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annual report
2007
David Nurek • Ben van der Ross • Alan Smart • Hilton Saven • Professor Fatima Abrahams
Chief Executive Officer
Alan Smart was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Lewis Stores (Pty) Ltd in 1991 and of Lewis Group on 22 June 2004. He is responsible for all aspects of the group.
Alan joined Lewis in 1969. During this period, he has held various financial and operational positions including Credit Director between 1981 and 1984 and Joint Managing Director between 1984 and 1991.
From 1995, in addition to his South African responsibilities, he was appointed Chairman of GUS Canada Inc., a retail furniture group of 65 stores in eastern Canada and oversaw a turnaround programme.
David Nurek (57) - Diploma in Law
Independent Non-executive Chairman of the Board and Chairman of the Remuneration and Nomination Committee
David Nurek has been associated with the Lewis Group for over 20 years. He was appointed non-executive Chairman of Lewis Stores (Pty) Ltd in 2001 and as non-executive Chairman of the Board of Lewis Group on 15 July 2004.
David practised as a commercial attorney at Sonnenberg Hoffmann Galombik for more than 30 years, ultimately serving as Chairperson. In July 2000 he moved to Investec Bank and took up the position of Regional Chairman Western Cape, Investec Group. He also serves on the boards of, amongst others: New Clicks Holdings Limited, Foschini Limited, Sun International Limited and Pick ’n Pay Stores Limited.
Hilton Saven (54) - BCom, CA(SA)
Independent Non-executive Director and Chairman of the Audit and Risk Committee
Hilton Saven was appointed as an independent non-executive director of Lewis Group on 22 June 2004.
Hilton is a Chartered Accountant and has pursued a career in the accounting profession since 1975 with the firm Moores Rowland, currently being the Senior Partner of the Cape Town practice and chairman of Moores Rowland South Africa. Hilton’s varied professional experience across numerous sectors enables him to add substantial value in relation to the Lewis Group’s accounting and financial disclosure obligation in relation to corporate governance and communication with shareholders. He is the independent non-executive chairman of Truworths International Limited.
Ben van der Ross (60) - Diploma in Law
Independent Non-executive Director
Ben van der Ross was appointed as an independent non-executive director of Lewis Group on 22 June 2004.
Ben practised as an attorney for 18 years and continues to consult for Van Der Ross Motala attorneys. He has been a director of the Urban Foundation, a director and later deputy CEO of the South African Rail Commuter Corporation Limited and Business South Africa. He was a commissioner of the Independent Electoral Commission for the first democratic elections in South Africa in 1994. Ben is currently appointed to the boards of among others: Naspers Limited, FirstRand Limited, Pick ’n Pay Stores Limited and Momentum Group Limited.
Professor Fatima Abrahams (44) - BEcon (Hons), MCom, DCom
Independent Non-executive Director and Chairperson of the Transformation Committee
Professor Fatima Abrahams was appointed as an independent non-executive director of the Board of Lewis Group and its Remuneration and Nomination Committee on 1 September 2005. She is the chairperson of the company’s Transformation Committee.
Fatima is currently a professor in the department of Industrial Psychology at the University of Western Cape and is the chairperson of TSIBA Education (endorsed by CIDA Education). She is also a consultant in the human resources field. Currently, Fatima serves on the board of Foschini Group Limited as a non-executive director and is a member of their Remuneration and Transformation Committees.
Les Davies, the group’s chief financial officer, was appointed to the Board of Lewis Group Limited with effect 1 April 2007. His biography is included here.