Board & Governance

Zak is our Chief Executive Officer and has been a member of our board of directors since May 2018. He has been the Chief Executive Officer of the Group since its founding in 2001. Before founding the Company, Mr. Calisto was a Member of Vehicle Tracking Services, a company specializing in the distribution of telematics services, from 1994 through 2001. Prior to that, Mr. Calisto was a Member of Cell Communications, a company specializing in the distribution of telecommunication services, from 1994 to 1996. Mr. Calisto also completed an accelerated training program at Standard Bank, Africa’s largest lender by assets, from 1986 through 1991. Mr. Calisto studied at the University of South Africa and University of the Witwatersrand.

Hoe Shin Goy is Karooooo’s CFO and an executive director to the Board. Ms. Goy is a registered Chartered Accountant based in Singapore. Ms. Goy joined Ernst & Young LLP in 2004 and was with the firm until 2009. She has extensive experience in audit, full spectrum finance and group financial reporting throughout the span of her career. She was the Director of Consolidation and Group Reporting for DFS Group, under the Selective Retailing Maison of LVMH.

Siew Koon Ong (Siew Koon Lim) was appointed to our board in July 2021 and is currently Karooooo’s Lead Independent Director and the Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee. Mrs. Lim holds a Bachelor of Accountancy degree from the National University of Singapore and is a Chartered Accountant and fellow member of the Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants. Mrs. Lim has 38 years of experience in providing audit and business advisory services to local companies as well as major public listed companies in a wide range of industries, including banks. She has led initial public offerings of companies in the retail and lifestyle, manufacturing, construction and property development industries. Mrs. Lim joined Ernst & Young LLP (then known as Ernst & Whinney) in April 1982 and was a partner of the firm from July 1998 to June 2019, acting as Chief Financial Officer for a period of 3 years with the responsibility for the firm’s financial and management accounts. Mrs. Lim is also an independent director of Nanofilm Technologies International Limited, which is listed on the Mainboard of the SGX, serving as the Lead Independent Director and Chairperson of the Audit Committee and member of the Risk Committee and Nominating Committee. Mrs. Lim is also an independent director of Maribank (Singapore) Pte Ltd, one of the four digital banks in Singapore. At Maribank, she is the Lead Independent Director and Chairperson of the Audit Committee. She also sits on the Risk Committee and Remuneration and Nominating Committee at Maribank. In addition to Mrs. Lim’s global financial expertise and deep understanding of regulatory and technical compliance in a listed environment, we believe her extensive local knowledge and experience qualifies her to serve as a member of the Board.