#  Hazel Pillay 

HSAFP Fellow — Advanced Management Program (AMP), Harvard Business School, 2026/27 

 

 

 



   ![A professional headshot of Hazel](/sites/g/files/omnuum9081/files/styles/hwp_4_5__320x400/public/2026-09/Hazel.jpg?itok=OI23K2bX) 

 



 





 

I am currently a group executive at Pick and Pay Group, which is one of the leading omni-channel food and clothing retailers in South Africa. Pick and Pay Group employs approximately 90 000 people across its operations of Pick and Pay Foods (owned and franchise), Africa, Boxer Foods and Pick and Pay Clothing. The group serves millions of customers in more than 2 700 stores and has the second largest online food business in the country. I contribute to group-level strategy and policy across the broader business, including FMCG, bringing a cross-enterprise perspective to growth, transformation, and responsible leadership. My experience spans house-brand clothing, beauty, homeware, sporting goods, and branded product categories.

I have co-created FUTUREWEAR, an industry platform designed to connect emerging designers with one of the country’s largest retail businesses. Through mentorship, collaboration, and commercial partnerships, the initiative creates pathways for South Africa’s next generation of fashion entrepreneurs while strengthening the local fashion ecosystem and building a more inclusive retail value chain.

 My intentions, with this privileged opportunity to study at Harvard, is to develop a deeper perspective on the opportunities across Africa and explore how I can further unlock growth, create meaningful jobs, and develop people / businesses that can compete globally. I want to challenge conventional thinking and reshape my worldview on how we create solutions in an increasingly disrupted, complex, and rapidly changing environment. In addition, I want to build a global network that can support creating better solutions for growth for Africa’s potential.

From a personal growth perspective, I want to strengthen my communication, cognitive and strategic thinking, and become better equipped to lead through ambiguity and complexity. I see AMP as an important step in preparing myself for a future Group CEO role — expanding not only what I know, but how I think, lead and influence. Finally, studying at Harvard has been a dream of mine and I am grateful to be on this journey.



 

 

 





 

 

- ## People
    
     [HSAFP Fellow](/people/hsafp-fellow)