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Before Shirley Zinn resigned as Spar’s deputy chair, she faced, among other things, scrutiny over independence, including questions about her financial interest in an executive search firm that has had professional engagements with Spar and Spur Corporation, where she also serves as a nonexecutive director.While neither company has confirmed wrongdoing and both say governance processes were followed, the overlap between Zinn’s board responsibilities and the activities of Tuesday Consulting, a talent and executive search firm of which she is a director and shareholder, raised questions about independence, perception and the adequacy of public disclosures to shareholders. Zinn was appointed to the Spar board in 2023 during a major governance overhaul and recently resigned as deputy chair, citing personal attacks, hostility and threats from certain existing and former Spar retailers. She also chaired Spar’s remuneration and human resources committee, responsible for executive appointments, leadership assessment and remuneration.At Spur, she remains the lead independent nonexecutive director and chairs the remuneration and nominations committee.Founded in 2004, Tuesday Consulting operates executive search and leadership advisory services, including executive recruitment, leadership selection, market mapping and assessment, the same functional areas overseen by the committees Zinn formed part of at Spur and Spar.Spar confirmed to Business Day that Tuesday Consulting has been engaged on a limited, ad hoc basis since 2025 as part of a pool of external recruitment service providers.“The Spar Group confirms that Dr Shirley Zinn’s shareholding in Tuesday Consulting was formally declared as part of Spar’s director appointment and governance processes,” the group said.According to Spar, Zinn did not participate in discussions or decisions relating to the engagement of Tuesday Consulting, in line with the group’s conflict-management protocols. Directors’ interests are disclosed on appointment and reviewed annually through formal governance processes overseen by the nomination committee, according to Spar’s latest annual report.The Spar Group confirms that Dr Shirley Zinn’s shareholding in Tuesday Consulting was formally declared as part of Spar’s director appointment and governance processes.— Spar While the Companies Act and King IV require directors to disclose conflicts of interest to boards and manage them through recusal and oversight, they do not require companies to publish a detailed public register of directors’ interests. A review of the group’s publicly available integrated reports, AGM minutes and governance disclosures does not clearly identify Tuesday Consulting as a service provider. Zinn’s public board biography also does not reference her role or shareholding in the firm, despite listing multiple other board positions and leadership roles, raising transparency concerns.“As is standard practice, board biographies published on Spar’s website are abbreviated professional summaries and may not reflect every external role or business interest,” Spar said.Spur initially said it had never “engaged the services of Tuesday Consulting”. The company subsequently acknowledged that, on a contingent basis, it and two other recruitment firms took part in an executive recruitment assignment for Spur in September 2021.According to the company, Tuesday Consulting did not introduce the chosen applicant, who was hired in early 2022, and no fees were generated or invoiced.Zinn separately confirmed the interaction, saying Tuesday Consulting had never provided consulting or advisory services to Spur nor received any fees from the company.The matter was complicated by a March 2026 presentation prepared by Tuesday Consulting for a prospective client that listed Spur among the organisations that the firm identifies as clients.According to Tuesday Consulting, the document is authentic, and the client references show companies the firm has “engaged at a professional level, including retained or contingent assignments”.The inclusion of Spur based on an unpaid and unsuccessful assignment raises questions about the thresholds used to classify organisations as clients and the governance implications when directors affiliated with such firms serve on company boards.However, Zinn said that no remedial action was necessary.“Tuesday Consulting operates with a strong emphasis on governance, transparency and professional integrity, and no corrective changes to the process are required,” she said. “Organisations referenced in the presentation reflect entities with whom Tuesday Consulting has had prior professional engagements over time, including retained or contingent assignments.”Zinn is a prominent businessperson and human resources executive known for her extensive corporate governance work. She previously served as group executive of human resources at Nedbank and Standard Bank and has built a reputation as a leadership and organisational development expert. She also serves on multiple JSE-listed company boards, including as a nonexecutive director at Woolworths.Business Day
