The Clicks Group has announced that its chief executive officer and executive director Vikesh Ramsunder has resigned from the group with effect from 31 December 2021.

Staff Writer | Business Tech

Ramsunder is leaving his role to take up a career opportunity as the CEO of a listed company in Australia. He will continue as a strategic advisor to the group until 31 August 2022.

Under Ramsunder’s leadership, Clicks and United Pharmaceutical Distributors (UPD) entrenched their market-leading positions and the group has expanded its retail presence to 841 stores and 621 pharmacies, said Clicks Group chairman, David Nurek.

The group is recognised as the most transformed and empowered retailer in the country. In this three-year period, the group’s share price has increased by 60% and the market capitalisation on the JSE has risen from R48 billion to R75 billion, despite markets being severely impacted by Covid-19.

“Vikesh has demonstrated outstanding leadership as CEO over the past three years and has led the group through several challenges in recent times, most notably through the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Vikesh has built a strong executive leadership team and we are confident in their ability to maintain the current momentum in the business. We are sorry to say goodbye to Vikesh and wish him well as he makes this international career move.”

Bertina Engelbrecht, currently the group corporate affairs director, has been appointed as Clicks CEO from 1 January 2022.

Engelbrecht joined the Clicks Group in 2006 and was appointed as an executive director in 2008. In 2020 her responsibilities were expanded to include strategic stakeholder engagement and she assumed the position of group corporate affairs director.

Prior to joining the Clicks Group, she was general manager for Shell SA Energy and regional human resources manager for Shell Oil Products Africa.