Brigitte Da Gama doesn’t need coffee to stay energised, in fact, she gave it up six years ago. What keeps her going instead is the purpose for the work she does as group chief people officer at The SPAR Group.
Since joining The SPAR Group, this purpose has seen her driving a major people transformation at the 60-year-old retail and wholesale giant. And although she describes the journey as intense, she says it’s also been deeply rewarding.
Brigitte and her team have wasted no time getting to work. They’ve restructured the HR department to create a structure that’s fit for purpose and reflective of the needs of a modern, decentralised business.
“We started with understanding the business, understanding what the gaps are and how HR could really add value. We looked at what our people needed and how we could support them. Then we created a new structure for HR that aligns to the strategic priorities of the business.”
This restructuring has gone hand-in-hand with several transformation projects, including a renewed focus on EVP, remuneration, restructuring, and digitisation.
“People are questioning what is going on with HR. They are noticing the energy, and all the stuff coming out from HR. Everybody is talking about us. It’s very gratifying that we’re not only on the journey, but people are starting to talk about the transformation and the energy coming out of the team and projects.”
Ensuring alignment
“We want our people to feel valued, to feel recognised, and to have opportunities for growth. We are also working on digitisation, making sure our systems and processes are modern and efficient, so we can really empower them.”
SPAR’s reach is vast, stretching across five provinces in South Africa and into international markets such as Namibia, Ireland and Sri Lanka. For Brigitte, one of her key mandates is ensuring alignment across this decentralised footprint.
However, in recent years, the company has hit a lot of speed bumps, including an SAP system implementation and a governance failure in a subsidiary. With the current leadership on a path to revitalise and transform the business, Brigitte’s mandate is to build a world-class people function, and she is working diligently with her team to initiate projects that will help achieve this.
“Part of my brief is integration. We’re doing a lot of alignment work and even our EVP project is called the One SPAR EVP. That’s the mindset we’re building. We want to instil that no matter where you are, we are one SPAR.”
Though SPAR operates under a licence based in the Netherlands, Brigitte notes with pride that the South African group is among the strongest in the global family.
“We have over 20,000 stores in Southern Africa. SPAR was one of the first retailers to want to go and trade anywhere including in townships because people in townships also need to buy groceries and have access. SPAR was the first to have that kind of mentality and mindset.”
Deep loyalty
“For me as a proudly South African person, I’m happy to see South Africa fulfilling its purpose in the world and showing up at the top.”
SPAR owns approximately 52 stores, but Bridgitte explains most of their business comes from wholesale to independent retailers. Yet despite this decentralised model, loyalty to the brand runs deep. “I’ve never seen a company where employees love the brand this much. That’s a powerful foundation to build on.”
What also stands out for her is the company’s track record in internal career growth. “A lot of people come in at entry level, warehouse staff, for example, and work their way up,” she says. “People move across provinces for promotional opportunities. They might start in Johannesburg, move to the Western Cape, then to the Eastern Cape. It happens all the time.”
This culture of growth is supported by training and development initiatives such as the Star Academy of Learning, numerous learnerships and leadership programmes run in partnership with Stellenbosch University.
Looking ahead, Brigitte is preparing to launch a graduate programme that will focus on data science, AI, and digital skills – capabilities she believes will be critical to SPAR’s future.
“We are busy with a business process optimisation project, looking to optimise and digitise, and looking at technology that fits the fourth industrial revolution. We’re upgrading technology from a people perspective, reviewing our performance management policy, process and procedures, renewing and modernising it.”
Dealing with the unexpected
“We want to build that kind of technical capability in the business,” she says. “We already use AI tools like Microsoft Co-Pilot across functions, and we’re looking at AI in recruitment as part of our future plan.”
That doesn’t mean it’s been easy. Bridgette acknowledges the challenges that come with her role, including the high volume of work and being short-staffed, which she is actively addressing. She also deals with the unexpected, like an executive resignation, but remains mature and positive about it. “If somebody's going off to something wonderful, better and amazing, you want to be happy for them even though you feel the loss.”
Turnover in retail can be high, but SPAR benefits from a strong culture and low attrition, and she is particularly proud of the progress made so far. While it's still early days, the fact that the business is starting to notice and appreciate the changes is a significant achievement.
“We pay a lot of attention to change management, ensuring every rollout has a very detailed and comprehensive communication plan. This avoids HR running ahead of the business and ensures the team is aligned and understands the purpose of the transformation.
Amidst the ongoing transformation, she circles back to what she’s most grateful for.
“SPAR has some of the loveliest people you’ll ever work with,” she smiles. “Everyone who joins says the people here are so nice. That’s a good culture to build on and I’m glad to be here, helping shape it.”
Core values
“I love seeing people grow and develop. It gives me joy when we can implement a programme that sets someone on a path to success. It’s one of the most fulfilling parts of what I do. As HR you’ve got a wonderful opportunity to impact systemically on people’s lives, on their experiences, on their growth and development and on society in general. So from that perspective, I also find a lot of meaning in my role.”
It’s that passion for people and transformation that earned her recognition at the 2020 CHRO Awards for Transformation & Empowerment and Talent Management.
An activist at heart, Brigitte’s work also reflects her core values, something she feels has been a part of her since her early days. “When I was in grade one or two, before I even knew what the word meant, my teachers would write that I‘m very conscientious on my report card. Being a person who likes to do the right thing, who cares about others is a part of who I am.”
Despite the intensity of her role, early mornings, late nights, and the heavy responsibility of transformation, Brigitte has learnt to make space for life beyond work. “I love to travel, and I keep a running list of every country I’ve visited. I love Thailand and recently went to Ireland for the first time and really loved the people.”
Closer to home, she finds joy in family and friends. “I have a very large extended family. One of them turned 100 this year. Weekends are for catching up with friends, exploring museums, and enjoying time away from the office.”
Creating meaning
And for her, HR remains a place where she can make that conscientiousness her primary school teachers once described count. Even though her career began in a surprisingly humble way, as a part-time filing clerk at the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) HR department while she was a student, this early exposure, combined with her major in industrial and organisational psychology, set her on a path she would come to see as both strategic and deeply meaningful.
After her time at UCT, her career took her through prominent organisations, each building on the last. From her early days as a senior HR manager at UCT, she built a foundation rooted in people-first leadership. She then sharpened her strategic edge at Standard Bank, before taking on a transformative role as executive director of human capital at McDonald’s South Africa, where she spent nearly seven years driving organisational culture and talent development.
Today, she channels those decades of experience into multiple spheres of influence. Beyond her role as SPAR’s chief people officer, she contributes on a global stage as part of the BRICS Business Council Skills Development Working Group, which focuses on building technical skills among youth. She also lends her expertise as a board member at Common Purpose and shares her knowledge with future leaders as an adjunct lecturer at Wits Business School.
For her, the golden thread across all these roles comes down to her belief that the competitive advantage of any business is its people. As she puts it, “I think you win through your people. HR has got a very strategic and meaningful role to play in organisations in general.”
“I’m blessed to work with amazing HR talent. They’re so passionate and really into the transformation journey, working so well as a team. It’s been very busy getting up to speed, initiating projects to transform the business and I continue working on that diligently with my team.”
