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 […]
In 2008, Patrick was elected an Ashoka Fellow for his work as a social entrepreneur. At Ashoka, he was one of the first Fellows with a strong background in the for-profit corporate sector, and one of the first to have scaled a for-profit social enterprise globally. More recognition soon followed: He was named an Endeavor […]
It is with thanks to this dedicated author and meticulous researcher that the indigenous South African Nguni cattle, their widely patterned and multi-coloured hides and the poetry surrounding their Zulu naming, have been recorded for posterity in a beautifully crafted coffee table book following a doctoral thesis. Dr Marguerite Poland is revered for, inter alia, […]
Nicholas Rawhani first felt the urge to photograph everything around him on a family trip to India. Today, he shares the things that shock his senses on his photo blog, iamnixpix , which is a vehicle he uses to capture the beauty that surrounds him and communicate those indescribable emotions that he feels on a […]
Lucy Bloom | The Legacy Project is an award-winning leader and speaker. She’s a change maker, exceptional communicator and business fixer with the best mohawk in the business. Lucy led an advertising agency for 20 years before she became the CEO of a brand new women’s health organisation, funding a network of hospitals in Ethiopia. […]
Lenora Billings-Harris TLP, CSP is an internationally recognized speaker, multicultural diversity expert, and author with more than twenty-five years experience in the public and private sectors. She served as an adjunct professor for Arizona State University, and is currently on the adjunct faculty of University of North Carolina-Greensboro. Lenora Billings-Harris TLP (The Legacy Project) Lenora received her […]
John Klukas was born in St. Paul, Minnesota. After receiving his B.A. in Psychology from the University of Minnesota, his interest in pursuing photography brought him first to Bangkok, Thailand and presently to New York City. Klukas works primarily in fashion photography and his work has appeared in a range of art and editorial publications […]
As a graduate social entrepreneur from TSiBA Education, founder director of a social enterprise – Nebula, I possess a variety of skills and 5 years’ experience in facilitation, coaching and organisational development. Combined with a deep-seated passion for social change, I thrive on working with like-minded individuals who are committed to personal growth and creating […]
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
