Professional Biography

I graduated from the University of Pretoria in 1995 and obtained the B.Proc degree (cum laude) from the University of Pretoria with an honours award for academic achievement. I completed the MDP programme through Unisa in 2010 (cum laude).

I was admitted as Attorney, Notary and Conveyancer of the High Court of South Africa in 1997/1998 and practiced as such until 2003. I was employed by TSB Sugar from 2003 to 2014 and held the position of General Manager: Governance, Risk and Compliance. In this role, I was responsible for the Legal, SHEQ, Risk and Insurance functions. I was a member of the Executive Committee and served as the Company Secretary of TSB Sugar Holdings and all group companies. In 2015, I was transferred to RCL Foods as Group Legal Advisor.

I am currently employed as the Group Legal Director of RCL Foods. RCL Foods is a leading South African food manufacturer, employing over 10,500 people, producing a wide range of branded and private label food products which are distributed country-wide, with a revenue of R26,5 billion. The Legal Department provides legal services to all business units within the RCL Foods Group, and we cover a range of practice areas including mergers and acquisitions, projects, construction and capex projects, commercial, litigation, employment and labour.

Selected Career Highlights

As Company Secretary of TSB Sugar, I was tasked with the development of board and committee charters in the move towards compliance with the King III Code. I was also responsible for the coordination of the board programme.

I was part of the team which negotiated the settlement of the Tenbosch Land Claim, affecting the agricultural holdings of TSB Sugar. Between 2008 and 2014, I served as a director on the boards of three joint venture entities which resulted from the settlement of the claim.

I represented TSB and RCL Foods as lead internal counsel advising on the acquisition of an equity share in Royal Swaziland Sugar Corporation from CDC Group; the acquisition and later disposal of Booker Tate; the Pongola Sugar Mill from Illovo Sugar; and the frozen logistics business of Imperial Logistics. As Group Legal Director for RCL Foods, I managed legal work in relation to the Group’s strategic portfolio review, which resulted in the disposal of RCL Foods’ logistics business and the separation of the Rainbow Chicken business.

I represented TSB Sugar and RCL Foods in proceedings before the Sugar Industry Appeals Tribunal. Late in 2019, I was nominated and appointed as a member of the Tribunal.

Since 2023, I have represented RCL Foods Sugar and Milling in various challenges to proposed business rescue plans published by the business rescue practitioners of Tongaat Hulett. The business rescue practitioners applied for a declarator that they were entitled to suspend statutory obligations under the Sugar Industry Agreement. RCL Foods and other industry role players opposed the application, which was ultimately dismissed with costs by the Supreme Court of Appeal. The matter is currently on appeal to the Constitutional Court.