2024 FASA chairs and board members

As a non-profit association, FASA continues to represent franchising in South Africa and also serves as an example to other African countries and the rest of the world on how important it has become in its contribution to the country’s GDP. Its success relies on a board of directors that oversee the association’s work and help steer it to greater heights.

As the association is made up of franchisors, franchisees and service providers, board members are chosen from across the board to reflect the various sectors that make up the franchise pie – from the experienced and established franchisors to the service providers working in the legal and financial franchise space.

Besides the primary task of making representation to government to acknowledge the role that franchising plays in contributing to the GDP of the country, it is also playing a role in assisting government in identifying various departments that can drive franchising as a preferred business model for economic development and recovery.

Specific committees are set up to tackle pertinent issues that are affecting franchisors and franchisees – including a Membership Committee that looks to encouraging new membership, both of up-and-coming franchisors but also for franchisees who, by extension, are very much part of the franchising landscape.

As franchising is a complicated format based on the legal relationship between a franchisor and a franchisee, FASA’s Legal Committee oversees the legal landscape that affects franchising – from handling complaints and disputes to ensuring that there are no infringements on FASA’s trade name intellectual property.

Although FASA has steered the franchise sector through forty-five years of successful operations, it continues to make representation to government to expedite the acceptance of the Franchise Industry Code and the establishment of a Franchise Industry Ombud (FIO) which will further protect the industry as a whole and the public against fraudulent operators. Once adopted, the Franchise Industry Code will include a robust mediation process, as well as standards of behaviour for franchisors and franchisees.

Below are the duly appointed board directors and their profiles.

Fasa Chairs:

Chairperson 2023 – 2024
Maria D’Amico – Thomson Wilks Attorneys
Immediate Past Chairperson 2023 – 2024
Pertunia Sibanyoni – FNB
Chairperson Elect – 2025 – 2026
Nelia Kirsch – Group Executive, Franchise, Pick n Pay