Discovery CEO on why it doesn’t pay to be overly negative about South Africa

Discovery chief executive Adrian Gore says that there are a number of pressing issues that need to be addressed in South Africa – but that people who have negative blinkers on can often miss the opportunities available in the country.

In a social media post outlining a presentation to the Actuarial Society of South Africa (ASSA), Gore said South Africa has urgent issues including a high rate of unemployment, inequality and poverty.

“Having said that, our country is framed as being in an inevitable decline, which means risk is mispriced and opportunities are missed,” he said. “Simply put: complex and challenging environments present outsized opportunities, particularly if there is a negative perception bias against those opportunities.”

Gore pointed to the formation of Discovery as an example: the company started in the early 1990s when the country was going through a lot of flux and change.

“We started our focused on a core purpose and created a new business model to solve for the complexities in the health system,” he said, adding that many of the challenges facing the country and world are facing are largely actuarial issues.

“I am indebted to and proud of the profession and believe the South African community of actuaries is globally leading and competitive anywhere in the world.

“I would argue we have a leadership role to play in building new business models that change our world and transform society for the better. My personal and professional plea is for our community to be excellent, to grasp opportunities in the midst of complexity, and to lead with purpose,” he said.

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