The Emirates-based owners of McDonald’s SA, MSA Holdings, have appointed Max Oliva as CEO, effective July 1 2025. Oliva replaces Greg Solomon, who leaves in August after 29 years with the company.
Some insiders claim Solomon was pushed out for nonperformance and a lack of transformation, though the company rejects the claims as false.
Will Oliva bring stability or further turbulence to the fast-food giant? Interestingly, the surname is derived from the Latin oliva (olive tree), symbolising peace. Yet his recent tenure at Spar SA tells a different story.
He resigned shortly after the retailer reported a R4bn loss, worsened by a disastrous SAP system rollout that cost Spar about R2bn in lost sales. If Olivia was such an outstanding leader, why did he abandon a company he served for 30 years?
Was he pushed out, or is he escaping accountability? MSA Holdings claims Olivia was chosen after a “rigorous executive search”, praising his vision and commercial acumen. But if he is so great, why was he not retained as a possible successor to Spar Group CEO Angelo Swartz?
Did MSA Holdings ignore his controversial past? During Oliva’s time at Spar the company faced allegations of running a “white boys’ club”, sidelining black franchisees and misusing BEE loans to prop up white retailers.
An independent investigation by Harris Nupen Molebatsi Attorneys confirmed fraud, fronting and fictitious loans in some franchises. Oliva was part of the leadership implicated in these scandals.
Given that McDonald’s SA relies on franchisees, was Oliva the best candidate to appoint as CEO? Could MSA Holdings not find a transformation-orientated, scandal-free executive, or even an internal candidate to lead the brand?
It is also worth noting that Oliva’s legacy and those of other executives at Spar were marred by legal defeats. The Giannacopoulos Group, a major Spar franchisee, has won 14 court cases against the retailer, including a damning Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) ruling that Spar acted in bad faith when it tried to seize their stores.
SCA documents allege that Spar executives, including Oliva and Spar human resources director Martin Conradie in KwaZulu-Natal submitted false affidavits to justify the takeover, a scheme now under criminal investigation for fraud and perjury. In the Gauteng case court documents reveal that Spar’s then-MD, Desmond Borrageiro, and CEO Brett Botten, submitted affidavits central to the legal dispute.
Former Spar Group chair Graham O’Connor also endorsed balance certificates backing the summonses. While some of those implicated have dismissed the discrepancies as mere legal oversights, calling them an “honest and unfortunate mistake”, the courts have taken a far dimmer view given the severe consequences for affected franchisees.
The SCA’s ruling, published in January, lands as Spar scrambles to slash its R9bn debt: selling its head office, offloading assets and leasing its fleet in a desperate bid to stay afloat. If Oliva was “complicit in corporate bullying and unethical practices” at Spar, what stops him from repeating this at McDonald’s SA?
Will he replicate Spar’s alleged “white boys’ club” culture? Will black franchisees be marginalised under his leadership? The Emirates-based owners may see Oliva as a safe pair of hands, but South Africans should ask if they care about ethical leadership and long-term reputation, or just profits?
If Oliva’s past is any indication, tranquillity is unlikely, and reputational damage all but guaranteed. If MSA Holdings truly values transformation and stability, why hire a CEO with such a controversial record?
• Lourie is founder and editor of TechFinancials.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.