Leadership Team

Max Oliva is the Chief Executive Officer of McDonald’s South Africa. With more than 30 years of executive leadership experience in retail, logistics, and supply chain management, he has built a reputation for driving operational excellence, leading business transformation, and developing high-performing teams.
Oliva began his career in 1995 with the SPAR Group, where he progressed through senior logistics and supply chain leadership roles before serving as Supply Chain Executive at BWG Foods (SPAR Ireland), leading integration during the Londis acquisition. Returning to South Africa in 2017, he was appointed Managing Director of SPAR KwaZulu-Natal, where he led the business to strong financial growth. In 2022, he became CEO of SPAR Southern Africa, overseeing more than 2,000 stores across five countries and delivering significant wholesale turnover and operating profit growth.
Recognised for his people-first leadership style, strategic vision, and ability to unite teams around shared goals, Oliva brings deep operational expertise and extensive local market knowledge to McDonald’s South Africa. He holds an MBA from the University of Wales, Cardiff, a Bachelor of Technology from Durban University of Technology, and has completed executive leadership studies at Stellenbosch Business School.
 

Evan Tsatsarolakis is a Chartered Accountant CA(SA) with more than 20 years of post-qualification experience, including over 15 years in CFO and Finance Director roles. His leadership spans public-listed companies, and he is currently the Chief Financial Officer at McDonald’s South Africa, where he plays a key role in driving financial resilience and business sustainability. Evan spent nine years as CFO on the Main Board of Taste Holdings Limited, a company listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. During this time, he also served as Company Secretary, providing governance and compliance oversight. His experience cuts across retail, franchising, FMCG, manufacturing, and supply chain operations, making him a versatile and agile business partner.

Dr Mamello Masia is the Chief People Officer at McDonald’s South Africa and a respected human capital executive with more than 17 years of experience leading organisational transformation, strategic human resources, and culture change across diverse industries. 
She holds a PhD in Human Resource Management from the University of the Witwatersrand and is recognised for her evidence-based, data-driven approach to leadership, organisational effectiveness, and talent development.
Before joining McDonald’s South Africa, Dr Masia held senior leadership positions at Pareto Group, Protea Chemicals, Evonik Africa, Emerson Network Power, Nedbank, and Toyota South Africa. 
In addition to her executive responsibilities, Dr Masia serves on several boards and contributes to HR, ethics, and governance committees. She is a passionate advocate for inclusive leadership and believes that investing in people is fundamental to achieving sustainable organisational performance.
Her leadership philosophy centres on empowering individuals, fostering a culture of continuous learning and belonging, and leveraging data-driven insights to create workplaces where people and businesses can thrive together.
At McDonalds South Africa, Mamello is responsible for shaping the company’s people strategy, focused on building an inclusive, high-performing, and future-ready workforce.

Phinda Ncala is the Chief Information Officer, he has over two decades of executive IT leadership across telecommunications, aviation, banking, and technology services, Phinda has held CIO roles at MTN Uganda, Liquid Telecom, South African Aways, and MTN South Africa. His career is marked by enterprise-wide transformation, operational resilience, and strategic innovation.

Phinda is known for his ability to lead through complexity with clarity and purpose. A true enterprise architect with expertise in governance, security, vendor management, and digital strategy, which are skills that are critical to an evolving business landscape. 

Millicent “Milly” Maroga is the Impact Director at McDonald’s South Africa, bringing more than 20 years of experience in corporate affairs, sustainability, stakeholder engagement, and social impact across the beverages and financial services sectors. Her career began at South African Breweries, where she spent a decade in a range of Corporate Affairs roles before joining Old Mutual as Head of the Old Mutual Foundation. She later served as Corporate Affairs Director at HEINEKEN Beverages.
Milly has served on several public and private sector boards, including the Gauteng Growth Development Agency and currently serves as a trustee of the Old Mutual Employee Share Scheme, reflecting her commitment to responsible governance and long-term value creation.
She holds a Master of Science in International Development from the Institute for Development Policy and Management at the University of Manchester, United Kingdom, and completed an Executive Development Programme at IMD in Switzerland.
Her leadership is grounded in collaboration, empowerment, and a future-focused mindset that inspires teams to thrive while delivering sustainable outcomes for the business and the communities it serves.
At McDonalds South Africa, Milly leads the Impact function, which is responsible for deepening connections with communities, driving sustainable impact, and strengthening the brand’s reputation as a responsible QSR brand. 

Keegan Alicks is the Chief Marketing Officer at McDonald’s South Africa, bringing more than two decades of experience in building iconic brands, driving commercial growth, and leading high-performing marketing organisations. 
Before joining McDonald’s South Africa, Keegan served as National Marketing Executive for Advertising and Promotions at the SPAR Group. Prior to that, he spent several years with Unilever Southern Africa, where he was Marketing Director for the Beauty and Personal Care Division and a member of the Southern Africa Executive Team. 
Keegan is passionate about creating brands that resonate with consumers while delivering measurable commercial impact. His leadership contributed to consistent market share growth, impactful brand campaigns, and the development of future-fit marketing capabilities.
At McDonald’s South Africa, Keegan leads the marketing function with a focus on strengthening brand relevance, enhancing the customer experience, and supporting long-term profitability across the franchise system. 

Neil is a seasoned global McDonald’s executive whose career with the business spans more than three decades. Since joining the organisation in 1989, he has held senior leadership positions across operations, franchising, learning and development, and national operations in multiple international markets, including the United Kingdom, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Latin America, and Asia.
Prior to his current leadership role at McDonald’s South Africa, Neil served as Global Senior Director of Franchising, based in Dubai, where he oversaw franchising operations across 118 countries and more than 30,000 restaurants outside the United States. In this capacity, he played a key role in shaping the company’s global franchising strategy and strengthening McDonald’s position as a world-class franchising organisation.
Previously, as Senior Director of Operations and Franchising for the Middle East and Africa. His leadership helped accelerate business growth, strengthen partnerships with Development Licensees, and successfully implement strategic initiatives including McCafé and Experience of the Future. His contributions earned him a prestigious McDonald’s Circle of Influence Award.
He is passionate about building high-performing teams, empowering Owner Operators, and creating sustainable growth that delivers long-term value for customers, employees, and the McDonald’s system.
At McDonalds South Africa, Neil leads the Operations with focus on running great restaurants, superior customer service, and fostering shared value partnerships with our franchises. 

Tinyiko Nkuna is the Director of Strategy and Insights at McDonald’s South Africa and a member of the Executive Team. With 19 years of experience in strategy, analytics, and consumer insights, he has built a distinguished career helping organisations translate data into actionable business decisions that drive sustainable growth.
Before joining McDonald’s South Africa, Tinyiko held strategy and research roles at IDC, Catalyst Research, Nike, and AVI – National Brands. During more than a decade with McDonald’s, he has played a pivotal role in shaping the company’s strategic direction through market intelligence, customer insights, and long-term planning.
He holds a Bachelor of Science with Honours degree, a Postgraduate Certificate in Business Analytics, and has completed strategic planning programmes through McDonald’s Worldwide Hamburger University in Munich, Germany. He is currently completing an Executive MBA at the University of Cape Town.
Tinyiko is passionate about using evidence-based decision-making to unlock growth, strengthen competitiveness, and create meaningful value for customers and the business.
At McDonalds South Africa, he is responsible for overseeing the development of the business strategy, monitoring and tracking delivery of the business strategy, and enabling growth by empowering the business with relevant consumer and industry insights.  

Silindile Mpungose-van der Westhuizen is the Chief Supply Chain Officer at McDonald’s South Africa, bringing more than 16 years of experience across the quick service restaurant and food manufacturing industries. She is an accomplished supply chain executive with deep expertise in procurement strategy, supplier partnerships, operational resilience, and risk management.
Silindile spent over a decade with McDonald’s South Africa, most recently serving as Senior Supply Chain Manager, where she played a key role in strengthening supplier relationships and supporting business growth.
complemented by qualifications in Quality Management and Food Technology.
Silindile believes that exceptional supply chains are built on trust, collaboration, innovation, and strong partnerships. 
At McDonalds South Africa, Silindile is responsible for overseeing McDonalds relationship with its suppliers, food safety and quality, procurement, supplier diversity and supplier risk management.

Evashni Govender is the Head of Legal and Compliance at McDonald’s South Africa, bringing extensive experience in corporate legal strategy, governance, regulatory affairs, compliance, and company secretarial practice. She has built an accomplished career advising multinational organisations across the FMCG, pharmaceutical, and food production sectors.
After beginning her legal career in commercial litigation, Evashni transitioned into corporate and commercial law in 2004. She has since held senior legal leadership positions including Senior Legal Counsel at Unilever South Africa, Lead Legal Counsel at Aspen Pharmacare Holdings, and Group General Counsel and Company Secretary at Tongaat Hulett Limited.
Her expertise spans strategic legal advisory, corporate governance, regulatory compliance, enterprise risk management, and board support. Recognised for her commercial insight and trusted leadership, Evashni was named to the Legal 500 GC Powerlist in both 2025 and 2026, acknowledging her influence in shaping the strategic direction of leading organisations.
At McDonald’s South Africa, Evashni is committed to strengthening governance, enabling responsible business growth, and fostering a culture of integrity and compliance. 

Alastair Gledhill is the Chief Development Officer at McDonald’s South Africa, bringing more than 35 years of experience across commercial, retail, franchising and development leadership.

He has led growth and expansion strategies for some of the world’s most recognised consumer brands across South Africa, Africa, Europe and the Middle East. His career highlights include driving significant restaurant growth and expansion across South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Alastair holds a B.Com degree from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, majoring in Economics, Commercial Law and Marketing, as well as an Advanced Diploma in Franchise Management. His extensive experience in development, franchising and market expansion supports McDonald’s South Africa’s continued growth and its ambition to build a world-class restaurant portfolio.