Adrian Gore is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Discovery Group.
He launched Discovery in 1992, with a simple and core purpose of making people healthier and enhancing and protecting their lives. Discovery has since evolved into a diversified and multinational financial services group. Discovery is widely acknowledged as a global thought leader in wellness behavioural change and its integration with health, life and short-term insurance.
Discovery listed on the JSE in 1997, and under Adrian’s leadership, has expanded its international reach to the United Kingdom, United States and China. Discovery generates total income flows in excess of R50 billion and has over 8 000 employees globally serving six million customers world-wide.
Adrian Gore Definition Of Success | I think external success is when you have made a difference to society and the people around you. Internally, I think you’re only successful if you’re happy with your lot. I think chasing money is a counterfeit route to success and will ultimately lead to unhappiness. A friend of mine retired at 35 and raised his children. He said: “There’s nothing I need.” I definitely believe that you have true wealth when you’re content with what you have.
I Am Driven By | Creating change inspires me. I’m motivated by the slope of the curve, not the height of it. It is when I am building something of scale which positively impacts society that I feel the greatest sense of achievement.
I’m not sure I know much more now than I did when I started. I’ve learnt more about strategy and I have a lot of faith in young people to innovate and shake the system. That excites me.
My Highlights | The whole journey has been a highlight. When you’ve had the honour and good fortune to build an organisation from the start, every development feels brand new. I can’t think of one, specific highlight. It’s all been a constant rush of growth – both corporate and personal.
Performing At My Peak | I am kept excited by the rate of change and opportunity we are faced with. Discovery has a unique approach to insurance – wellness-linked insurance – where
Vitality is integrated into health and life insurance. It is a model we pioneered in South Africa and are now exporting globally. This means that we are continuously faced with exciting growth points in the business, for example launching in a new market, or launching a next generation integrated product in an existing market. I find the process of manifesting this growth very challenging and exciting, as opposed to reveling in the reflective glory of success. It inspires me.
Principles I Live By | I think I live by a belief in the positive. I’m naturally positive, but I also believe you’ve got to work at it.
Lessons I Have Learnt | Do whatever it takes to recruit smart people. I handpicked every employee carefully. I started out by recruiting Barry Swartzberg – it took me three months.
Have a purpose for your business beyond making money. I have always wanted to make a difference in a positive way, even if I didn’t know right from the start what I wanted to do at a granular level.
Keep innovating. Innovation is an ethos for Discovery. We’re a big organisation today with legacy systems and processes and we’re innovating at a faster pace than ever before. There is a relentless focus on progress.
H.E. Dr. Ambassador Tal Edgars is one of the most sought after business strategists of our time. He is the founder of the GBSH Consult Group and companies such as GGKAfrica, Edgars International, Tal Edgars Media Franchise. He is also the author of “Good karma in Business”. He sits on the board of several companies […]
Simeon Oriko is a young entrepreneur, who is the founder and Executive Director of The Kuyu Project, which is a digital literacy initiative aimed at teaching African high school students how to use social media and other digital tools to effect social change in their communities. Another project Simeon is involved in is Jamlab which […]
David is one of the co-founders at Sanergy. David has worked at Ignia Fund in Mexico and at Endeavor. He was the Deputy Chair for Poverty Alleviation at the Clinton Global Initiative in 2005-2006, and taught in China for two years. David holds an MBA from MIT Sloan and a BA with distinction from Yale […]
Brad Sugars Legacy Project came from humble beginnings and is a self-made multi-millionaire most famous for his global business coaching franchise Action Coach. Along with his family, one of the biggest influences in his life is Jim Rohn. Brad often tells audiences the tale of how as a teenager he scrimped and saved his allowance […]
Jane Maduegbuna is a trained lawyer who has a deep desire to encourage young women and help them succeed in life. Jane was a homemaker for 10-years and believes she is a poster child for “it’s never too later to walk your path and pursue your dreams”. Jane is an avid reader, wife, mother and […]
In 2009 Ntsoaki Phali decided to become the change she wanted to see — and so began Beyond Ability Talent Solutions, a self-sustaining recruitment agency for the physically disabled. As a former human resources co-ordinator, Phali struggled to meet her employment equity target when recruiting employees with disabilities. She knew it wasn’t for want of […]
Malcolm Gladwell is a journalist who has been a staff writer for The New Yorker since 1996. He has written five books – The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference; Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking; Outliers: The Story of Success; What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures; and David […]
Stephen Koch is a professional speaker, climber, snowboarder and mountain guide. His list of alpine ascents and descents include some of the most notable firsts anywhere in the world, most of which have never been repeated. He is best known as the first and only person to snowboard on all Seven Summits, the highest peak […]
These remain the property of its owner and are not affiliated with or endorsed by WeSpeak Global.
Our Mission
© All rights reserved 2025. Created using VOXEL THEME
