Africa-Press – South-Africa. Discovery co-founder and CEO, Adrian Gore, who is now 61, completed the London and Boston marathons and wrote a book, all while leading a financial giant.
Gore was born on 16 May 1964. His parents, Mendy Gore and Ann Segal, raised him to appreciate the lasting value of education.
He matriculated from King David School in 1981 and obtained BSc and BSc (Hons) degrees in Actuarial Science from the University of the Witwatersrand.
After graduating from Wits, Gore started his career at Liberty Life, an insurance and investment firm founded by South African entrepreneur Donald Gordon.
In 1992, when he was only 27 years old, he partnered with Barry Swartzberg to start a new medical insurance company, Discovery.
From the outset, their strategy was to create an insurance company that rewarded people for being healthy rather than just paying out when they got sick.
They pitched the idea that a business can improve people’s lives while creating lasting value to Laurie Dippenaar at Rand Merchant Bank (RMB).
Dippenaar liked the idea, and RMB Holdings provided funding and acquired a stake in the business by making Discovery its subsidiary through Momentum.
Since these humble beginnings, Discovery has grown into one of the most successful diversified and multinational financial services companies globally.
It is widely acknowledged as a global leader in wellness behavioural change and its integration with health, life and short-term insurance.
Under Gore’s leadership, Discovery and the Vitality Shared Valued Insurance Model are present in 28 countries, serving over 20 million members worldwide.
Swartzberg, who still serves as executive director at Discovery, said they still believe that a business can improve people’s lives while creating lasting value.
“The foundations built over more than three decades position us for the next era of innovation, growth and global impact,” he said.
Discovery CEO Adrian Gore continues to excel
Apart from running one of South Africa’s most successful financial institutions, Gore continues to excel in other fields, including running and writing a book.
On Monday, 20 April 2026, Gore joined the field of 30,000 runners lined up from Hopkinton to Boston.
He completed the 2026 Boston Marathon in 03:31:16, which placed him in the top half of the field. This is impressive at 61.
This strong marathon performance formed part of Gore’s belief in setting goals, which he described as transformative.
“A goal doesn’t only give you something to aim for. It also gives you something to lose. That’s where loss aversion becomes so powerful,” he said.
“Goals are also recursive. One breakthrough resets your definition of what’s possible, and the next goal is built on the new standard.”
What is particularly impressive is that he achieved his goal during a busy and successful period for Discovery, requiring a huge amount of work and drive.
Gore also completed his book, The Four Principles, which is set to be released on 30 July 2026. It focuses on the question of impact.
“I wrote the book because I became obsessed with the question of impact and the question of why some people create extraordinary impact,” he said.
People with similar intelligence, opportunity, and resources often achieve vastly different outcomes.
This, Gore argues, is not because of who they are, but because of how effectively they convert potential into action.
The book explores the mental miscoding that holds people back, and the principles that correct this miscoding.
“The principles in the book will enable people to unlock exponential impact in their personal and professional lives,” he said.
Adrian Gore marathon photos
Adrian Gore business photos
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