Discovery Health CEO Ryan Noach has resigned from the role, the financial services group said on Thursday.
Discovery said Noach’s resignation will come into effect at the end of the year and he will be replaced by his deputy, Ronald Whelan.
“Dr Noach will resign as CEO of Discovery Health with effect from 31 December 2023, having spent 15 years at the Group, to pursue an entrepreneurial opportunity outside the healthcare and financial services sectors,” the company said in a statement.
“In line with the long-standing tradition of retaining the collective institutional knowledge and expertise of past leadership, he will serve as a non-executive director on the Discovery Health Board with effect from 1 January 2024.”
The group said Whelan is up to the task after his promotion.
“He is a medical doctor with an MBA and extensive clinical and commercial healthcare experience. He led Discovery Health’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, working closely with B4SA and the national department of health in the national vaccination project,” the company said.
One of the tasks that lie in wait for Whelan is to ward off moves by the Road Accident Fund to cut off medical schemes’ right to claim reimbursements for past medical expenses from the fund.
The company is currently in court over the matter, which it says is costing medical aids R2m a day.
In other leadership changes, Nonkululeko Pitje has been appointed as CEO of Discovery Corporate & Employee Benefits.
Pitje, currently the chief growth officer of Discovery Health, joined the group led by Adrian Gore in 2004.
“She has been instrumental in driving the introduction and growth of value-adding solutions such as Flexicare, Healthy Company, Gap Cover, Trauma Cover and Prepaid Health,” said the company, which worth about R292bn on the JSE.
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