business’ Executive Development Programme in November 2021. His passion for effective change has resulted in his role being expanded to include transformation, as well as the chairmanship of the Spur Foundation Trust. He assumed an executive role with effect from 1 July 2022.

Mike was appointed chairman of the board on 1 March 2019. He is an independent non-executive director of AVI, MTN South Africa and EOH Holdings, and serves on the audit and risk committees of these companies.

He is non-executive chairman of Vinimark, the largest independent wine distribution company in South Africa. Mike has a background in advertising and in corporate and project finance. He served as CEO of communications groups FCB and TBWA, as well as CEO and later chairman of One Digital Media.

Shirley is an acclaimed human resources practitioner who has held senior positions in the corporate and public sectors. She holds a doctorate from Harvard University and was formerly the head of human resources at Woolworths Holdings, Standard Bank South Africa, Nedbank Group and the South African Revenue Service. She currently provides consulting and advisory services in human resources, transformation, leadership and education. Shirley serves on the boards of Sanlam, MTN South Africa, BCG-SA, WWF and V&A Waterfront, where she is the chairman

Cora is a chartered accountant with extensive board experience. She is a non-executive director of Tiger Brands, Capitec Bank and Sphere Holdings, and serves as an independent trustee on retirement funds in the Allan Gray stable. She serves on the investment committees of 27Four Black Business Growth Fund and the National Empowerment Fund. Cora previously served as managing director of Sanlam Investment Management and CEO of Sanlam Private Equity.

André spent most of his career with the SAB/SAB Miller group and was managing director of SAB Miller’s Africa and Asia portfolio for ten years. He is currently a non-executive director of Distell (lead independent director). He previously served as chairman of Tiger Brands and Remgro’s TSB, and on the boards of SAB plc, SAB Ltd, AECI, Standard Bank and Carozzi SARL.

Jesmane is a chartered accountant with private equity and entrepreneurial experience. She is a Managing Partner of private equity firm AIH Capital and was head of business engagement for Africa for the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Switzerland. She currently serves on the boards of EOH Holdings, Murray & Roberts and the agri conglomerate ETG. Jesmane is the author of a book on diversity and inclusion, My Blood Divides and Unites. She is the creator of the online Udemy course: Dealing with the Heart of Race and Gender Inequality in the Workplace. Jesmane was nominated as a Young Global Leader of the WEF in 2013 and as a BMW Foundation Responsible Leader in 2022.

Lerato is the lead independent director of the SA Reserve Bank, acting chair of the Cross-Border Road Transport Agency and member of the remuneration committee of the Financial Sector Conduct Authority. Over the past 25 years, she attained extensive experience across functional areas such as strategy formulation, communications, marketing corporate social investments, stakeholder relations, black economic empowerment, administration, governance and policy development and upliftment of the broader African continent. She was formerly CEO of General Electric South Africa, executive vice president of Lonmin plc and held senior positions in corporate communications, public affairs and corporate social investment, and worked in the Departments of Labour and Transport, Old Mutual and Sanlam.

Sandile is a non-executive director of the SAICA Enterprise Development and previously served as a board member of the SA Institute of Chartered Accountants and the South African Post Office. His business experience is mainly in the areas of general banking, structured funding and leveraged finance in business banking at First National Bank, private banking at Investec and financial management at British American Tobacco and Peninsula Beverages.