Pepkor chair Wendy Luhabe to resign after nearly 6 years at the helm

JSE-listed retail giant, Pepkor Holdings, has announced the impending resignation of its board chair, Wendy Luhabe, marking a leadership transition for the group.

In a statement released via Sens on Tuesday, the company advised shareholders and noteholders that Luhabe will officially step down from the board and her committee roles with effect from 30 June 2026. Her departure concludes a seven-year tenure with the clothing and general merchandise retailer.

Interim leadership plan activated

Luhabe originally joined the Pepkor board as a director in January 2019, before ascending to the position of chair on 1 December 2020. Alongside her primary role heading the board, she has served as the chair of the nominations committee, a position she will also vacate at the end of the month.

The company stated that the leadership change is the result of a deliberate strategy by Luhabe to manage her executive workload: “Wendy Luhabe has advised the board that she will resign from the Pepkor board with effect from 30 June 2026, as she is scaling down on her board commitments.”

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The group confirmed that a formal “process is underway to appoint a new chairperson of the board” to ensure long-term stability. In the interim, Pepkor has activated its governance contingency framework by appointing Ian Kirk to oversee the transition.

Kirk, who joined the board as an independent non-executive director in June 2021 and currently serves as Pepkor’s lead independent director, will assume the roles of acting chair of the board and acting chair of the nominations committee until permanent successions are finalised.

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