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Annual Report 2023

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FY2023 Annual Report · oOh!media
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INTEGRATED REPORT  
2023

For the year ended 31 December 2023

DO GREAT THINGS EVERY DAY

About our report
Our Integrated Report is supplemented by a suite of online publications and information. These reports can be accessed 
on our corporate website. When read with the reporting suite, this Integrated Report provides information aimed at meeting 
the needs of providers of capital. 

Our reporting suite
Old Mutual 2023 Reports 

INTEGRATED REPORT  
2023

For the year ended 31 December 2023

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
REPORT 2023

For the year ended 31 December 2023

REMUNERATION
REPORT 2023

For the year ended 31 December 2023

SUSTAINABILITY
REPORT 2023

For the year ended 31 December 2023

CLIMATE REPORT
2023

For the year ended 31 December 2023

TAX TRANSPARENCY
REPORT 2023

For the year ended 31 December 2023

ANNUAL FINANCIAL 
STATEMENTS

Consolidated and separate 
For the year ended 31 December 2023

DO GREAT THINGS EVERY DAY

DO GREAT THINGS EVERY DAY

DO GREAT THINGS EVERY DAY

DO GREAT THINGS EVERY DAY

DO GREAT THINGS EVERY DAY

Integrated 
Report

Corporate 
Governance Report

Remuneration 
Report

Sustainability 
Report

Climate 
Report

Tax Transparency 
Report

Annual Financial 
Statements

Our Integrated Report 
provides a balanced view 
of our value creation story. 
It shares our strategic 
journey to becoming our 
customers’ first choice to 
sustain, grow and protect 
their prosperity. Although 
primarily aimed at our 
providers of capital, it 
will be of interest to all 
stakeholders invested in 
understanding our unique 
value creation story.

Our Corporate Governance 
Report provides an 
overview of Old Mutual’s 
approach to corporate 
governance. The report 
focuses on how we do 
business in accordance 
with sound governance 
practices, which are 
informed by the highest 
ethical standards, 
integrity, transparency 
and accountability. The 
report will be of interest to 
investors, regulators and 
analysts.

Our Remuneration 
Report provides insight 
into how we address 
remuneration-related 
activities and disclosures 
and reflects how our 
rewards purposefully align 
performance outcomes 
with shareholder interests, 
while balancing our 
need to be an attractive 
employer. The report is 
of interest to investors, 
employees, regulators and 
analysts.

Our Sustainability 
Report reflects on our 
sustainability journey, 
sharing insights into 
how we manage 
our most significant 
environmental, social and 
governance (ESG) risks 
and opportunities. The 
report will be of interest 
to investors, analysts 
and a wide range of 
stakeholders.

Our Climate Report 
contains information 
about the Group’s climate-
related activities, policies, 
governance, strategy, risk 
management, metrics 
and targets. The report 
provides information that 
enables stakeholders to 
assess our progress in 
our climate adaptation 
journey. The report will 
be of interest to all our 
stakeholders.

Our Tax Transparency 
Report concisely outlines 
our tax philosophy, 
communicates how 
the tax strategy is 
interconnected to the 
Group strategy and 
demonstrates our 
commitment to being 
a responsible taxpayer. 
The report is of interest to 
regulators, investors and 
analysts.

Our Annual Financial 
Statements contain 
information relating to the 
Group’s financial position 
and performance. The 
consolidated and separate 
financial statements were 
audited in terms of the 
Companies Act, 71 of 2008 
(as amended) (Companies 
Act). The report is of 
interest to investors, 
analysts, regulators and 
other stakeholders.

Enquiries
Investor relations
Langa Manqele
T: +27 (0)82 295 9840
E: investorrelations@oldmutual.com

Communications
Wendy Tlou
T: +27 (0)83 301 9663
E: oldmutualnews@oldmutual.com

Application of the King IV 
principles statement

The application of the King Report on Corporate Governance™ for 
South Africa, 2016 (King IV)1 principles statement is a comprehensive 
index in our Corporate Governance Report. It details our arrangements, 
processes and systems for governing and managing various areas of the 
organisation to achieve the required governance outcomes. The 
statement confirms the application of the King IV principles as required 
by the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) Listings Requirements.

Our design theme for the 2023 annual reporting suite is 
centred around movement and progression in modern 
Africa with our insights depicted as a guiding light for 
our customers in uncertain times. Our imagery alludes to 
the embodiment of development, speed and success in 
embracing technological advancements while maintaining 
a human touch when creating, executing and delivering 
growth across all our operating regions.

1  Copyright and trademarks are owned by the Institute of Directors in South Africa NPC and all of its rights are reserved

1

Integrated Report 2023 About our report continued

Approval
The Old Mutual Limited (Old Mutual or the Group) Board of directors (Board) acknowledges its responsibility for ensuring the integrity 
of this Integrated Report and confirms that the report is presented in accordance with the International Integrated Reporting 
Framework. The Board has considered the operating context, strategy and value creation business model. This report addresses 
all issues that are material to or that could materially affect Old Mutual’s ability to create value.

In the Board’s opinion this report fairly presents the Group’s integrated performance. The Board confirms that the Group complies with 
the provisions of the Companies Act relating to its incorporation and operates in conformity with its Memorandum of Incorporation. 
The Board approved this report for release on 27 March 2024.

Defining value
Value creation is the result of how we apply and leverage our resources and strategy in delivering financial performance and positive 
outcomes for our stakeholders. We focus on improving the quantum of the value delivered for each of our stakeholders and the quality 
of the experiences.

List of Board members:
Independent Non-executive Directors
Trevor Manuel (Chairman)
Prof Brian Armstrong
Albert Essien
Olufunke Ighodaro
Itumeleng Kgaboesele 
Jaco Langner 
John Lister

Dr Sizeka Magwentshu-Rensburg 
James Mwangi
Nomkhita Nqweni 
Busisiwe Silwanyana
Jurie Strydom
Stewart van Graan

Non-executive Directors
Thoko Mokgosi-Mwantembe

Executive Directors
Iain Williamson (Chief Executive Officer) 
Casper Troskie (Chief Financial Officer)

Integrated thinking
Our approach to embedding integrated thinking in our organisation is continuous and takes into 
account the relationship between the resources and capitals we use to create value and the potential 
trade-offs inherent in our strategic choices. We strive to report transparently, reflecting value created, 
preserved and eroded. By understanding how these values interact we are able to deliver sustained 
growth in the short, medium and long term for all our stakeholders.

How we consider materiality and material matters
Our Integrated Report aims to provide our current and prospective shareholders and other stakeholders 
with the information they need to assess Old Mutual’s ability to adapt to change, its resilience in the face 
of existing and potential challenges and its ability to create or preserve value over time.

We conduct an annual materiality determination process to identify and assess the information and material 
matters to include in our Integrated Report. We consider double materiality, which recognises that external 
factors can impact our business and our business can impact society and the environment.

Identify
We identify relevant information and material 
matters based on previous reports, feedback 
from engagements with key stakeholders,  
internal documentation, global searches, peer 
benchmarking and reviews of external and 
industry information. 

In determining material information which 
might impact the Group, we consider these 
external and internal factors:
1.  The operating context, including the 
macroeconomic and socio-political 
environment in which we operate, evolving 
industry trends and regulatory changes 
2.  Our Risk Management Framework and our 

top risks and opportunities
3.  Stakeholder expectations 
4.  Strategy and strategic objectives

Prioritise
We analyse and distil the information identified and we rank 
material information according to its relevance in the current 
context considering the potential likelihood and impact 
on our sustainability and resources on which we rely. We also 
consider factors that are material to our short, medium and 
long-term value creation.

Our material matters are:

Macroeconomic and socio-political  
environment
Changing customer expectations  
and needs

Talent management

Climate change

Technological disruption

Regulatory requirements

Refer to operating context on pages 38 to 45 for more detail on our material matters

Approve
The material matters disclosed in this report are approved by:
 » Non-financial Key Performance Indicators Steering 

committee1

 » Executive committee
 » The Board

The Board Risk committee assesses and approves the 
top 10 risks.

Reporting
Our report covers those issues that have the potential to significantly impact the 
Group’s performance, its ability to generate sustainable shared value and influence 
our strategy and business model in managing and responding to risks and 
opportunities. This information is expected to change over time as the 
macroeconomic environment changes, new trends develop and the needs and 
expectations of our stakeholders evolve.

1    The Non-financial Key Performance Indicators Steering committee is a forum sponsored by the Chief Financial Officer and attended by relevant executive members. The Steering committee is mandated to approve the non-financial key performance indicators that have been identified by the various working 

groups for the purposes of business planning, monitoring and reporting externally. The committee also governs the working groups and escalates matters arising from the working groups to the executives

2

Integrated Report 2023    
About our report continued
Integrated reporting process
Our Integrated Report was prepared using content 
and insights from Executive committee discussions, 
Board papers, business plans and  reporting 
information requirements of the International 
Integrated Reporting Framework. Thematic working 
groups under the supervision of their respective 
executive members representing our segments and 
subject matter experts produced the content that 
is disclosed in this report. The Group Executive 
committee contributes towards the content and are 
involved in various approval processes which include 
a cross-review of content across the reporting suite and 
final approval. The Board provides final sign-off for the 
publication of the report.

Our 2023 Integrated Report
Reporting scope and boundary
Reporting period
This report covers the activities of the Group for the period 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2023. Any material 
events after this date and up to the Board approval date of 27 March 2024 are included. All data is at 
31 December 2023 unless otherwise specified.

Operating activities
We report on the primary activities of the Group. Our financial and non-financial reporting boundary aligns with 
our financial statements boundary and includes the Group, our operating subsidiaries, joint ventures, and key 
associates. Due to hyperinflation in Zimbabwe and the barriers to access capital by way of dividends, we exclude 
the results of the Zimbabwe business from adjusted headline earnings.

Financial and non-financial reporting
Our report includes financial and non-financial information:

Reporting frameworks
» Integrated Reporting Framework (2021) 
» King IV  
» JSE Listings Requirements for debt and equity 

issuers

» Companies Act
» Insurance Act, 18 of 2017

Certain financial information included in this report 
was extracted from the audited consolidated annual 
financial statements, which were prepared in 
accordance with International Financial Reporting 
Standards (IFRS).

Ensuring the integrity of our report
The Board ensures the integrity of our report through 
our integrated reporting process and various levels of 
sign-off and approval by Group executives, Board 
committees and ultimately the Board. The Board 
relies on our combined assurance model which is 
overseen by the Audit committee that assures 
aspects of our business operations and reporting. 
These assurances are provided by management, 
Group internal audit and independent external 
sources. The financial information disclosed in the 
report has been assured by our external auditors.

Governance (pages 16 to 28)

Stakeholders’ value creation and business model (pages 29 to 37)

Operating context (pages 38 to 45)

Risk and opportunity management (pages 46 to 57)

Performance against strategy (pages 58 to 72)

Performance (pages 73 to 104)

We have implemented changes to improve the presentation in this report. We continually improve and 
refine our non-financial data collation processes and definitions used when reporting. This may result in a 
re-presentation of prior year data for increased comparability. This will enhance the completeness and 
accuracy of the reporting of our non-financial data over time.

Combined assurance
Combined reviews by management and internal audit were performed to ensure the accuracy of our 
reporting content, with the Board and its sub-committees providing oversight. Although this report has 
not been audited, it contains certain information that has been extracted from the audited consolidated 
annual financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2023 on which an unmodified audit opinion 
has been expressed by the Group’s joint independent external auditors, Ernst & Young and Deloitte & Touche. 
Our Group internal audit provided limited assurance for non-financial information disclosures.

Forward-looking statements
This report contains certain forward-looking statements of Old Mutual Limited’s plans,  goals and expectations relating to its future financial condition, performance 
and results, and estimates of future cash flows and costs. Words such as ‘believe’, ‘anticipate’, ‘intend’, ‘seek’, ‘will’, ‘could’, ‘may’, ‘project’ and similar expressions are 
intended to identify forward-looking statements but are not the exclusive means of identifying such statements.

By their nature, all forward-looking statements involve inherent risk and uncertainty because they are based on assumptions related to future events and 
circumstances which are beyond Old Mutual Limited Group’s and its affiliates’ control. These include economic and business conditions and market-related risks 
i.e., equity fluctuations, interest rates, inflation, and deflation. These circumstances could arise from the impact of competition, legislation, the policies and actions 
of regulatory authorities, and the timing and impact of any uncertain industry changes.

Any forward-looking information contained in this report was not reviewed or reported on by Old Mutual Limited’s external auditors. The Old Mutual Limited Group 
and its affiliates undertake no obligation to update the forward-looking statements contained in this report and other related supplementary reports or any other 
forward-looking statements it may make. Nothing in this report shall constitute an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy securities.

Report navigation

Strategic focus areas

Holistic coverage of customer needs

Distribution and digital engagement

Operational efficiencies

Strategic growth businesses

Strategic growth markets

Agile delivery driven by engaged 
employees

Our stakeholders

Investors

Intermediaries

Customers

Communities

Employees

Regulators

Six capitals

FC

Financial

MC Manufactured

HC Human

IC

Intellectual

NC Natural

SC

Social and 
relationship

Risk and governance

Top risks

Governance

Navigation tools

More information available online

Information within this document

Other reports within the reporting suite

3

Integrated Report 2023 CONTENTS

Overview of the Group

2023 reflections 

Overview of our business

46 Risks and opportunities

47 Our approach to risks and opportunities
49 Risk management 

An established history for over 178 years

51

Top risks

5

6

7

8

9

The core of who we are

10 Our strategy

12

13

Sustainability

Segments

15 Our values, culture and ethics

16 Governance overview

17 Message from the Chairman
19 Our Board

21

Board responsibilities

23 Board composition, tenure and skills

25 Message from the Chief Executive Officer

27 Our Executive committee

29 Our stakeholders and value creation

30 Our stakeholders

31

33

Stakeholder management

Stakeholder value creation

36 Our value creation business model

38 Operating context

39 Material matters overview
40 Macroeconomic and socio-political environment
Industry trends
41
44 Regulatory changes

58 Performance against strategy

59 Growing and protecting the core
64 Unlocking new growth engines
68 Agile delivery driven by engaged employees

71

Rewarding strategic performance

73 Group financial performance

74 Group highlights
75 Group financial review
77 Balance sheet and capital metrics
Supplementary income statement

81
83 Group financial performance

84 Segment performance

85 Mass and Foundation Cluster

88 Personal Finance and Wealth Management

91 Old Mutual Investments

94 Old Mutual Corporate

97 Old Mutual Insure

101 Old Mutual Africa Regions

4

Integrated Report 2023 OVERVIEW  
OF THE GROUP

In this section

2023 reflections 

Overview of our business

An established history for over 178 years

The core of who we are

Our strategy

Sustainability 

Segments

Our values, culture and ethics

6

7

8

9

10

12

13

15

5

Integrated Report 2023 2023 reflections 

INVESTORS

CUSTOMERS

EMPLOYEES

 » 81c (2022: 76c) total dividends 

per share

 » 49c dividend per share on the 

Bula Tsela Scheme

 » 14% increase to R8.3 billion 
(2022: R7.3 billion) for results from 
operations

 » 11.1% (2022: 9.4%) return on net 

asset value

 » R1.3 trillion (2022: R1.2 trillion) 
in funds under management

 » 2.2 million (2022: 1.8 million) 
Old Mutual Rewards members

 » R120 million worth of Old Mutual 
Rewards points redeemed in 2023
 » Old Mutual ranked strongest 

insurance brand and eighth 
strongest brand in South Africa 
in 2023

 » Coolest insurance brand 
at the Sunday Times Next Gen 
Awards

 » 42% (2022: 42%) female senior 

managers 

 » 55% (2022: 61%) black senior 

managers

 » Additional grant of 5.04 million 
Bula Tsela shares to employees

INTERMEDIARIES

REGULATORS

COMMUNITIES

 » R119.7 million  

(2022: R100.3 million) invested 
in training intermediaries

 » 178% (2022: 188%) Group 

solvency

 » Level 1 broad-based black 
economic empowerment 
(B-BBEE) rating since 2019

 » R18.5 million (2022: R15.3 million) 

in bursaries 

 » 10 035 (2022: 5 270) small, 

medium and micro-sized entities 
(SMMEs) reached

ENVIRONMENT

 » Old Mutual Alternative Investments 

are funders into 39% 
(2021: 31%) of South Africa’s 
installed renewable energy 
capacity in 2022

 » 22% (2022: 23%) reduction in Group 
operational carbon emissions 
footprint against 2019 baseline

 » Old Mutual became a signatory 
to the Nairobi Declaration 
on Sustainable Insurance

RESPONSIBLE INVESTMENT

 » AA MSCI ESG rating on the 
Old Mutual ESG Equity Fund

 » R166.8 billion (2022: R146.2 billion) 
funds invested in the green economy

 » 999 522 (2022: 968 245) active 
stewardship and resolutions 
voted on

 » Won Asset Owner 

of the Year at the Africa 
Impact Investment Awards

GOVERNANCE

 » 44% (2022: 42%) black South African 

Board members

 » 31% (2022: 29%) female Board 

members

 » Remuneration Report of the 
Year at the South African Reward 
Association awards

 » Recognised by PwC for the 

third year running in their Building 
Public Trust through Tax Reporting 
publication

6

MSCI  ESG RATINGIntegrated Report 2023 Overview of our business

operating in

14

countries

South Africa

Southern Africa

East Africa

West Africa

Asia

South Africa

Tied advisers 
11 776
Employees1 
21 839
Customers2 
6.5 million

Namibia
Botswana 
eSwatini 
Malawi 
Zimbabwe

Tied advisers 
756
Employees1 
3 294
Customers 
2.5 million

South Sudan 
Kenya 
Uganda
Rwanda
Tanzania

Tied advisers 
759
Employees1 
1 460
Customers 
2 million

Ghana
Nigeria

China

Tied advisers 
660
Employees1 
314
Customers 
1.4 million

Tied advisers 
9
Employees1 
348
Customers 
0.2 million

In China, we provide life insurance and investment solutions to high-net-worth retail customers through a 50:50 joint 
venture with China Energy Capital Holdings, a subsidiary of China Energy (a state owned enterprise).

Old Mutual is a premium African financial services 
Group that offers a broad spectrum of financial 
solutions to retail and corporate customers across 
key market segments in 14 countries. 
Old Mutual’s primary operations are in South Africa and other African regions, and 
we have a niche business in China. We are well positioned in the insurance market with 
a large customer base, a valuable and trusted brand, and most of our core businesses 
holding leading market positions while making investment in our growth engines and 
markets. We have structured our operating segments to deliver our products and services 
to our customers according to their needs.

Segmental results from operations (R million)

5 000

2 500

0

(2 500)

10%

3 710

3 369

22%

1 846

1 517

(1%)

1 240

1 227

19%

1 718

1 449

(23%)

>100%

1 116

678

524

535

(22%)

Mass and 
Foundation Cluster

Personal Finance and 
Wealth Management

Old Mutual
Investments

Old Mutual 
Corporate

Old Mutual 
Insure

Old Mutual 
Africa Regions

Net result from 
group activities

2022

2023

(1 478)

(1 798)

Results from operations by line of business (R million)
10 000

28%

7 396

5 765

8 000

6 000

4 000

2 000

0

(2 000)

33%

1 384

1 845

(65%)

1 049

372

30%

590

766

Life and Savings

Asset Management

Banking and Lending

Property and Casualty

2022

2023

1  Other includes net result from group activities and central costs allocated to segments.

Total results from operations 
R8 343 million 
(2022: R7 310 million)

Listed on five stock exchanges

(38%)

(1 478)

(2 036)

Other1

1  We have refined our definition of employee and restated the 2022 numbers. Our workforce is defined as permanent and non-permanent Old Mutual employees 

South Africa

Namibia

Malawi

Zimbabwe

United Kingdom

and contingent workers which include consultants, contractors, service providers and vendors 

2  Customer numbers for South Africa include policy count for Old Mutual Insure

7

Integrated Report 2023 An established history for over 178 years
For 178 years, we have invested funds in a way that enables our 
stakeholders to thrive. As we look back to the early years of our 
business, we reflect on key achievements while Africa was undergoing 
significant changes. 
We present our milestones in today’s context, while understanding that South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Kenya, among others, 
were not countries when we were founded, but rather colonies or protectorates of the United Kingdom.

A track record of delivery

1845

1895

1954

1971-
1982

1998

Our Group was 
established in 
Cape Town as 
South Africa’s first 
mutual life insurance 
company

Started expanding 
in Africa with an 
office opened in 
Zimbabwe, followed 
by Namibia in 1920 
and Kenya in 1930

1 million policies 
sold and opened 
offices in Malawi

Annual income 
increased from 
R100 million to  
R1 billion

Opened our first call 
centre of 40 people 
in Mutualpark, 
Pinelands

2014 -  
2015

2013

2005

1999

Acquired majority 
in UAP and Faulu 
Bank in East 
Africa

Expanded into 
West Africa with 
offices in Nigeria 
and Ghana

Signed our first 
B-BBEE deal

Demutualised 
and listed on the 
London Stock 
Exchange

2018

Anchored in Africa 
by listing on the JSE 
and launched South 
Africa’s first ESG 
index unit trusts

2020-
2021

Nedbank 
unbundling 
in 2021

2022

2023

Outlook

Concluded 
second 
B-BBEE deal:
Bula Tsela

Migrated  
1.85 million policies in 
our legacy risk book 
to a new platform and 
Bula Tsela declared 
its first dividend

Launch our bank, 
a milestone in 
our integrated 
financial services 
journey

8

Integrated Report 2023 The core of who we are
Our purpose is to champion mutually positive futures every day

We want to be our customers’ first choice to sustain, grow and protect their prosperity, which is anchored in our purpose. 
This means that we aim to be their preferred partner for financial wellness and help them achieve their lifetime financial 
goals. 
We believe that creating value for customers ultimately drives value creation for shareholders. We create value through solutions delivered against our integrated financial services and interconnected strategy. We offer 
comprehensive solutions across Africa to meet our customers’ needs at every life stage. We will accompany them on their life journey as a trusted steward through multiple channels, platforms and comprehensive financial 
products and services anchored in rewards that aim to promote behaviours linked to holistic financial wellness. We conduct business responsibly to deliver a sustained positive impact across all our stakeholders: customers, 
employees, intermediaries, investors, regulators and the communities in which we operate.

We

through our lines  
of business ...

... by offering holistic solutions 
and financial advice

Sustain

Banking and 
Lending

 » Transactional banking
 » Personal loans
 » Business loans

Grow

Protect

Savings and 
Investments

 » Long and short-term savings

Asset Management

 » Wealth management
 » Investment solutions

Catering to 
our customers’ 
lifetime 
 financial  
needs

Life Insurance

and funeral cover

 » Life insurance, critical illness, disability 

 » Retirement, annuities and endowments
 » Medical insurance

Property and 
Casualty Insurance

 » Property, specialty and credit risk 

insurance

We deliver our solutions through our distribution 
channels
We embrace a human-led, technology-enabled distribution model. We 
deliver personalised advice and solutions using real-time data and insights through 
our extensive distribution network and strong digital engagement to ensure our 
customers and advisers can interact with us in a way that is most convenient for 
them. Our face-to-face and digital channels provide customers more choice 
as we move towards delivering a consistent omnichannel experience.  

41 117

(2022: 39 238)
Tied and independent intermediaries

Our intermediaries are the 
competitive advantage through 
which we deepen our relationship 
with our customers in various 
segments. They are core to our ability 
to execute our integrated financial 
services ambition, differentiated 
by holistic advice, face-to-face 
interactions, trust and relevance built 
through meaningful engagements. 

1.4 million

(2022: 1.2 million) 
Active digital users

The MyOldMutual integrated needs 
based goals and financial wellness 
ecosystem encompasses digital 
platforms such as the Old Mutual 
app, WhatsApp, USSD and an online 
platform that seamlessly integrates 
into a digital experience. Our service 
centres, advisers and customers can 
see and engage with the ecosystem.

796

(2022: 826)
Retail branches

48 331

(2022: 48 731)
Worksites

Our retail branches facilitate a 
seamless customer experience by 
providing direct access to products, 
servicing and advice. Our branches 
recruit intermediaries from the 
communities in which we operate. 
Branded ATMs support our retail 
branch network to improve access 
and convenience for customers.

Worksites enable us to take an 
advice-led approach by offering 
solutions to our customers in their 
workplace as an extension of the 
employee value proposition. Our 
worksites have skilled financial 
advisers who assist our customers 
with preserving their wealth and 
achieving better retirement 
outcomes. 

9

Integrated Report 2023 Our strategy
We formulated our strategy considering our operating environment, evolving customer needs, the competitive 
landscape and rapidly changing technological advancements. Our strategy seeks to ensure the delivery of sustainable 
value creation for our business to the benefit of all our stakeholders over the short, medium and long term. 
Our strategy is anchored in our victory condition of becoming our customers’ first choice to sustain, grow and protect their prosperity. Our value creation framework spans two broad themes: growing and protecting 
the core and unlocking new growth engines. We took a deliberate portfolio approach to growth by distinguishing between these themes, to ensure we are able to generate sustainable long-term value at an 
aggregate portfolio level. Our core businesses represent the majority of our portfolio and are the dominant contributors to our stable cash generation and earnings. Our new growth engines are a small part of our 
portfolio and represent newer sources of revenue streams for the Group over the long term. Each theme is supported by strategic focus areas that articulate how we will deliver value. This is underpinned by agile 
delivery driven by engaged employees. Our five value drivers link our strategic actions and the value creation impact for the Group. They also inform the prioritisation of these actions to ensure maximum value creation 
for customers and shareholders alike.

R   V I C T ORY CON

DIT
I

O

N

U

O

To be our customers’ 
 1st choice to 
sustain, grow 
and protect their 
prosperity

V A L U E DRIVERS

e

u

n

R e v e
gr o w t h

O U TCOME

O

p

er

m

ar

a

ti

n

g
i

n

g

s

s
h
t
g
n

e
v
i
t
i
t
e
p
m
Co

stre

e
f

C
a

f 
c

i

p

e

i

t

n

a

c

l

i

e

s

RESPONSIBLY  
BUILD THE MOST 
VALUABLE BUSINESS 
 IN OUR INDUSTRY

Execut i o n
and deli v e r y

Integrated financial services

Refer to pages 58 to 72 for our performance against our strategy

Strategic focus areas

Growing and protecting the core

Holistic coverage 
of customer needs

Distribution and digital 
engagement

Operational efficiencies

Unlocking new growth engines

Strategic growth businesses

Strategic growth markets

Enabled by

Agile delivery driven 
by engaged employees

The circles reflect the value drivers 
impacted by each strategic focus 
area.

10

Integrated Report 2023  
 
 
 
 
 
   
Our strategy continued
Building the integrated financial services business of the future

The delivery of holistic financial services that prioritises great customer and adviser experience, will 
empower our customers to move towards financial wellness and have financial freedom and security.
One of our most valuable strategic assets is our large customer base. We will focus our efforts on delivering more value to our existing customers through 
integrated financial services. Integrated financial services is a natural extrapolation of our victory condition. 

Partnering with our customers on their journey towards 
financial wellness is at the heart of our integrated ecosystem. 
Our approach to building a distinctive integrated financial 
services ecosystem leverages off our existing strengths 
to ensure we are our customers’ lifetime financial partner 
of choice. Key components of our ecosystem include:

1.  Advice-led

Advice-led conversations support our customers with the 
right solutions at the right time. We have strong expertise 
through one of the largest tied adviser networks in South 
Africa, equipped with industry-leading advice tools.

2.  Integrated 
  We aim to provide a customer experience that is 
integrated across our holistic solution set and our 
channels. Our customers benefit through our rewards 
programme by having multiple products with us and 
making good financial decisions in support of their 
personal financial goals.

3.  Tech-forward 
  We provide an always-on experience, enabled by modern 

technology, so our customers can interact with us when 
and how they want to.

4. Trusted 

Trust is a key driver of consideration and brand usage. It 
is a critical enabler of business performance. Customers 
associate the Old Mutual brand with trust and we continue 
to ensure that we earn and maintain this trust every day.

     For more information on industry and customer trends  

refer to page 41 in our operating context

   Board focus: Strategy governance

The Board is responsible for setting and steering the Group’s strategic direction. During the year the Board:
 » Continued to monitor the steps implemented to embed the Group’s medium and long-term strategy, focusing on delivering an integrated financial 

services offering

 » Monitored the impact of competitors and disruptors on the industry and the Group’s response thereto
 » Supported management in refining the Group’s strategy for Old Mutual Africa Regions
 » Supported management in the appropriate strategic allocation of capital , focusing on organic and inorganic opportunities which support innovation 

and competitive positioning

 » Continued to consider and monitored the return on capital the Group is generating for our shareholders

11

MYOLDMUTUALFINANCIAL PLANCustomerLifeEventsRewardsAccount AggregationFinancial EducationBudgetingPersonalisedRecommendationsDigitalised ServicingCUSTOMERADVISERSDATA PLATFORMLIFE & SAVINGSASSET MANAGEMENTBANKING& LENDINGPROPERTY& CASUALTYIntegrated Report 2023  
 
Sustainability
Broad-based sustainability is central to our identity and an integral part of our core business strategy. Our approach 
recognises the interconnectivity between economic, social and biological and physical systems, and the urgency 
to transform our collective growth path to be more socially inclusive, low carbon and resource efficient. 

Creating shared value and sustainable transformation are at the core of how we do business. We recognise that the success of our business is integrally linked to the wellbeing of the economies we form part of and operate in. In building 
the most valuable business in our industry, we strive to create a positive and sustainable impact across our communities, the environment and broader society. Our ability to effectively manage risk and create long-term value for all our 
stakeholders are inextricably linked to the wellbeing of the broader economy and society. Our response to sustainability is shaped by the material environmental, social and governance issues impacting our business and stakeholders 
in Africa, our commitment to act responsibly and treat all stakeholders fairly, including policyholders, shareholders, employees, communities, regulators and media and our core business competencies.

Our efforts are further guided by local and international frameworks such as the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investing, Code for Responsible Investing in South Africa, Global Reporting Initiative and the United Nations 
Sustainable Development Goals. Our impact cuts across several Sustainable Development Goals.

Material ESG issues

Group response

Related material matters

Environment Climate change is the key 
environmental risk facing 
our Group and poses 
a threat to the sustainability 
of our business operations 
and the communities and 
countries in which 
we operate.

We respond to the challenges posed by climate change by focusing on decarbonising our operational footprint. Our responsible 
investment practices recognise, evaluate and incorporate material ESG risks and opportunities into our asset investment and 
ownership decisions in our proprietary and customer investment portfolios. This investment philosophy allows asset managers 
and≈asset owners to focus on offerings solutions that address key global issues, such as energy scarcity, agriculture, infrastructure 
and education, while delivering sustainable risk-adjusted returns.

Climate change

Regulatory  
requirements

As signatories to the Net Zero Asset Manager Initiative and the Net Zero Asset Owners Alliance and given the carbon intensity of 
South Africa’s listed market, the Just Transition to decarbonise the economy is core to our responsible investment strategy, which 
aims to further strengthen our regional leadership position in ESG investments. We identified three priority issues based on the 
most urgent risks to South Africa, namely, Just Transition, water security and inequality.

Refer to our Climate Report 

Social

Social challenges such 
as extreme poverty, 
inequality and 
unemployment are 
primary systemic 
challenges across Africa.

We believe the key to addressing poverty, inequality and unemployment over the long term lies in education and job creation. 
We contribute to employment through education, skills development, and entrepreneurship initiatives across all the countries 
in which we operate. Our financial education and inclusion initiatives aim to increase financial literacy in our communities to shift 
financial behaviour towards economic transformation and inclusion. We focus on our core savings and protection solutions and 
our ongoing efforts to deliver sound advice to our customers.

Our transformation strategy is based on core B-BBEE scorecard pillars as stipulated in the South African Department of Trade 
and Industry Codes of Good Practice and the Financial Sector Code. The updated Group transformation policy, approved by the 
Responsible Business committee, strengthened the function of preferential procurement to embed a culture of transformation 
across our procurement value chain, strengthened the profile of SMME development and reaffirmed our commitment 
to empowerment financing and employment equity.

Macroeconomic and 
socio-political environment

Changing customer 
expectations and needs

Regulatory requirements

Talent management

Refer to our Sustainability Report

Governance Governance failures across 

the public and private 
sectors remain persistent 
long-term sustainability 
challenges for Africa.

We believe that good corporate governance is fundamental to the Group’s success, sustainability and legitimacy. Our Group 
Governance Framework drives top-down governance and our organisational ethics and values set the standards for our corporate 
governance. Our strategy and planning processes are supported by sound risk management principles and processes. We take our 
contribution to preventing financial crime seriously. We believe in the transparent disclosure of our responsible remuneration policies 
and practices, as well as our approach to responsibly managing our tax affairs.

Regulatory  
requirements

ESG is governed by the Old Mutual Board, supported by the Responsible Business committee and operationally by the Responsible 
Business Executive committee and the sustainability team. Key sustainability metrics are included in the Group scorecard to link 
sustainability performance to executive remuneration.

Refer to our Corporate Governance Report

12

Integrated Report 2023  
 
   
   
Segments
Our operating segments are structured to deliver our products and services according to the needs of our customers and are 
supported by our centralised enabling functions.

Mass and Foundation Cluster

Personal Finance and Wealth Management

Old Mutual Investments

Simple financial services offerings

Target markets

Lines of business

Retail customers in the low-income 
and lower-middle-income markets 

Types of offerings
 » Risk and lending
 » Transactional banking 
 » Savings

Key distribution channels
 » Tied advisers, sales agents 
and financial consultants

 » Third-party channels
 » Call centre and digital channels 

Holistic financial advice and long-term financial  
solutions

Target markets

Lines of business

Retail customers in the middle and 
high-income markets and high-net-worth 
individuals 

Types of offerings
 » Long and short-term risk, 

savings, lending, income and 
investment solutions
 » Wealth management

Key distribution channels
 » Tied and independent 

financial advisers

 » Direct and digital channels 

     Refer to pages 85 to 87 for Mass and Foundation Cluster’s  

performance in 2023

     Refer to pages 88 to 90 for Personal Finance and Wealth 

Management’s performance in 2023

Asset management and investment solutions

Target markets

Lines of business

Institutional and retail customers, as well 
as multi-managers

Types of offerings
 » Listed equity, unlisted and 
multi-assets investments
 » Fixed income and credit 

investments

 » Income solutions investments
 » Unlisted assets investments
 » Shareholder credit and asset 

liability management

Key distribution channels
 » Our investment solutions 

are accessible to the 
other segments, linked 
investment service 
providers, multi-managers 
and asset consultants

Refer to pages 91 to 93 for Old Mutual Investments’ performance in 2023

Old Mutual Corporate

Old Mutual Insure

Old Mutual Africa Regions

Traditional employee benefits, including group assurance, 
investments and advisory solutions

Short-term insurance solutions

Target markets

Lines of business

Small, medium and large enterprise employers, 
retirement funds and other benefit funds, as well 
as their members and employees

Types of offerings
 » Retirement investments and administration
 » Group risk 
 » Reward benchmarking, management and 

advisory services

 » SME funding and support
 » Health and wellness, member education 

and advice

Key distribution 
channels
 » Intermediaries
 » Consultants
 » Direct and digital 

channels 

Target markets

Lines of business

Retail, commercial and corporate 
customers

Types of offerings
 » Personal insurance
 » Commercial insurance
 » Niche (specialised) insurance
 » Reinsurance

Key distribution channels
 » Tied advisers
 » Independent brokers
 » Direct and digital 

channels 
 » Partnerships

Insurance, banking and asset management services 
across 12 countries in Africa

Target markets

Lines of business

Corporates, SMMEs and retail 
customers

Types of offerings
 » Medical insurance, short and 

long-term insurance

 » Asset management, discretionary 

and retirement savings and 
annuity solutions

 » Transactional and corporate 

banking and lending

 » Rewards and value-added services

Key distribution 
channels
 » Brokers and advisers
 » Partnerships 
 » Direct and digital 

channels

     Refer to pages 94 to 96 for Old Mutual Corporate’s performance 

in 2023

     Refer to pages 97 to 100 for Old Mutual Insure’s performance  

in 2023

     Refer to pages 101 to 104 for Old Mutual Africa Regions’ performance 

in 2023

Line of business key

Life and Savings
Protection solutions for certain risk events 
including life, critical illness, disability and funeral 
cover. Long-term savings solutions include 
retirement and traditional savings products.

Asset Management
Retail savings and investment products including unit 
trusts and institutional capabilities across all major 
assets classes including listed and unlisted equity, 
credit, fixed income, property and infrastructure.

Banking and Lending
A wide range of banking and lending solutions 
included unsecured lending, simple retail 
banking solutions and structured credit.

Property and Casualty
A range of short-term insurance 
solutions for loss of property liability 
and cover for personal, commercial, 
specialty and credit risks.

13

Integrated Report 2023      
Segments continued
Our segments are supported by our enabling functions

Our enabling functions are centralised Group 
functions that support segments and lines 
of business by setting Group-wide strategic 
objectives and overseeing Group-wide projects.

Group 
governance

Group strategy, 
sustainability and 
economics

Group  
human capital

OMiX

Public 
affairs

Group risk,  
compliance and 
actuarial

Group  
finance

Changes to optimise our enabling functions
OMiX
OMiX creates the innovative products, technology solutions and customer experiences 
that form the critical foundation for Old Mutual to become our customers’ first choice 
to sustain, grow and protect their prosperity. We achieved some exciting milestones 
in our agile transformation journey by implementing our new operating model which 
integrated our products, customer support and servicing, technology and operations, 
and Group marketing functions into OMiX, a function centred on delivering smart 
experiences that matter by leveraging new technologies, data and connections that 
intersect customers and advisers, product and technology and other diverse strengths 
of our business. By consistently focusing on smart experiences, leveraging technology 
and data, and changing the way we work, we will be better positioned to deliver on our 
promise to customers. 

Group strategy, sustainability and economics
In enhancing capacity, alignment and delivery against the Group strategy, the 
Group sustainability and economics team has been integrated into the Group 
strategy function to elevate the role of sustainability within strategy development 
and decision making and align it to best practice. 

Public Affairs
The public affairs function encompasses financial education, Group communications, 
Group stakeholder relations, the Old Mutual Foundation, the Old Mutual Education 
Trust, transformation and empowerment, and the Masisizane Fund. This function 
provides strategic direction and long-term planning, monitoring and coordination 
of multiple areas and activities that deliver against our commitment to the 
communities in which we operate.

14

Integrated Report 2023 Our values, culture and ethics
We believe an ethical culture is critical to doing business responsibly. Our values are key to building this work environment, 
and we ensure that we lead with integrity and respect to drive employee, customer and investor confidence in our business.

l

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We foster a culture where our employees and 
leaders are aligned with our values. Our values 
guide our interactions with each other, our 
customers, communities and other stakeholders. 
We adopted the following values, which are 
fundamental to building our organisational 
and ethical culture

CUSTOMER

DIVERSITY

INNOVATION

INTEGRITY

Champion  
the customer

 The power of diversity 
and inclusion

Agile innovation that 
makes a difference

Always act  
with integrity

RESPECT

Respect for each 
other and the 
communities 
we serve

ACCOUNTABILITY

Accountability 
& trust

Our culture 
We believe that our culture is key to our ability to deliver on our strategic ambitions. Our integrated 
financial services strategy is anchored in our victory condition, “to be our customers’ first choice 
to sustain, grow and protect their prosperity”. We will achieve this through agile delivery driven 
by engaged employees. Our culture focuses on winning in the market through engaged, high-
performing teams who are equipped to deliver to our customers. Our leaders unite these teams, 
creating the ideal environment for high performance and enabling our employees to deliver and thrive.

Our culture is underpinned by the heart of our business – our people, namely our customers and 
our employees. While our Board is responsible for setting and steering the Group’s culture, our 
leaders and employees are supported by organisational structures and processes to bring our 
culture to life by reinforcing our desired behaviours.

Old Mutual’s organisational culture is built on four cornerstones: 

Building high-performing teams through inclusive leaders who enable our employees 
to unite as high performers who live our values and strive for and drive excellence 
because they are engaged, psychologically safe, have a sense of belonging and inclusion 
and are trusted and accountable

Executing and delivering at speed through agile innovation, problem solving and 
continuous improvement 

Being customer centric with teams that are set up and supported to deliver to our 
customers and have a customer service mindset 

Winning in the market by providing an exceptional customer experience

1

2

3

4

Our organisational culture and behaviours are continuously reinforced through communication 
and engagement, performance management, organisational structures, training and incentives. 
These help employees understand what drives decisions and behaviours from their leaders.

To guide our culture transformation journey, we developed a culture and engagement model 
to improve the way we do things in the organisation. Our model forms the basis of the Pulse 
Culture and Engagement Survey, which was launched in 2019 and gives employees the 
opportunity to provide feedback on their experience of the organisation. The full Pulse Culture 
and Engagement Survey is conducted every second year with mini Pulse surveys in between. 
The insights from the results are used to drive organisational change to achieve the desired culture.

     Refer to the performance against strategy: agile delivery driven by engaged employees section for 

results of the 2023 survey on page 69

Our ethics 
Ethics are defined as universal principles on what is right and wrong. These principles inform how Old Mutual 
conducts its business and treats all its stakeholders. Our ethics are embedded in our culture and translate into 
individual behaviours and organisational outcomes felt by employees and third parties with whom we conduct 
business. 

To ensure that behaviours and outcomes are positive and beneficial to all stakeholders, we must create a common 
and shared understanding of what a healthy culture is. At Old Mutual, we adopted values which were fundamental 
in building our organisational and ethical culture. 

We strive to conduct our business responsibly and ethically. We ensure our behaviour is consistent with our policies, 
code of ethics and relevant regulations applicable to African financial services companies.

Our code of ethics, the Maadili Charter (Maadili meaning ethics in Swahili) defines ethical behaviour as following 
the spirit and intention of the law and treating our stakeholders and competitors fairly and respectfully. It outlines 
behaviours that are consistent with our values and provides guidance for decision making. It is supported and 
extended by several policies, including our Anti-bribery and Corruption Policy and our Conflicts of Interest Policy.

The Maadili Charter applies to all Board members and employees and is reviewed regularly and revised accordingly 
to ensure a progressive ethical culture.

We undertake an annual ethics attestation process wherein all employees (a) are trained and assessed on the 
Maadili Charter and the Conflicts of Interest Policy, (b) accept the Maadili Charter and Conflicts of Interest Policy, 
declare their outside business interests, and (d) declare gifts received or given. In 2023 there were enhancements 
and changes to our annual attestation processes. Some of these were necessitated by legislation, which included 
screening employees for financial crime offences and proactively identifying politically exposed persons.

95% of existing employees and 80% of newly appointed employees participated in the annual attestation process. 
This is a positive outcome as, historically, this level of participation for existing employees was reached after the 
consequence management (corrective action) process had been invoked.
Governance of ethics
The Board
The Board is responsible 
for setting and steering 
the Group’s culture. Board 
members are individually 
and collectively 
accountable for their 
ethical and effective 
leadership of the Group.

Ethics governance structures
Old Mutual’s internal and external 
ethics governance mechanisms include 
a whistleblower hotline, e-mail and 
website for reporting actual or suspected 
unethical or unlawful behaviour 
by directors, employees or external third 
parties. These are supported by strong 
investigative capabilities and rigorous 
disciplinary processes and sanctions.

The Executive committee
As delegated by the Board, 
management is responsible for 
implementing and executing the 
Maadili Charter and supporting 
policies and effective monitoring, 
control and assurance thereof. 
The Executive committee is also 
responsible for ensuring the effective 
operation of the ethics governance 
structures.

Refer to the Corporate Governance report for details on how ethics are governed

15

Integrated Report 2023  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
    
GOVERNANCE 
OVERVIEW

In this section

Message from the Chairman

Our Board

Board responsibilities

Board composition, tenure and skills

Message from the Chief Executive Officer

Our Executive committee

17

19

21

23

25

27

16

Integrated Report 2023 Message from the Chairman

Trevor Manuel
Chairman

In 2023, Old Mutual continued creating 
value for our stakeholders, despite a 
backdrop of seismic geo-political shifts 
and volatile international markets. 
Focused execution, responsible capital 
allocation and sophisticated financial 
risk management underpinned our 
growth and ensured that the Group 
performed well against the strategy. 

We are pleased with our overall positive financial results achieved 
in the face of tough economic challenges.

Our customer focused approach has enabled us to generate strong 
new business and continued sales momentum in 2023. We delivered 
double digit sales growth of 17% across our life segments as we grow 
market share profitably within our key markets. Consequently, 
we delivered exceptional value of new business growth of 37%.

The effects of state capture continue to be felt in all spheres 
of South African society. While there has been an effort to restore 
the institutions and rebuild the economy, more work is necessary 
to eradicate corruption completely and regain institutional strength. 
Against this backdrop, it is crucial that regulators adopt a pragmatic 
approach, striking a balance between fiscal requirements and 
providing clear regulations and long term regulatory certainty. 

Foreign investors disinvested more than a trillion rand from South 
African equities and bonds over the past decade, primarily due 
to regulatory uncertainty and execution stasis. This money is being 
redirected to competing markets that appear to be on a more sound 
governance and regulatory footing. 

This is a stark reminder that Africa, particularly South Africa, has 
to compete to attract and retain investment. This is an ongoing 
challenge, and Old Mutual stands ready to collaborate with 
regulatory authorities and government stakeholders to create 
an environment conducive to business growth and investment.

2024 is destined to be a record-breaking election year, with 19 African 
countries scheduled to go to the polls. This will likely extend the 
period of political uncertainty, but may also signal the beginning 
of a new regulatory environment in many countries.

Committed to customers
We remain committed to generating sustainable and suitable 
returns for all our stakeholders. We accomplish this through 
partnerships that drive the creation of responsible business. We 
take our responsibility as the stewards of our customers’ savings 
and financial wellbeing seriously. Our products and services are 
constantly evolving to help our customers manage their savings 
and mitigate financial risks. The Board is particularly pleased with 
the increase in our sales metrics during the year, which reflects our 
customers’ trust in our organisation.

Strengthening our integrated financial services ecosystem is a key 
strategic customer focus. Our approach involves partnering with 
our customers on their life journey to achieve financial wellness. 
We leverage our advanced technology and our committed people 
to sustain, grow and protect our customers’ prosperity, ensuring 
we become their lifetime financial partner of choice. 

This ecosystem will be further enhanced with the launch of our 
new bank in 2024, which should accelerate the integration of Old 
Mutual’s financial services. The bank’s use of artificial intelligence (AI) 
is expected to dramatically speed up processes, keep operating costs 
and bank charges low, and facilitate the development of convenient 
and relevant new financial offerings.

Meeting specific sustainability and ESG 
challenges
We see our business as a force for good that is accountable 
to customers, employees, shareholders and other stakeholders. 
Broad based sustainability goals and environmental, social and 
governance (ESG) principles are an integral part of our core business 
strategy and specific ESG metrics are included in our remuneration 
structures. Our approach recognises the interconnectivity between 
economic, social and biophysical systems and the urgency to be 
more socially inclusive, low carbon and resource efficient. 

As a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact, we are active 
contributors to the Sustainable Development Goals. In particular, 
our commitment to responsible investment practices entails 
recognising, evaluating and scrupulously incorporating material ESG 

risks and opportunities into investment and ownership decisions. 
We deepened our active stewardship footprint by consistently 
monitoring key metrics and calling out irregularities and 
discrepancies when we encounter them. 

Climate change is a key environmental risk facing our Group, posing 
a threat to the sustainability of our business operations and the 
communities and countries in which we operate.

As a signatory to both the Net Zero Asset Manager Initiative and the 
Net Zero Asset Owners Alliance, Old Mutual plays a leading advocacy 
role in the Just Transition. We made significant progress towards 
achieving our Net Zero Asset Owners Alliance 2025 intermediate 
targets. We also transitioned funds to track the MSCI World Climate 
Paris Aligned Index and the Old Mutual Investment Group launched 
the Old Mutual Global ESG Active Fund, which targets listed global 
companies with high governance ratings and low carbon emissions.

Climate change brings opportunities for Africa. We have untapped 
renewable energy potential, a young workforce and significant 
natural resources, all of which can drive green industrialisation and 
economic growth. Old Mutual has invested more than R167 billion 
in the green economy over the last year and this will remain a focus 
going forward.

Stronger through transformation
We retained our broad-based black economic empowerment level 1 
status and made strong progress in gender diversity, meeting our 
target for female representation on the Board. We set ambitious 
targets for women in leadership positions, supported by multiple 
targeted development opportunities.

Our employees continued to navigate the dynamic macro-
environment adeptly, including embracing the new ways of working. 
The Board ensured employees received holistic support, while the 
business, with our backing, invested in attracting and retaining 
critical skills and nurturing a high-performance culture.

One of our 2023 transformation highlights was increasing the 
minimum salary of our employees in South Africa to R180 000 per 
year. This makes me very proud, especially because we are among 
the first companies in the financial services sector to take a decisive 
step towards narrowing the wage gap and one of the first to provide 
voluntary disclosure in our Remuneration Report. 

2023 also had the first dividends flow to the participants in Old 
Mutual’s Bula Tsela B-BBEE deal. Bula Tsela was launched in 2022 
to help broaden Old Mutual’s shareholding by providing shares 
to  black South Africans. 

17

Integrated Report 2023 Message from the Chairman continued

Governance
Good corporate governance is fundamental to the Group’s success, sustainability and legitimacy. 
The Board spent significant time ensuring that the organisation-wide corporate governance 
principles, frameworks and risk management practices function as designed, recognising this 
as one of our key stewardship responsibilities. 

We maintained our focus on succession planning during the year. In particular, we are committed 
to replacing the six directors set to rotate off the Old Mutual Board by 2026. The Board also 
maintains keen oversight of executive management succession planning, ensuring that we have 
a pipeline of talent and a strategy refresh the team. The appointment of Busisiwe Silwanyana and 
Jurie Strydom to the Board last year reflects our succession planning efforts. We wish them 
a stimulating and productive tenure.

We are pleased that a significant majority of our shareholders are satisfied with the Board’s work 
over the past year. All ordinary and special resolutions were passed at our Annual General Meeting 
held in May 2023 and the 2022 Remuneration Policy and implementation report received more 
than 84% and 95% support, respectively.

In closing
Looking ahead, I believe we will continue building on the momentum gained in 2023 by further 
expanding and enhancing our integrated financial services offering. However, we expect the 
operating environment to remain uncertain and volatile. 

I would like to thank the respected members of the Board for their unflagging dedication 
to the Company and all its stakeholders. 

I would also like to thank our CEO, Iain Williamson, and the executive team for their astute 
leadership and steady direction. Together with their talented teams, they make it possible for 
the business to consistently deliver excellence to all our stakeholders. Last, but not least, I want 
to express my appreciation to all our loyal Mutualites for the positive impact they make in the 
lives of our customers and communities.

Ngiyabonga! Kea leboga! Baie dankie! Thank you! Asante!

Trevor Manuel
Chairman of the Board

18

Integrated Report 2023 Our Board
Independent Non-executive Directors

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Trevor Manuel 
(67)1 
Chairman 

Prof Brian 
Armstrong (62)1 

Albert Essien 
(68)1 

Olufunke  
Ighodaro (60)1  

NDip, EMP
Appointed: 2016 
Tenure2: 8 years 

BSc (Eng), MSc (Eng), PhD    
Appointed: 2020 
Tenure2: 3 years 

BA (Hons), EDP
Appointed: 2015 
Tenure2: 8 years

Expertise brought to the Board:
Finance and audit, information technology, leadership, listed 
corporates, responsible business, risk management, strategy
Committee membership: Corporate Governance and 
Nominations, Responsible Business
Other listed directorships: 0

Expertise brought to the Board:
Digital ethics, digital transformation, information technology, 
listed corporates, remuneration and performance 
management, responsible business, risk management, sales 
and distribution, strategy
Committee membership: Related Party Transactions, 
Responsible Business, Technology and Platforms
Other listed directorships: 0

Expertise brought to the Board:
Finance and audit, listed corporates, remuneration and 
performance management, responsible business, risk 
management, strategy
Committee membership: Responsible Business, Risk  
Other listed directorships: 0

BSc (Hons), FCA (ICAEW), CA(SA)  
Appointed: 2020 
Tenure2: 3 years

Expertise brought to the Board: 
Finance and audit, information technology, listed corporates, 
remuneration and performance management, risk 
management, strategy
Committee membership: Actuarial, Audit, Corporate 
Governance and Nominations, Risk 
Other listed directorships: 3

Itumeleng 
Kgaboesele (52)1 

Jaco Langner 
(50)1 

John Lister (65)1 

Dr Sizeka 
Magwentshu-
Rensburg (64)1 
Lead Independent 
Director

BCom, PDip (Acc), Dip (FMI), CA(SA)
Appointed: 2016 
Tenure2: 7 years 

Expertise brought to the Board:
Finance and audit, remuneration and performance 
management, risk management, strategy
Committee membership: Actuarial, Audit, Corporate 
Governance and Nominations, Remuneration
Other listed directorships: 0

BCom, FASSA, FFA
Appointed: 2021 
Tenure2: 2 years 

BSc (Stats), FIA
Appointed: 2017 
Tenure2: 6 years 

BA, MBA, DPhil
Appointed: 2017 
Tenure2: 6 years 

Expertise brought to the Board: 
Actuarial, finance and audit, information technology, listed 
corporates, remuneration and performance management, risk 
management, sales and distribution, strategy 
Committee membership: Actuarial, Audit, Remuneration
Other listed directorships: 0

Expertise brought to the Board: 
Actuarial, finance and audit, information technology, listed 
corporates, responsible business, risk management, strategy
Committee membership: Actuarial, Audit, Corporate 
Governance and Nominations, Risk 
Other listed directorships: 0

Expertise brought to the Board: 
Finance and audit, information technology, responsible business, 
risk management, strategy
Committee membership: Corporate Governance and 
Nominations, Remuneration, Responsible Business
Other listed directorships: 0

1  Age as at 31 December 2023 
2  Tenure considers the length of time served on either of the previous Old Mutual Emerging Markets or Old Mutual plc Boards or the Old Mutual Limited Board post listing in 2018, as at 31 December 2023

South Africa

Ghana

Nigeria

United Kingdom

19

Integrated Report 2023  
 
 
 
 
 
Our Board continued
Independent Non-executive Directors continued

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James Mwangi (46)1 

Nomkhita 
Nqweni (49)1 

Busisiwe 
Silwanyana (50)1

Jurie Strydom 
(48)1

BA (Econ) 
Appointed: 2017 
Tenure2: 6 years 

Expertise brought to the Board:
Information technology, remuneration and performance 
management, responsible business, strategy
Committee membership: Corporate Governance and 
Nominations, Related Party Transactions, Responsible 
Business, Technology and Platforms 
Other listed directorships: 0

BSc, PDip (Inv Mgt), LDP, AMP
Appointed: 2021 
Tenure2: 2 years

Expertise brought to the Board:
Finance and audit, listed corporates, remuneration and 
performance management, responsible business, strategy
Committee membership: Actuarial, Audit, Responsible 
Business
Other listed directorships: 1

BCom (Fin Acc), BCom (Hons), PGDA, MBA
Appointed: 2023
Tenure2, 3: 0 years 

Expertise brought to the Board:
Finance and audit, listed corporates, risk management, 
strategy
Committee membership: Actuarial, Audit, Risk
Other listed directorships: 2

BBusSc (Hons) (Act), FIA, CFA, MBA
Appointed: 2023
Tenure2, 3: 0 years 

Expertise brought to the Board:
Actuarial, finance and audit, listed corporates, remuneration 
and performance management, risk management, sales and 
distribution, strategy
Committee membership: Actuarial, Audit, Risk
Other listed directorships: 0

Non-executive Director

Executive Directors

Stewart van 
Graan (68)1 

Thoko Mokgosi-
Mwantembe (62)1 

Casper  
Troskie (60)1  
Chief Financial 
Officer 

Iain Williamson 
(53)1  
Chief Executive 
Officer 

BCom (Hons), PMD  
Appointed: 2017 
Tenure2: 6 years

BSc, MSc, SEP, MRP 
Appointed: 2017 
Tenure2: 6 years 

Expertise brought to the Board:
Information technology, listed corporates, responsible 
business, sales and distribution, strategy
Committee membership: Corporate Governance and 
Nominations, Related Party Transactions, Risk, Technology 
and Platforms
Other listed directorships: 2

Expertise brought to the Board:
Information technology, listed corporates, remuneration and 
performance management, responsible business, sales and 
distribution, strategy
Committee membership: Remuneration, Technology and 
Platforms
Other listed directorships: 2

BCom (Hons), PGDA, CA(SA)
Appointed: 2018 
Tenure2: 5 years 

Expertise brought to the Board:
Actuarial, finance and audit, listed corporates, remuneration 
and performance management, risk management, strategy
Other listed directorships: 0

BBusSci (ActuariSci), GMP, FASSA
Appointed: 2019 
Tenure2: 4 years 

Expertise brought to the Board:
Actuarial, finance and audit, information technology, listed 
corporates, remuneration and performance management, risk 
management, strategy
Committee membership: Responsible Business, Technology 
and Platforms
Other listed directorships: 0

1  Age as at 31 December 2023
2  Tenure considers the length of time served on either of the previous Old Mutual Emerging Markets or Old Mutual plc Boards or the Old 

Mutual Limited Board post listing in 2018, as at 31 December 2023

3  Appointed to the Board on 4 December 2023

Independent Non-executive Directors  

13 (81%)  
  1 (6%)   Non-executive Director  
  2 (13%)   Executive Directors

South Africa

Kenya

20

Integrated Report 2023  
 
 
 
 
 
Board responsibilities
How does the Board committees support the Board in 
discharging its responsibilities?

The seven committees of the Board assist in discharging its duties and responsibilities. 
These committees are also responsible for overseeing the defined governance 
domains of the Group Governance Framework. There are formal reporting structures 
and processes for the Executive committee to manage the Group as per delegated 
authority and to provide the Board and its committees with the requisite information 
to support their oversight duties, as shown in the infographic alongside. 

The Board annually reviews the mandate and terms of reference of each committee 
to ensure effective oversight of and control over the Group’s operations.

The Board considers and reviews committee composition and the allocation of roles 
quarterly. This ensures all committees have the necessary knowledge, skills, experience 
and capacity requirements, effective collaboration, efficient use of Board resources and 
a balanced distribution of power. 

The Board committees are chaired by independent Non-
executive Directors and are constituted of a minimum 
of three members with the necessary combination 
of knowledge, skills, experience and capacity. The 
committees report to the Board through their 
Chairpersons.
In certain instances, Board committees have overlapping responsibilities. Different 
committees may consider the same Board material and apply different perspectives 
as mandated.

Committee Chairpersons are responsible for ensuring that matters relevant for 
consideration by another committee are reported to that committee.

Overlapping committee memberships assist in this regard, as do the formal 
committee reports to the Board, where matters of importance for Board members and 
other Board committees are highlighted.

Executive committee
The Board appoints  the Chief Executive Officer and has established a framework for 
the delegation of authority to the Chief Executive Officer. This promotes independent 
judgement and assists with balance of power and the effective discharge of the 
Board’s duties. 

Refer to the Corporate Governance Report for our leadership roles

The Chief Executive Officer has established an organisational structure, including the 
Executive committee, for the Group. This enables the execution of its strategic 
mandate.

The Executive committee meets weekly in between scheduled meetings, or when 
required. 

The Executive committee makes the requisite decisions regarding operational matters 
and provides oversight over the responsibilities falling within the mandate of the Chief 
Executive Officer. Executive committee sub-committees also interrogate and review 
papers before formal submission to the relevant Board sub-committees.

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OLD MUTUAL LIMITED EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Old Mutual Limited Board committees

Audit committee

Corporate Governance and 
Nominations committee

Related Party Transactions  
committee

Remuneration committee

Responsible Business  
committee

Risk committee

Technology and Platforms  
committee

Group Executive committees

Balance Sheet Management

Quarterly Business Review committee

Management Remuneration 
committee

Responsible Business  
committee

Risk committee

Technology and Platforms  
committee

Subsidiary committees

Subsidiary Boards/ 
subsidiary management

21

Integrated Report 2023  
 
 
 
 
 
Board responsibilities continued 
How does the Board govern the Group?
The Board is responsible for ensuring that the governance 
arrangements across the Group enable it to discharge its oversight and 
fiduciary duties effectively, balancing clear accountability and 
devolution of responsibility. 

To achieve this, the Board and Executive committee operate and 
oversee a Group Governance Framework, in line with international best 
practice, legislative requirements and King IV.

The Group governance framework determines how the Board executes 
its direction and oversight responsibilities and how the exercise 
of power within the Group should be approached and conducted.

It also sets a framework for the minimum governance requirements 
over various governance domains relevant to the Group.

The Group Governance Framework acknowledges that the Group has 
significant and geographically diverse operations, with equity listed 
on five stock exchanges and debt issued on the JSE. It is therefore 
structured into a proportional model with five categories.

Operating and complying with the Group Governance Framework 
provides the Board with assurance that the Group is operating as it 
directs, appropriately managing risk, complying with applicable 
legislation and regulatory requirements and applying the principles 
of effective governance as expressed in King IV. This underpins the 
achievement of clear governance outcomes and sustainable value 
creation across the Group.

The Group Governance Framework Steering committee reviews the 
Group Governance Framework annually to ensure it remains relevant 
and functions as designed and submits its proposed changes to the 
Corporate Governance and Nominations committee for approval. 
Boards of selected subsidiaries attest to the application of the Group 
Governance Framework annually.

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How are subsidiaries governed?
The Group Governance Framework sets the minimum Group 
governance requirements for subsidiaries, allowing for country-
specific legislation and applicable country corporate governance 
codes as an overlay.

The Group Governance Framework in no way absolves or places 
a restraint on subsidiary Boards’ ability to execute their fiduciary 
duties. It outlines the requirements of the Old Mutual Limited Board 
in discharging its duties across the Group.

The Board has constructed lines of accountability as per the Group 
Governance Framework and various policies, risk appetite limits and 
financial management frameworks are approved at Board level. 
Management is expected to manage within those limits and report 
any breaches and exceptions to the Board.

GROUP GOVERNANCE FRAMEWORK

Each category of Company level within levels 1 to 5 has specific governance requirements, 
duties and powers, as defined by the Group Governance Framework.  
These are outlined in governance domains.

1

2

3

4

5

PRIMARY LISTED ENTITY

HOLDING COMPANY  
WITH OWN OPERATIONS

NON-OPERATING
HOLDING COMPANIES

OPERATING ENTITIES

OTHER

GOVERNANCE DOMAINS

Actuarial

Assurance

Board specific

Capital and liquidity 

Compliance

Information technology

Responsible business

Risk

Strategy and performance

Talent and reward

Key Group Governance Framework principles

Proportional
and fit for purpose

Devolution of 
responsibility

Avoid 
duplication

Ensure comprehensive
regulatory compliance

22

Integrated Report 2023  
 
 
 
 
 
Board composition, tenure and skills
What is the composition and tenure of the Board?
The Board consists of 16 members with the necessary qualifications, 
collective skills and expertise required to guide and steer our large and 
complex Group.
The maximum tenure in the Group is three terms of three years and the retirement age for directors is set 
at 70 years. These requirements are subject to the discretion of the Corporate Governance and Nominations 
committee. 

The committee evaluates the Board’s composition quarterly to ensure an appropriate balance of knowledge, 
skills, experience, diversity and independence.  It also considers  its succession plan and rotation schedule.  
The committee considers, in advance of the Annual General Meeting, the directors required to rotate, 
in accordance with the rotation schedule. 

We also ensure, through quarterly declarations of their external board memberships by our Board members, 
that they are not overcommitted in terms of their representation on other listed boards. We limit the number 
of listed and large unlisted directorships of our directors to five (including Old Mutual Limited). In our Board 
appointment protocols, we caution against the over-extension of our directors and provide guidance 
on matters to consider before accepting other directorships outside of the Group. 

In terms of the JSE Listings Requirements, the Board must set transformation targets, which are in the Board 
Appointment and Diversity Policy. Our performance against these targets and other key data points are 
below:

How is directors’ independence assessed?
The Group assesses directors’ independence  annually from the perspective of a reasonable and 
informed third party. The assessment is based on, among other things, prevailing circumstances, 
the definition of independence in terms of the Companies Act, King IV guidance on assessing  
independence (substance over form), conflicts of interest (whether perceived or actual) and other 
relevant considerations. The 2023 independence assessment did not result in changes to any directors’ 
designations.

What changes were made to the Board and committee 
composition during the year?

Board member

Appointment 
date to the Board Nature of change

Impact on committee 
membership

Busisiwe Silwanyana

4 December 2023

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Demographic diversity (%)

Gender diversity (%)

Jurie Strydom

4 December 2023

2023

2023

● White South African 
● Black South African 
● Non-South African 

2023 
31% 
44% 
25% 

2022
29%
42%
29%

● Male 
● Female 

2023 
69% 
31% 

2022
71%
29%

Target 
50%

NOT 
ACHIEVED

The achievement of 
these targets will inform 
future Board 
appointments. 

Target 
30%

ACHIEVED

Appointed 
as independent 
Non-executive 
Director of Old Mutual 
Limited

Appointed 
as independent 
Non-executive 
Director of Old Mutual 
Limited

Appointed as a member 
of the Actuarial committee 
on 11 December 2023

Appointed as a member 
of the Audit committee 
on 11 December 2023

Appointed as a member 
of the Risk committee 
on 11 December 2023

Appointed as a member 
of the Actuarial committee 
on 11 December 2023

Appointed as a member 
of the Audit committee 
on 11 December 2023

Appointed as a member 
of the Risk committee 
on 11 December 2023

98%

scheduled Board 
meeting attendance

Average age

58

years

23

Integrated Report 2023  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Board composition, tenure and skills continued
What knowledge, skills and experience does the Board have?
The Board has identified, and continues to consider, the individual skills required to provide effective 
oversight over a large financial services conglomerate using a skills matrix. The Corporate Governance and 
Nominations committee reviews the skills matrix of the Board and its committees quarterly, identifying 
skills gaps, which guide decisions on future Board appointments and inform training requirements. The 
process also considers directors’ level of institutional knowledge.

Preference is given to executive and/or industry experience when filling skills gaps on the Board, as the 
Board believes that these skills enable effective functioning and facilitates robust oversight by Board 
members with the requisite practical experience.

Number of Board members with recognised executive industry expertise1 
in a particular field

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Strategy

Risk management

Finance and audit

Actuarial

5

Information technology

Remuneration and 
performance management

Sales and distribution

5

Responsible business

Listed corporates

12

12

10

11

9

16

Strong strategic and risk management expertise required to 
successfully govern and steer the Group to ensure shared value 
outcome

Key experience required for effective governance, oversight and 
tracking of performance of a financial services organisation

Important expertise given the significance of our life business and the 
material impact of actuarial shifts  on the results

Key expertise in the context of the rapidly evolving operating 
environment and fundamental technology shifts within the financial 
services industry

Remuneration and performance management expertise is required 
to steer the Group in retaining, attracting and developing the talent 
and skills required in our organisation

Key strategic driver for a financial services organisation

Essential range of expertise required to effectively govern and guide 
the Group in future proofing the business. This includes climate risk, 
corporate social investment and governance expertise

1  See expertise brought to the Board on pages 19 and 20 

12

Important expertise required to effectively govern the Group, which is 
listed on five stock exchanges

The Board is satisfied that the directors have the appropriate 
balance of knowledge, skills, experience, diversity and 
independence to govern the Group effectively, considering its 
nature, size and scale of operations, and the laws and customs 
governing its actions.

How often do directors rotate and retire from the Board?
In terms of our Memorandum of Incorporation, all directors are subject to retirement by rotation 
and re-election by our investors at least once every three years.

Newly appointed directors may hold office only until the next Annual General Meeting, at which 
point they retire and become available for re-election by our shareholders on the recommendation 
of the Board. At the Annual General Meeting held on 26 May 2023, all five of the directors who were 
up for re-election were elected, after making themselves available for re-election in line with our 
Board Charter.  

When identifying directors with the longest term in office since their last election, we consider their 
date of appointment as a Non-executive Director of Old Mutual Emerging Markets and/or Old 
Mutual plc, whichever is earlier, as these companies preceded the listing of Old Mutual Limited 
on the JSE.

The time served on either the Old Mutual Emerging Markets or Old Mutual plc Board is added 
to the time served on the Old Mutual Limited Board in considering rotation and tenure decisions.

How does the Board ensure that effective succession plans 
are in place for directors and executives?
The Corporate Governance and Nominations committee is responsible for succession planning for 
the Board and key executives. 

The Board has an agreed succession pipeline, which identifies immediate and planned successors 
for all directors on the Board, including the specific roles fulfilled by these directors, such 
as committee Chairpersons.

During 2022 the Board commenced engagements to expand its medium-term succession plans. 
Of particular focus was the succession plans for the eight directors who are scheduled to rotate off 
the Old Mutual Board between now and 2026.  The succession pipeline for the Executive committee 
was also considered, particularly for the Chief Financial Officer, who reaches retirement age in 2024.

24

Integrated Report 2023  
 
 
 
 
 
Message from the Chief Executive Officer

Iain Williamson
Chief Executive Officer

Our strong financial delivery, 
despite the increasingly challenging 
macroeconomic environment, 
demonstrates both the resilience of our 
business and sound strategic choices.
The operating environment continued to be challenging in 2023 for 
the Group and our stakeholders. Inflation eased during the year and 
the recession many had forecast at the start of the year did not 
materialise, customers remained under pressure due to high interest 
rates, petrol costs and unemployment as well as an ongoing 
confidence crisis which had a restrictive effect on economic growth. 
Despite this, we demonstrated resilience in the face of these economic 
conditions and created value for our stakeholders by focusing on our 
strategic initiatives during the year.

Reflecting on our financial performance
Our business remains well positioned for growth and continues to 
demonstrate its ability to provide customers with high quality solutions 
that sustain, grow and protect their prosperity. We have delivered 
profitable top line growth in a competitive environment while 
maintaining balance sheet strength and shareholder investment returns, 
including share buyback of R1.5 billion completed in October 2023.

Life APE sales recorded robust growth of 17% from the prior year. This 
was primarily due to strong savings sales in Old Mutual Corporate, 
resilient retail and corporate sales in East Africa as well as higher 
guaranteed annuities sales in Personal Finance. We also delivered 
good growth of 14% on gross flows and gross written premiums.

Our value of new business increased by 37%, with a corresponding 
increase of 10 bps in the value of new business margin. This was driven 
by increased risk sales and effective cost management in the Mass and 
Foundation Cluster and a higher proportion of profitable corporate 
sales in East and West Africa. The strong growth in guaranteed 
annuities sales and a shift in mix towards higher margin funds in 
Personal Finance contributed positively to the value of new business 
and value of new business margin.

1  African Development Bank Group: Macroeconomic Performance and Outlook (MEO), January 2024
2  McKinsey Report: Reimagining economic growth in Africa, June 2023
3  World Bank estimates

Results from operations increased by 14% from the prior year. This was 
primarily driven by higher expected returns on the contractual service 
margin across our life businesses as well as positive economic variances 
due to good market performance. Profits also benefited from positive 
risk experience in Old Mutual Corporate and higher risk sales volumes 
in Mass and Foundation Cluster.

Our dividend policy targets an ordinary dividend cover range of 1.5x 
to 2.0x adjusted headline earnings. The Old Mutual Limited Board 
declared a final dividend of 49 cents per share, with total dividends 
declared in 2023 amounting to 81 cents per share.

Sustainable value creation
Old Mutual is a leading financial services player and one of the largest 
asset managers in Africa. We remain mindful of our ability to positively 
impact the communities and economies in which we operate. The 
financial services sector plays a fundamental role in creating access, 
driving inclusion and empowerment and responsibly advocating for 
the millions of people who depend on us daily.

With our roots firmly in Africa for over 178 years, we believe in the 
immense potential of Africa and its people. Africa’s long term growth 
outlook is significant. Over the immediate horizon, latest research1 
shows that Africa is expected to account for 11 of the world’s 20 fastest 
growing economies in 2024. This is linked to factors such as the 
demographic dividend, as the continent is set to become home to 
the largest and youngest population by 20502. In addition, the full 
implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area can further 
uplift economic growth and potentially lift 30 million people out of 
extreme poverty3. We also see opportunities in driving sustainable 
growth and building resilience against climate risks by accelerating 
the development of clean energy solutions. In recent years, investor 
trust and confidence in Africa has eroded, and decisive action is 
needed to rebuild and reposition it as a leading emerging market 
destination. In South Africa, the ongoing energy crisis, logistical 
challenges across our ports and railways, and service delivery 
challenges remain key constraints to economic growth. While we have 
a collective responsibility – partnering across the private sector, public 
sector and civil society – our ability to successfully unlock Africa’s full 
potential requires policy certainty and stability. As a responsible 
business, we are actively engaging in industry organisations such as 
Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA). Through Business for South 
Africa (B4SA), a structure of BLSA, our membership enabled us to play 
a part in supporting government to implement key priority 
interventions in the areas of energy, transport and logistics, crime and 
corruption, together with government counterparts. This included 
supporting the National Energy Crisis Committee. The National Energy 
Crisis Committee Energy Action Plan has shown substantial progress 
in its first year, addressing objectives such as ending load shedding, 
regulatory reforms, approval process streamlining and encouraging 
private sector investment in energy.

At Old Mutual, creating positive futures is a core part of our identity. 
Sustainability is fundamentally integrated into our business activities. 
By responding to issues that are most relevant to our customers and 
operating context, we aim to positively contribute towards the 
economic environment and social outcomes while delivering business 

value. We do this through our focus on responsible investing, enabling 
climate action by supporting the Just Transition to a green economy 
and by driving financial wellness. As an asset owner, we seek to drive 
real-world outcomes through our various investment mandates.

Our responsible investment approach encompasses the integration 
of ESG factors into our investment decisions, active stewardship, 
supporting industry-wide responsible investment initiatives and 
through public disclosures of our responsible investment policies and 
practices. As an asset owner, we seek to drive real-world outcomes 
through our various investment mandates. We invested R30.7 billion in 
renewable energy, R167 billion in the green economy and R1.3 billion 
in the low-income and affordable housing sector. We support climate 
action through our commitment to the Net Zero Asset Managers 
Initiative. To achieve our Net Zero Asset Owner Alliance 2025 
intermediate targets, we aim to transition the global listed equity 
assets under management in our portfolios to net-zero aligned 
benchmarks by one-third each year until 2025. More recently, we 
signed the Nairobi Declaration on Sustainable Insurance, which further 
cements our commitment to progressing this agenda. The Nairobi 
Declaration on Sustainable Insurance commits member organisations 
to take action on some of humanity’s biggest challenges, including 
climate change, biodiversity loss, extreme hunger, human rights 
violations, poverty and social inequality.

We actively drive financial wellness through our focus on financial 
inclusion, financial education and financial empowerment. We enable 
formal financial inclusion through our distribution reach to ensure 
that our financial solutions are easily accessible, and by developing 
affordable and accessible financial solutions. We have a multi-channel 
distribution footprint, including a large intermediary force of 41 117 tied 
and independent intermediaries, allowing us to be closer to the 
communities we serve. We continue to refine and launch new solutions 
to meet our customers’ most pressing needs, such as Old Mutual 
Health Solutions in South Africa and our fintech solution O’mari in 
Zimbabwe. Our financial education initiatives seek to bridge the 
knowledge gap to improve financial literacy and reaches 20.2 million 
people across Africa.

We remain a leader in broad-based transformation and empowerment. 
This is reflected in our ongoing commitments to uplift not only our 
customers and broader communities, but also our employees. In South 
Africa, we retained our level 1 B-BBEE contributor status for the fourth 
consecutive year. We strive to be an employer of choice and in this 
regard have progressed our policies in support of fair and responsible 
pay. In 2023 we took a significant step towards reducing the wage gap 
for our South African employees by increasing the minimum annual 
salary to R180 000 per year effective 1 April 2023 and the policy was 
changed to ensure that South African based employees are appointed 
at this new minimum pay line. Through Bula Tsela, our broad-based 
share scheme, we delivered tangible value to retail shareholders by 
declaring the scheme’s first cash dividend. We also extended Bula Tsela 
to employees through an additional grant of shares as part of the 
Employee Share Scheme for new black, South African employees who 
joined the Company. These initiatives demonstrate our commitment to 
supporting meaningful financial empowerment across the South 
African landscape. 

25

Integrated Report 2023 Message from the Chief Executive Officer continued
Reflection on our strategy
Our strategy remains anchored in our victory condition of becoming 
our customers’ first choice to sustain, grow and protect their prosperity. 
We believe in putting our customers front and centre of everything we 
do. This creates a solid foundation for sustainable long term growth 
and is key to building the most valuable business in our industry. It is 
central to our integrated financial services business of the future, which 
sees us partnering with our customers on their journey towards 
financial wellness. Given the continued challenges and financial 
pressures facing our customers, the need for a trusted financial partner 
is more imperative now than ever before. Old Mutual was recognised 
as one of South Africa’s top 10 strongest brands (Brand Finance Top 100 
Brands Report, 2023), which confirms that our customer-led efforts are 
increasingly being recognised in the market.

enhancing the adviser experience continues to yield encouraging 
results. We implemented targeted intervention, such as point of 
contact resolution, which resulted in an uplift in the overall adviser 
experience. We noted a material reduction in service-related 
complaints compared to the prior year. Old Mutual was the only insurer 
to improve its Net Promoter Score in the independent adviser market, 
according to a market survey (2023 NMG Survey, Net Promoter Score 
across independent financial advisers).

From a distribution and digital engagement perspective, one of our 
top priorities is to improve the range of self-service offerings across our 
digital platforms. We expanded the functionality, making it easier for 
customers to purchase new products, access an adviser and manage 
their policies with us. Our direct and digital distribution channels, such 
as iWYZE and Pineapple, experienced solid growth as we sought to 
ensure accessibility through channels that are convenient to our 
customers. Active digital users across our Life and Savings businesses 
reached 1.4 million, up 17% from 2022.

I am very proud of our continued progress in building the integrated 
financial services business of the future. Our successful strategic and 
operational delivery over 2023 supports us on our journey to building 
these integrated capabilities, and further embeds our competitive 
advantages in our chosen markets.

Growing and protecting the core
Across our core Southern African businesses, we focus on growth 
through the holistic coverage of customer needs, driving distribution 
and digital engagement and delivering operational efficiencies. We 
are encouraged by the positive trajectory in lead indicators, such as 
increasingly positive market sentiment, customer and intermediary 
feedback. Our progress reflects our unwavering commitment to 
maintaining the trust and loyalty of the customers and advisers.

In the South African entry-level market, our ongoing shift to 
underwritten life sales, through Old Mutual Protect, supported good 
sales growth in our Mass and Foundation Cluster. As a result, we 
experienced a sustained market share recovery in this segment. We 
remain the market leader for risk and savings. This bears testament to 
the competitiveness of our risk value proposition and the strength of 
our distribution capabilities.

The enhancements to MyOldMutual are progressing well. We launched 
a pilot of the latest version of our goals capability to a cohort of 
customer and advisers and continue to refine and iterate this based on 
user feedback.

We delivered multiple enhancements to our Old Mutual Rewards 
programme and continue to see growth in membership numbers and 
customer engagement. We rolled out the programme to Old Mutual 
Namibia, further extending the availability of our integrated ecosystem 
across Southern Africa. Membership reached 2.2 million, up from 
1.8 million at December 2022, exceeding our internal targets. Our 
efforts are being recognised as Old Mutual Rewards was a finalist at the 
International Loyalty Awards and received three accolades at the South 
Africa Loyalty Awards.

Our Net Promoter Score improved to 70 (2022: 67), which validates 
that our actions resonate with our customers. Our relentless focus on 

We continue to reap the benefits of our ongoing journey to modernise 
and simplify our technology estate, with 2023 marking an important 
milestone in this journey. We concluded the migration of Greenlight, 
our legacy risk book in South Africa and Namibia, onto our new retail 
platform and decommissioning the old platforms is underway. 
Following the migration, our legacy Greenlight book and Old Mutual 
Protect proposition are on a single retail platform. This is a significant 
step in simplifying our South African life insurance operations while 
delivering operational efficiencies. We also embarked on further 
modernisation in our short term insurance operations, with Old Mutual 
Insure migrating its core platforms to the cloud, resulting in efficiencies 
and cost savings.

The next step in our journey is to follow a similar process for our savings 
solutions by launching our new Savings and Income proposition and 
migrating our legacy book onto the Old Mutual Protect platform. 
Ultimately, this brings us closer to realising our integrated financial 
services business of the future and continually delivering value to our 
customers and shareholders. Having all our customers on a single 
technology platform for both our risk and savings solutions allows us to 
deliver a unified customer and adviser experience. It also allows us to 
benefit from our scale, which translates to a more competitive and 
lower cost to serve into the future. 

Unlocking new growth engines
Our bank build in South Africa represents a critical component of 
delivering on our integrated financial services business of the future. An 
enhanced transactional banking capability allows us to partner with 
our customers, while generating new revenue streams for the Group. 
We remain on track and within budget with our bank build.

In East and West Africa, our ‘pivot to corporate’ strategy continues to 
deliver pleasing results. In West Africa, we celebrated our 10-year 
anniversary in Ghana. Over the past 10 years, our business has grown to 
become an important part of the financial services landscape. We have 
made demonstrable progress in delivering innovative solutions for our 
customers. We have a good market position in Ghana Group Life, 

which is a market that is expected to be a growth engine for premiums 
in West Africa. The Corporate Group Life Assurance segment has a 
market share of 15% and is placed second within the industry.

Outlook
We remain committed to deliver profitable top line growth and 
new business by delivering an integrated holistic suite of solutions 
to our customers that leverages our leading distribution and digital 
capabilities. We will drive effective cost management to enable growth 
and profitability for the Group as we build our integrated financial 
services business of the future. We will continue to deliver on strategic 
initiatives to achieve our victory condition of becoming our customers’ 
first choice to sustain, grow and protect their prosperity. In March 2024, 
Old Mutual was selected as the winner of the News24 Long-Term 
Insurer of the Year award which recognises high client satisfaction 
scores as well as an assessment of our strategy, societal contribution 
and transparency.

Our integrated financial services business of the future, which has our 
customers’ financial wellness at its core, and the planned launch of our 
bank are important building blocks to get even closer to our customers 
and be part of their everyday lives. Our section 16 submission for the 
bank build was completed and submitted early in 2024 and we are 
now awaiting approval from the Prudential Authority. As part of the 
section 16 submission, we were required to have the banking systems 
and processes independently verified in a working end-to-end 
scenario.

In January 2024, we announced the sale of our full stake in UAP 
Insurance Tanzania, our short term insurance business to a group 
of current minority shareholders, pending regulatory approval. 
This decision follows a strategic review that identified challenges in 
achieving the desired returns on capital for the Tanzanian business. 
We remain committed to East Africa and will continue to strengthen 
our investment in corporate and retail propositions to position the 
business as a leading integrated financial service provider. We will 
expand our corporate offering, distribution channels, and customer 
base in East and West Africa. 

I want to thank all my colleagues for their passion and commitment 
in putting our customers front and centre of everything we do, which 
has enabled us to deliver robust operational and financial performance 
in a difficult operating environment. I thank our customers for trusting 
us to help them navigate their financial affairs as we remain that 
certain friend in uncertain times. To all our stakeholders, we appreciate 
your continued support and engagement. Our focus remains on 
building the integrated financial services business of the future, 
anchored in our victory condition of becoming our customers’ first 
choice and in doing so responsibly building the most valuable business 
in our industry. 

Iain Williamson
Chief Executive Officer of Old Mutual Limited

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Our Executive committee

Iain Williamson 
(53)1
Chief Executive 
Officer 

Casper Troskie 
(60)1  
Chief Financial 
Officer 

Celiwe Ross (44)1 
Director: Group 
Strategy, Sustainability, 
People, Public Affairs 

Clarence 
Nethengwe 
(52)1 
Managing 
Director: Mass 
and Foundation 
Cluster

BBusSci (ActuariSci), GMP, FASSA
Service years1: 30 years
Appointed to Executive committee: August 2015 
Experience: Three decades of financial services experience 
spanning various roles at Old Mutual across employee 
benefits, personal finance, corporate development, 
distribution, technology and finance. Iain’s previous roles 
include Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and 
Chief Operating Officer of Old Mutual Emerging Markets.

BCom (Hons), PGDA, CA(SA)
Service years1: 5 years
Appointed to Executive committee: March 2018 
Experience: Extensive financial services experience serving 
as the former Chief Financial Officer of Standard Bank 
Group, Liberty Group and a partner at Deloitte.  Casper 
served on the boards of Liberty Holdings, Liberty Group 
and STANLIB.

BSc (MinEng), MBA 
Service years1: 6 years
Appointed to Executive committee: June 2018 
Experience: Financial services experience with roles 
at Standard Bank focusing on project and structured 
finance and origination.  Celiwe is the former leader 
of Egon Zehnder’s financial services practice advising 
clients on leadership needs and team effectiveness.

BProc, BA, LLM, MBA, AMP, EDP  
Service years1: 14 years
Appointed to Executive committee: June 2017 
Experience: Former General Manager of Sales and 
Distribution for Mass and Foundation Cluster.  Prior to joining 
the Group, Clarence practised as an attorney for over ten years 
and worked as a judicial officer for more than five years.

Clement 
Chinaka (53)1 
Managing 
Director: 
Old Mutual 
Africa Regions

Garth Napier (45)1 
Managing 
Director: 
Old Mutual Insure 

Kerrin Land 
(50)1 
Managing 
Director: 
Personal Finance 
and Wealth 
Management

Khaya Gobodo 
(45)1 
Managing 
Director: 
Old Mutual 
Investments

BSc (Computer Science and Statistics), AMP, 
FASSA, FFA
Service years1: 32 years
Appointed to Executive committee: January 2017 
Experience: Served in various roles at Old Mutual, 
including Chief Actuary and General Manager of Actuarial 
at Old Mutual Life Assurance Company (Zimbabwe) 
Limited, Head of Channel Finance, strategy executive 
at Retail Affluent and Head of Group Planning and 
Business Insights at Old Mutual Emerging Markets. 

1  Age and service years as at 31 December 2023.

BCom (Hons), MBA
Service years1: 5 years
Appointed to Executive committee: November 2018 
Experience: Former Managing Director of Pep Africa and 
independent Non-Executive Director of Afrocentric Group 
board, with extensive experience in management 
consulting and strategy. 

BSc (Stats and Econ), Advanced Leadership 
Certificate, FASSA  
Service years1: 28 years
Appointed to Executive committee: February 2020 
Experience: Served in various roles at Old Mutual, 
including Chief Executive Officer of Old Mutual Wealth and 
Business Development and Operations Director at Old 
Mutual Investment Group.  Kerrin is a member of several 
Old Mutual Group companies and industry boards.

BCom, MSC (Investment Management), CFA 
Service years1: 6 years
Appointed to Executive committee:  January 2019 
Experience:  Served in various roles at large, medium and 
boutique asset management firms.  Khaya is the former 
Strategic Head of the Quality Capability at Ninety One Asset 
Management and the founding partner and former Chief 
Investment Officer of Afena Capital.

South Africa
South Africa

Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe

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Our Executive committee continued 

Prabashini 
Moodley (44)1 
Managing Director: 
Old Mutual 
Corporate 

Richard 
Treagus (58)1 
Chief Risk 
Officer

Zureida Ebrahim 
(47)1 
Chief Operating 
Officer 

BBusSc (Actuarial Science), FASSA
Service years1: 21 years
Appointed to Executive committee: November 2019 
Experience: Served in various roles at Old Mutual across 
Personal Finance and Old Mutual Investment Group. 
Prabashini is the former Chief Financial Officer of Mass and 
Foundation Cluster.

BBusSc (Actuarial Science), FIA, FASSA  
Service years1: 35 years
Appointed to Executive committee: October 2015 
Experience: Served in various roles at Old Mutual, 
including Finance Actuary for the Individual Life division, 
Group Assurance Executive, General Manager of Product 
Development and General Manager of Savings Solutions.

1  Age and service years as at 31 December 2023.

BCom (Economics and Law), MAP
Service years1: 2 years
Appointed to Executive committee: November 2021 
Experience: Over 17 years’ experience in the insurance 
sector.  Zureida is the former Chief Executive Officer 
of Client Engagement Solutions at Momentum 
Metropolitan and a member of the Momentum 
Metropolitan Executive committee focusing 
on transactional banking and client digital experience.

Demographic diversity (%)

Gender diversity (%)

2023

2023

● White South African 
● Black South African 
● Non-South African 

2023 
36% 
55% 
9% 

2022
33%
58%
9%

● Male 
● Female 

2023 
64% 
36% 

2022
58%
42%

Combined tenure

184

Changes to the Executive committee composition during the year
Executive committee member:
Maserame Mouyeme 

Date:
31 July 2023

Retired as Executive committee member 

South Africa

28

Integrated Report 2023  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
OUR STAKEHOLDERS 
AND VALUE CREATION

In this section

Our stakeholders

Stakeholder management

Stakeholder value creation

Our value creation business model

30

31

33

36

29

Integrated Report 2023 Our stakeholders
At Old Mutual, we champion mutually positive futures for our stakeholders and our business. We act ethically and conduct 
our core business activities to create sustainable value for the Group while benefiting and prioritising our shareholders, 
customers and employees and addressing the needs of broader stakeholders and the environment.
The material relationships disclosed in this report have a significant influence or interest in the Group. They are founded on the Stakeholder Relations Framework, which prioritises stakeholders based on materiality and 
legitimacy. A stakeholder is material if they have the ability to influence the future of the organisation. We consider the potential of stakeholders’ actions, views or behaviour that could impact or influence Old Mutual’s 
strategy, performance and reputation. Stakeholders are legitimate when they have a direct relationship with Old Mutual’s dealings and interests.

Customers

Intermediaries

Employees

Our customers are the lifeblood of our business and we aim to be 
their first choice. Our customer base ranges from low-income to 
high-net-worth individuals, as well as SMMEs, large corporates 
and institutions.

12.5 million

(2022: 11.9 million)
Customers1

70

(2022: 67)
Net Promoter Score

R1.3 trillion

(2022: R1.2 trillion)
in funds under management

Our intermediaries are a crucial link between Old Mutual and our 
customers. Intermediaries establish relationships with new customers 
and provide appropriate advice based on their needs. The disclosures 
in this report consolidate intermediaries into two groups: tied advisers 
(operating under Old Mutual’s licence) and independent 
intermediaries or brokers (operating under their own licence).

Our physical distribution network includes:

Tied  
advisers

Independent 
financial advisers

Independent 
brokers

Franchise advisers

Corporate 
consultants

Sales  
agents

We have a skilled and diverse workforce. Our people are our greatest 
competitive advantage, and we continue to prioritise their welfare. 
We rely on our highly motivated and engaged employees to put our 
customers first with every interaction.

We have a 
workforce2 of

31 032

 (2022: 29 460) 
comprised of:

 » 27 265 (2022: 25 893) employees
 » 3 767 (2022: 3 567) contingent workers

Employee turnover

Senior management

22% (2022: 26%)

Women 42% (2022: 42%)

Black people3 55% (2022: 61%)

Investors

Communities

Regulators

We rely on our investors for financial capital to ensure our operations 
can compete in their chosen markets and drive sustainable growth.

59%

(2022: 61%) 
of our investors are South African.

international 
shareholding

Our communities include:

We recognise the interdependence between our business
and the communities we serve. To uplift our communities, 
we look beyond our operations to include socio-economic 
development in a way that is impactful and sustainable.

Who invests in us

6.6%

2.6%

0.8%
1.5%

5.7%

2023

Top five  
shareholders.

 » PIC 16.76%
 » BlackRock Advisors 

LLC 4.51%

 » The Vanguard 

Group Inc 3.62%
 » Allan Gray 3.44%
 » Sanlam 

Investments 2.92%

● Institutions 
● Brokers 
● Employees
● Corporates
● Individuals
● Other 

82.8%

Citizens of 
the countries 
in which we 
operate

Non-profit 
organisations

Partners and 
suppliers

Our business operates in a highly regulated environment, and our 
regulators play a key role in overseeing the financial soundness 
of our business, the strength of our governance processes and the 
treatment of our customers. We are regulated by 176 regulatory 
bodies and various laws in each country of operation.

Total number of regulators

15

9

13

21

2023

17

10

16

48

10

17

● Non-banking financial services
● Banking financial services
 ● Revenue services 
● Financial crime
● Competition
● Labour and transformation
● Company and Listing 
  Requirements
● Foreign exchange
● Data and privacy 
● Other
Total 

48
10
17 
16
10
17

21
13
9 
15
176 

Refer to our Sustainability Report to see details of ESG initiatives 
that create value for our stakeholders

1  Customer numbers for South Africa include policy count for Old Mutual Insure
2  We have refined our definition of employee and restated the 2022 numbers. Our workforce is defined as permanent and non-permanent Old Mutual employees and contingent workers which 

include consultants, contractors, service providers and vendors

3  The percentage relates to South African employees

30

Integrated Report 2023  
   
Stakeholder management
We create value for the organisation that delivers financial returns to our investors and positive outcomes for our stakeholders 
and society through our activities, interactions and relationships. Our stakeholders are the individuals or groups with 
a material interest in our decisions and activities. Our stakeholders provide useful insights about matters that are 
important to them, including economic, environmental and social issues that affect our ability to create value.

Our commitment
Three core commitments form the foundation of our stakeholder engagement mandate: 

 » Our first commitment is to create value for all our stakeholders. Knowing our stakeholders and understanding their needs is important to us, as this forms the basis of all our relationships. Wherever there is shared 

value, there is a lasting commitment to building and growing together. 

 » Our second commitment is to adhere to strong corporate governance in managing our relationships. Our Stakeholder Relations Policy ensures that the standards by which we operate across all our markets align 

with international best practices. The policy supports and promotes a stakeholder-inclusive model, consistent with Principle 16 of King IV and the AA1000 Stakeholder Engagement Standard. The policy is implemented 
through initiatives and engagements aimed at developing, delivering, monitoring and maintaining strong relationships between Old Mutual and material stakeholders.

 » Our third commitment is to follow a method of structured strategic engagement, allowing us to monitor and evaluate the quality of our relationships and their impact. Old Mutual has built strong relationships with 

key stakeholders across our markets of operation. During 2023, we proactively engaged these material stakeholders including governments, regulators, investors, communities and employees. We continued 
to strengthen these relationships by collaborating to address current socio-economic issues such as education, climate crisis, disaster and humanitarian relief support, as well as advance transformation. 

To fulfil these commitments we manage, govern and monitor our stakeholder engagements.

Manage

Govern

Our dedicated central stakeholder relations function 
is responsible for implementing the requirements and 
deliverables in the Stakeholder Relations Policy to ensure 
that we observe effective industry and international 
practices in managing the needs and interests of our 
stakeholders.

In the current year we:
 » Updated the Stakeholder Relations Policy
 » Developed and executed integrated engagement plans
 » Strengthened our stakeholder capability and 

management in Old Mutual Africa Regions through 
training on stakeholder relationship identification, 
mapping, engagements, reporting and measurement

 » Conducted the stakeholder relationship audit

The Responsible Business committee oversees effective stakeholder engagement on behalf of 
the Board and in line with policy, governance codes and best practice.

The Board, through the Responsible Business committee:
 » Reviewed the stakeholder relations audit findings on the strength of our material stakeholder 

relationships in South Africa and key markets in Old Mutual Africa Regions

 » Performed the annual review of our stakeholder engagements
 » Reviewed the engagement improvement plan aimed at addressing identified material issues 

and strengthening our Stakeholder Governance Framework

Our stakeholder relationships were further overseen by the following Board committees:
 » Customers: Responsible Business committee and OMLACSA committee for Customer Affairs
 » Intermediaries: Responsible Business committee and OMLACSA committee for Customer Affairs
 » Employees: Remuneration committee and Responsible Business committee 
 » Investors: The Board, Corporate Governance and Nominations committee and Audit committee
 » Communities: Responsible Business committee 
 » Regulators: The Board, Audit committee, Responsible Business committee and Risk committee

Monitor

The Board monitors the quality 
and effectiveness of our 
stakeholder relationships and 
engagements. Stakeholder risks 
are incorporated into the risk 
management process and are 
identified, assessed, mitigated, 
and reported on in the same 
way as other risks.

     Refer to the Corporate 
Governance Report for 
a summary of interactions and 
topics covered by Board 
stakeholder engagements

Our subsidiaries’ Boards adopt Old Mutual Limited’s Stakeholder Relations Policy and ensure that the applicable requirements are implemented and complied with. Subsidiary Boards must ensure local regulatory 
requirements are included in the policies adopted at a subsidiary level.

We are proud of our decision as a business to be a responsible social partner within our markets, actively participating in industry bodies and professional associations that seek to drive financial inclusion in Africa. We are 
purposeful in lending our voice to conversations that shape the future of our continent, using international platforms, such as Angaza Women to Watch in Banking and Finance, Africa Insurance Organisation and the World 
Economic Forum to support the global sustainability agenda.

We engage with our stakeholders regularly to understand, account for and respond to their needs and interests. We strive to build trust and a willingness to engage among our stakeholders to continuously improve the quality 
of our relationships.

31

Integrated Report 2023 Stakeholder management continued
Building social and relationship capital

We focused on improving and sustaining social and relationship capital through structured strategic 
engagements anchored in good corporate governance and shared value.

Assessing stakeholder sentiment is integral to our Stakeholder Governance Framework, which is aligned to the Group Stakeholder Relations Policy 
and other related policies. We are working towards refining the methodology by measuring the materiality and legitimacy of our stakeholders and 
using an index to measure the strength of our relationships. Our objective is to embed disciplines that require intent, consistency and effectiveness 
in the practice of stakeholder management across the Group. This will transition:
 » The relational imperatives of the business from value extraction to value exchange
 » The approach of the business to stakeholder management from reactive to proactive
 » The stakeholder engagements of the business from irregular responses to structured strategic engagements, to continuously drive enhanced performance

The effective management and monitoring of the organisation’s stakeholder relationships are therefore central in safeguarding our business 
performance, protecting our licence to operate and ensuring that our external relationships deliver value to the organisation, its stakeholders 
and the communities in which we operate.

OUR STAKEHOLDER RELATIONS ACTIVITIES ARE BASED ON THE FOLLOWING OVERARCHING PRINCIPLES:

Four  
principles

 » Inclusivity: This requires the business to understand the needs and priorities of its stakeholders 

in order to establish behaviours and activities that are mutually beneficial

 » Materiality: We recognise that stakeholders have the ability to materially influence the decisions 
made, actions taken and performance achieved by the Group, and this assists us in determining 
the relevance and significance of an issue to us and our stakeholders

 » Responsiveness: Organisational responsiveness is achieved by making prompt decisions, taking 
pre-emptive actions and the timely execution of actions, strategic interventions, and targeted 
communications with stakeholders

 » Impact: We are responsible for monitoring, measuring and accounting for how the actions of the 
organisation affect its broader ecosystems. Identified impacts are incorporated into stakeholder 
engagement activities and periodic materiality assessments inform governance, strategy, goal 
setting and operations, to enable more informed decision making and responsiveness

Initiatives identified to improve relationships: 
 » Partnering with governments, businesses and stakeholders to address climate change impacts, responding to communities’ immediate 

needs and providing humanitarian relief during times of distress

 » Collaborating with Brand South Africa and businesses at the 2023 and 2024 World Economic Forum meetings in Davos, where climate 

and energy were top of the agenda

 » Becoming the first corporate to partner with the African Continental Free Trade Area to launch the Africa Collective forum, which seeks 

to amplify the voice of and increase participation in the African agenda at the World Economic Forum

 » Delivering stakeholder and community engagements to support the Bula Tsela B-BBEE Scheme, which will transform the financial 

futures of beneficiaries, including our employees and communities

 » Engaging with governments in Old Mutual Africa Regions on value created through our operations and the ease of doing business, 
including through bilateral meetings with ambassadors and government representatives in the host countries and South Africa

 » Leading engagements, partnerships and thought leadership on the two-pot retirement system to create awareness and emphasise 

the importance of long-term preservation of funds to improve retirement outcomes

32

Integrated Report 2023 Stakeholder value creation
Our interactions with stakeholders can materially influence our strategic thinking, actions and business performance. 
Therefore, we must monitor and measure these relationships effectively and transparently. 
By understanding our stakeholders’ needs and priorities, we ensure our Group strategy facilitates behaviours that are mutually beneficial. To the extent possible, our stakeholders can provide input into decisions that 
could potentially impact them. By following this approach, our strategy safeguards our business performance, protects our licence to operate and ensures our stakeholder engagements continue to promote mutually 
beneficial outcomes.

  Customers

 Intermediaries

What our stakeholders care about
 » Meeting their financial goals
 » Investment performance and access to local 

and offshore markets

How we engaged
 » Traditional distribution channels 

(including branches and 
intermediaries)

 » Personalised engagement, insight and advice
 » Innovative, flexible, personalised and affordable 

 » Strategic partnerships and worksites
 » Digital apps and tools that enable 

products 

 » Competitive and transparent pricing
 » Omni-channel experience and ease of use
 » Fast and efficient customer service
 » Responsible and appropriate advice
 » Easy access to funding for SMMEs
 » Relief in times of significant financial difficulty

self-service

 » Customer communication
 » Media channels
 » Bespoke events and sponsorships
 » Annual and interim events and reports

Focus areas in 2023
 » Progress on delivering an integrated financial services 
experience for our customers, including launching 
health solutions in South Africa while building our 
banking offering

 » Providing value-for-money financial solutions 

to our customers in a responsible way

 » Developing our smart goals financial wellness 

platform

Value created
Relationship value for customers
 » Integrated financial services to sustain, 
grow and protect their prosperity and 
meet their financial goals

 » Peace of mind from partnering with 

a trusted and respected brand

 » Efficient delivery and timely payment 

of claims and benefits

 » Enhancing our digital channels to make it easier 

 » Easy access to advice and services 

to interact with us 

 » Using robotics to simplify our processes, giving time 

back to customers by reducing servicing and 
processing time

 » Improving our brand marketing and advertising
 » Providing easy access to funding to SMMEs through 

SMEgo

 » Financial education and Old Mutual Rewards

through a channel of customers’ choice

Relationship value for Old Mutual
 » Income generated from products and 

services that serve our customers’ 
needs

 » Ability to reach customers through 

new and existing distribution channels

 » Opportunities to cross-sell to our 

customers through our integrated 
financial services

What our stakeholders care about
 » Ease of doing business in assessing customers’ 
current financial context, setting financial goals, 
reflecting on their present state and required 
future state, preparing for unplanned events and 
funding goals through savings and investments

 » Digital capabilities that enable holistic advice, 
engagement, sales, servicing and practice 
management

 » Product and regulatory training
 » Fair incentives that reward efforts
 » Association with a brand that delivers 

on its promises

 » Being enabled to meet a broad range of their 

customers’ needs

 » Understanding adviser daily experiences 
in servicing customers and removing the 
impediments to execution and delivery

 » Transforming the adviser base in the market

Focus areas in 2023
 » Research to understand the daily experiences 

of intermediaries in servicing customers 

 » Simplifying tools and processes and 

expanding servicing capabilities, including 
providing dedicated support 

 » Providing ongoing training to improve the 

experience of our intermediaries through our 
sales academies

 » Continuing to provide market-related 

incentives and rewards to our intermediaries
 » Providing a comprehensive range of solutions 

through value-enhanced propositions

 » Using technology to automate administration, 
effective record keeping and communication 
to free up time for advisers to service customers

 » Launched initiatives to support succession 
in independent financial adviser practices

How we engaged
 » Market-leading training and development through 

sales and advice academies

 » Branches and worksites
 » Digital apps and tools and toolkits to enhance their 

efficiency and productivity

 » Conferences, roadshows and bespoke events (online 

and in person)

 » Annual and interim events and reports

Value created
Relationship value for intermediaries
 » Access to training and development
 » Market-related financial rewards, incentives and 

remuneration models

 » Enhanced customer relationships
 » Practice management has provided the required 

frameworks and tools for advisers to navigate internal and 
external environments, manage stakeholders, and predict 
and mitigate risk

Relationship value for Old Mutual
 » Significant competitive edge that serves a wide range 

of customers

 » Maintaining customer satisfaction levels 
 » Accessing new customers and better servicing of existing clients
 » Execute our integrated financial services ambition
 » Have face-to-face interactions with our customers
 » Build trust and relevance through meaningful 

engagements with our customers

 » Drive sales growth
 » Agent efficiency and productivity

33

Integrated Report 2023   
    
Stakeholder value creation continued

 Employees

 Investors 

What our stakeholders care about
 » Transparent reporting and disclosures
 » Long-term sustainable financial returns and distributions
 » Understanding the capital allocation decisions and the 

drivers for unlocking value and growth

 » Effective strategic execution, earnings consistency and 

How we engaged
 » Investor roadshows and annual update
 » Stock Exchange News Service 

announcements

 » Annual General Meetings
 » Local and international conferences 

sustainable operational performance

attendance

 » Experienced management team and stability
 » Strong financial control environment, including corporate 

 » Annual and interim events and reports
 » One-on-one meetings with significant 

governance and ethics frameworks

investors

Focus areas in 2023
 » Maintaining a well capitalised and efficient balance sheet
 » Strong delivery of our operational objectives and the Group 

Value created
Relationship value for investors
 » Sustainable returns on investment

strategy

 » Maintaining transparent reporting and disclosures in line 

with reporting standards, and internal policies and 
procedures

 » Improving returns on capital with a focus on segmental 
capital efficiency, return on net asset value optimisation 
and value of new business

Relationship value for Old Mutual
 » Access to financial capital which, 

in turn, supports long-term growth
 » Ability to fund operational objectives 
and contribute positively to other 
stakeholders

How we engaged
 » Pulse Culture Surveys
 » Workday, our digital human capital technology 

solution

 » Leadership sessions and employee forums
 » Employee resource groups that drive 

transformation, inclusivity and diversity

 » Internal communications, intranet, monthly 

organisation magazine and broadcasted channel
 » Management roadshows and town hall meetings
 » Annual and interim events and reports
 » Collective bargaining for organised labour 

and employee formations

 » Employee assistance programme, which 
provides counselling and advisory services

 » Wellbeing seminars, emotional impact sessions 
for teams under stress, segment wellness days 
and weekly articles through our intranet

 » Digital learning opportunities, talent 
programmes and employee bursaries

Value created
Relationship value for employees
 » Fair and responsible pay 
 » Financial and non-financial rewards 
 » Access to skills development and training 

opportunities

 » Being part of an organisation where they feel 

engaged, empowered and motivated

 » Flexible hybrid working model

Relationship value for Old Mutual
 » Skilled, experienced and high-performing 

individuals in the right jobs who contribute 
to our purpose, victory condition and values
 » Enhanced employee satisfaction and retention

What our stakeholders care about
 » Competitive reward structures and benefits
 » Career growth, succession planning and access 
to training and skills development opportunities
 » An inclusive, diverse and equitable culture that 

is safe and enabling

 » Addressing mental health and overall wellness
 » Flexibility in our operating model to promote 

work/life balance

 » Right to freedom of association
 » Transformation

Focus areas in 2023
 » Introduced a minimum salary aligned to our 

commitment to fair and responsible pay

 » Driving our culture transformation journey based 
on the insights of our Pulse Culture Survey and 
providing feedback and action plans

 » Upskilling and reskilling employees to develop 
various technical and role-specific skills and 
behaviour to enable a future-fit workforce

 » Leadership development programmes targeting 
junior, middle, senior and executive levels in the 
organisation

 » Progressive revision of our Parental Leave Policy 
making it more inclusive and gender-neutral

 » Refining our hybrid working model while 

remaining agile in our approach 
to accommodate various employee roles 
in the organisation

 » Executive wellbeing health risk assessments for 
senior leaders to address and support health 
or psychosocial risk factors identified
 » Talent management through strategic 

succession planning

 » Refreshed required learning approach 
to support our focus on ethics, risk and 
compliance and employment relations policies

34

Integrated Report 2023   
 
  
Stakeholder value creation continued

 Communities

What our stakeholders care about
 » Responsible business behaviour and outcomes
 » Financial education and inclusion
 » Skills development and employment opportunities
 » Access to supplier enterprise development 

opportunities

 » Community development
 » Education support
 » Access to funding programmes
 » Climate change activism
 » On-the-ground support during crises

How we engaged
 » Community projects and outreach campaigns 
 » Financial education workshops, lectures and 

media training 

 » Offering bursaries for tertiary education  
 » Supplier development initiatives 
 » Media channels 
 » Conferences and seminars 
 » Annual and interim reports  
 » Thought leadership podcast series 

on responsible lending 

 » Professional bodies and associations  
 » Direct partnerships  
 » Financial donation and giving time 
to social development initiatives   
 » Our employee volunteer initiatives

Focus areas in 2023
 » Providing literacy and numeracy programmes 

to scholars

 » Reaching people across Africa through our financial 

inclusion and financial education initiatives
 » Support in humanitarian disaster relief efforts, 

including community recovery and risk reduction 
initiatives 

 » Continued to invest in the training and 

development of our suppliers to help their 
businesses become sustainable

 » Our enterprise and supplier development 

programme supports SMME growth by developing 
business skills through collaborative training and 
mentorship 

 » Providing bursaries and workplace experience 
opportunities to students, learners, interns and 
trainees

 » Progressing the agenda on black asset managers 
by including smaller industry players in our value 
chain and member representations on trustee 
Boards and climate change

Value created
Relationship value for communities
 » Gradual improvement in literacy levels, rising 

awareness of importance of the role of parents 
in education and enhanced access to quality 
education

 » Awareness of preserving our environment  
 » Increased capacity to respond to disasters 

resulting in reduced loss of life and livelihoods 

 » Resilient communities 
 » Access to bespoke financial education, skills 

development initiatives and financial inclusion

 » Access to advice, products and services that 

support business development

 » Through our enterprise and supplier 

development fund, we create jobs, a market for 
small businesses and maximise targets for the 
enterprise and supplier development element 
on the Financial Sector Charter scorecard

Relationship value for Old Mutual
 » Opportunity to positively influence our broader 

ecosystem

  Regulators

What our stakeholders care about
 » Legislation that protects customers
 » Compliance with laws, regulations and standards 
in the industry we operate in, including regulatory 
reporting 

 » Contribution to the national fiscus through 

corporate taxes 

 » Provision of quality products and services to our 

customers 

 » Maintain the integrity of the market by preventing 
market manipulation, insider trading and other 
activities that could undermine the market’s 
fairness and efficiency 

 » Sustainability and resilience of industry participants 

they regulate, which strengthens the financial 
services sector 

 » Ensuring systemic and organisational resilience 
regarding climate change and its related risks

Focus areas in 2023
 » Implementing IFRS 17 across the Group
 » Maintaining strong solvency positions across the 
Group in line with our internal solvency targets 

 » Continued focus on maintaining robust risk 

management and control systems within the Group
 » Strengthening operational resilience and oversight 

of third party risk

 » Delivering on the enterprise supplier development 

fund as part of our strategy to support SMMEs 
 » Maintaining our commitment to transformation 

in South Africa; Old Mutual is proud to have 
maintained our level 1 B-BBEE status

 » Participated in the retirement reform developments 
in South Africa and made substantial progress with 
the implementation of the developments in our 
business 

 » Engaged with the Prudential Authority on our climate 

change strategy and milestones reached

 » Risk management through the identification 

of politically exposed persons and screening for 
financial crime offences

How we engaged
 » The Chairman, Board and Audit committee 
met with the Prudential Authority in South 
Africa on separate occasions during the year
 » The Boards of our subsidiaries also engaged 
with regulators in their regions regularly 

 » Participating in public forums
 » Actively partake in the processes shaping new 
regulations and bills in the jurisdictions where 
we operate 

 » Contributing to discussions with industry 

bodies and industry forums 

 » Delivering on our responsible business agenda 
 » Continued focus on strengthening the control 
environment and solidifying the quality of our 
customer service

Value created
Relationship value for investors
 » Direct and indirect tax contributions in the 

regions where we operate 

 » As a responsible industry participant, 

we contribute to a more predictable, efficient 
and confident regulatory environment that 
support the overall health and sustainability 
of the industries we operate in

Relationship value for Old Mutual
 » Ability to effectively manage regulatory risk 
 » Ability to strategically align our business 

to emerging regulatory requirements and 
maximise the value to other stakeholders

 » Maintaining our reputation of being 

a responsible and sustainable business 

  For information on the quantification of value created, preserved or eroded for our stakeholders, please refer to our business model on pages 36 to 37

  For information on the Board’s engagement with our stakeholders, refer the Corporate Governance Report

  For information on how we discharged our responsibilities to our stakeholders, refer to the Sustainability Report

35

Refer to the Corporate Governance report for details on how ethics are governed

Integrated Report 2023  
 
 
 
  
 
  
s
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I

Our value creation business model
Through our integrated business model, we actively manage the resources and relationships we rely on to create sustainable 
and responsible value for our stakeholders. 

FC

    Financial

HC

    Human

MC

    Manufactured

IC

    Intellectual

SC

Social and 
   relationship

NC

    Natural  

Our shareholder and debt funding 
underpins our strong capital base 
and supports our operations and fund 
growth. Financial capital includes the 
funds our customers invest with us.

Our culture and our people, tied 
advisers, our collective competencies, 
experience, motivation to innovate 
and investment in skills development 
increases our competitiveness and 
capabilities.

The physical and digital infrastructure 
through which we conduct business 
activities includes our branch network, 
digital platforms and information 
technology estate, which we are 
enhancing and simplifying.

We rely on our trusted brand and 
franchise value, strategic partnerships 
and innovative capabilities and 
expertise.

Our relationships with all our 
stakeholders are important to 
us, including deep ties with the 
communities we operate in.

Our business activities require us to 
use natural resources, with a resulting 
influence and impact. 

 » Audit committee
 » Related Party Transactions 

committee

 » Risk committee
 » Technology and Platforms 

committee

 » Related Party Transactions 

committee

 » Remuneration committee
 » Responsible Business committee
 » Technology and Platforms 

committee

 » Audit committee
 » Related Party Transactions 

committee

 » Responsible Business committee
 » Risk committee
 » Technology and Platforms 

committee

 » Audit committee
 » Corporate Governance and 
Nominations committee
 » Related Party Transactions 

committee

 » Technology and Platforms 

committee

 » Audit committee
 » Related Party Transactions 

committee

 » Responsible Business committee
 » Risk committee
 » Technology and Platforms 

committee

 » Responsible Business committee
 » Risk committee

 »   Equity of R58.6 billion  
(2022: R60.2 billion)

 »   Borrowed funds of R16.1 billion  

(2022: R16.7 billion)

 »   Funds under management 

of R1.3 trillion (2022: R1.2 trillion)

 »  31 032 (2022: 29 460) workforce
 »   41 117 (2022: 39 465) tied and 
independent intermediaries

 »  691 interns and trainees
 »   R241.6 million (2022: R176.4 million) 
invested in employee and leadership 
learning and development
 »   Average age of employees 37 

(2022: 37) 

 »   Additional grant of 5 million shares 

to the value of R60.1 million 
to black employees through Bula 
Tsela Employee Share Scheme

 »  796 (2022: 826) retail branches
 »  48 331 worksites (2022: 48 731)
 »  193 (2022: 189) branded ATMs
 »   AI and robotics capabilities 
using data-driven insights
 »   Fully functional and enhanced 

digital platforms
 »   Largely cloud based 

information technology 
estate in South Africa

 »  A 178-year track record 

of delivering financial solutions
 »  Strong strategic partnerships
 »   Scalable digital capabilities built 

in simplified and secure 
technology estate

 »   Innovative culture underpinned 
by the right employee skillset 
and mindset

 »  2.2 million (2022: 1.8 million) 

 »   12.5 million (2022: 11.9 million) 

Old Mutual Rewards members

customers 

 »   R106.2 billion (2022: R100.8 billion) 

claims and benefits paid

 »   66% (2022: 43%) of our supplier 

base constitutes SMMEs
 »   R66.7 million (2022: R102.8 

million ) in entrepreneurial funds 
disbursed by Masisizane Fund
 »   R18.5 million (2022: R15.3 million) 

spent on bursaries

 »   Contributed to  transformation 
and empowerment in South 
Africa

 » Increased unemployment, 

poverty and inequality in the 
regions where we operate
 » Load shedding is causing 
disruption to business 
operations due to degradation 
in telecommunication services 
and internet connectivity

 »   R30.7 billion (2022: R26.7 billion) 
of proprietary assets invested 
in renewable energy

 »   R2 billion (2022: R2.2 billion) 
of proprietary assets invested 
in water and sanitation
 »   22% (2022: 23%) reduction 
in emissions since 2019
 »   24% (2022: 22%) reduction 

in electricity usage since 2019
 »   Integration of material climate-
related risks and opportunities 
into investment decisions

 »   Six Green Star rating from Green 
Building Council of South Africa 
for Mutualpark

 » Increased electricity and water 

disruptions in South Africa
 » Longer-term implications 

of climate change pose risks 
to many of our capitals, 
particularly natural capital

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 » Surges in inflation in emerging 

and developing economies
 » Affordability concerns due 

to difficult operating 
environment

 » Balancing strategic investment 

with cost-cutting initiatives
 » Currency devaluation in our 

African markets and their ability 
to remit earnings

1  Unless specified, all input data is at year end

 » Attracting and retaining top 
talent with the right skills 
in a competitive environment

 » Hybrid working reduces 

in-person work and 
collaboration between 
employees

 » Slow digital adoption rates 

among advisers and customers
 » Increased digitalisation needs 
to be enabled by effective 
information security controls

 » Agility to rapidly respond 

to competition threats posed 
by digitisation and platform 
based ecosystems

Refer to the Corporate Governance Report for details of the various committee mandates

36

Integrated Report 2023  
 
We perform our core business 
activities

Gather capital by providing financial advice, 
savings and investment solutions

Invest this capital to achieve returns for our 
customers, in ways that are good for society 

Through our 

Segments

Supported by our

Enabling functions

Protect our customers by taking on and pooling risk 
that they are unable to carry individually

To deliver holistic solutions and 
financial advice

catering to our 
customers’ 
lifetime financial 
needs and 
delivering on our 
victory condition

Governance and sustainability

We govern our activities in a way that ensures we deliver on our strategy. At the same time, we focus on scaling our positive impact on the communities in which we operate and the wider environment.

Stakeholder outcomes1

Customers 

Intermediaries 

Employees 

Investors 

Communities 

Regulators 

 » R120 million worth of Old Mutual 

Rewards points redeemed 
in 2023

 » 1.4 million (2022: 1.2 million) 

active digital users 

 » 47 851 (2022: 53 000) claims 

initiated via WhatsApp, USSD 
and websites

 » 70 (2022: 67) customer Net 

Promoter Score

 » Enabled the generation of 
2 716 invoices to the value 
of R1.8 billion (2022: R94.7 million) 
on SMEgo platform

 » Facilitated the disbursement 

of R6.2 million (2022: R9.6 million) 
in funding to SMMEs

 » R8.1 billion (2022: R7.4 billion) 
paid in fees and commission

 » R119.7 million (2022: 
R100.3 million) spent 
on intermediary training 

 » R14.3 billion (2022: R12.4 billion) 

paid in salaries and benefits
 » In South Africa, 55% (2022: 61%) 
of senior management is black
 » 4.86 (2022: 4.84) employee Net 

Promoter Score

 » 22% (2022: 26.1%) employee 

turnover

 » Full-year dividend of 81c 
(2022: 76c) per share 

 » First Bula Tsela dividend of 49c 

per share

 » 14% increase to R8.3 billion 
(2022: R7.3 billion) for results 
from operations

 » Improved financial performance, 
with return on net asset value 
up by 170 bps to 11.1% (2022: 
9.4%)

 » R1.2 billion (2022: R780 million) 

in interest paid

 » R1.5 billion in share buyback 

transactions

 » R166.8 billion (2022: R146.2 billion) 
invested in the green economy
 » R1.3 billion (2022: R1.4 billion) 
of proprietary assets invested 
in low-income housing

 » R18.5 million (2022: R15.3 million) 

in bursaries

 » 10 035 (2022: 5 270) SMMEs 

reached

 » 20.2 million2 (2022: 36.6 million) 
people reached for financial 
education

 » 9 million (2022: 6 million) 

financial wellness activities 
completed on Old Mutual 
Rewards

 » R15.6 billion (2022: R14.7 billion) 

paid in taxes 

 » Group solvency ratio decreased 
by 1 000 bps to 178% (2022: 188%)
 » Maintained our level 1 B-BBEE 

status

 » Participated and contributed 
to industry engagements and 
thought leadership, including 
ESG and shared value 
engagements

FC

SC

MC

IC

FC

HC

SC

FC

HC

FC

NC

FC

SC

SC

FC

NC

1  Unless specified, all outcome data is at year end
2  This metric comprises of financial education social media reach as well as face-to-face financial education. In the last year, the social media platforms X and Facebook have changed their data extraction methodologies to no longer include organic reach figures. This has resulted in the decrease in number from 2022

37

Integrated Report 2023  
OPERATING 
CONTEXT

In this section

Material matters overview

Macroeconomic environment

Industry trends

Regulatory changes

39

40

41

44

38

Integrated Report 2023 Material matters overview
Our material matters are intrinsically linked to our operating context. Our operating context creates risks and opportunities 
to which we respond through our strategic objectives.  
In our report, our material matters are mapped to our operating context, our top risks and opportunities, stakeholders and strategic objectives. An emphasis on material matters improves internal and external decision 
making and enables efficient and productive capital allocation by limiting extraneous information and focusing disclosure on the core issues managed by our organisation. The material matters identified have an impact 
on our stakeholders, introduce risks and opportunities, inform our strategy and business model and drive value creation, erosion or preservation.

Macroeconomic 
and socio-political 
environment

Changing customer 
expectations  
and needs

Technological 
disruption

Talent 
management

Climate change 

Regulatory 
requirements

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Macroeconomic factors that 
impact economic growth 
and potential political and 
social instability in the 
countries in which 
we operate. 

Evolving customer needs have 
created a shift in spending priorities, 
increasing comfort with digital 
interaction, with an emphasis 
on wellbeing and financial inclusion.

Rapid technological 
advancements, digital distribution 
platforms, non-traditional market 
entrants and risk management 
technology impacts opportunities 
and market size.

Demand for skills and the 
increased mobility within 
the labour market, post 
pandemic work preferences 
and skills retention 
challenges.

Long-term shifts in global 
or regional climate patterns 
creates uncertainty in  
underwriting natural event 
risks and is a threat to the 
communities and countries 
in which we operate. Transitioning 
to low carbon economy may 
impact the value of assets or the 
cost of doing business.

The increasing intensity 
of regulation and the pace 
of regulatory change increases 
the cost, complexity and the 
burden of compliance for our 
organisation.

Customers

Investors

Intermediaries

Customers

Intermediaries

Customers

Investors

Intermediaries

Employees

Employees

Communities

Investors

Customers

Regulators

Customers

Regulators

Investors

 » Growth risk
 » Sovereign risk
 » Organisational resilience 

risk

 » Credit risk
 » Non-life insurance risk

 » Growth risk
 » Technology, information security 

and data risk

 » Organisational resilience risk 
 » Credit risk
 » Non-life insurance risk

 » Growth risk
 » Strategic execution risk
 » Technology, information security 

 » Growth risk
 » Strategic execution risk
 » People risk

and data risk

 » Climate risk
 » Life insurance risk
 » Organisational resilience risk
 » Non-life insurance risk

 » Growth risk
 » Strategic execution risk
 » Organisational resilience risk

Holistic coverage 
of customer needs
Distribution and digital 
engagement
Operational efficiencies
Strategic growth 
business
Strategic growth 
markets

Holistic coverage of customer 
needs
Distribution and digital 
engagement
Operational efficiencies
Strategic growth  
business
Strategic growth  
markets

Holistic coverage of customer 
needs
Distribution and digital 
engagement
Operational efficiencies
Strategic growth  
business
Strategic growth  
markets

Agile delivery through 
engaged employees

Holistic coverage 
of customer needs
Strategic growth  
business
Strategic growth  
markets

Holistic coverage 
of customer needs
Operational efficiencies

FC

Financial

HC Human

MC Manufactured

SC

Social and 
relationship

FC

Financial

MC Manufactured

IC

SC

Intellectual

Social and 
relationship

FC

Financial

HC Human

MC Manufactured

IC

Intellectual

HC Human

MC Manufactured

SC

Social and 
relationship

FC

SC

Financial

Social and 
relationship

NC Natural

FC

IC

Financial

Intellectual

39

Integrated Report 2023  
 
 
 
 
 
Macroeconomic and socio-political environment

To ensure the Group’s long-term sustainability and maintain Old Mutual’s relevance in our operating markets, we monitor 
our external environment and consider this context during our annual strategy development processes to remain agile 
while executing our long-term strategy. 

Global
The recession forecast at the start of 2023 did not materialise as central 
banks consider rate decreases in 2024 since inflation has largely 
subsided after multi-decade highs. The US was economically resilient 
during 2023, with growth ending at a stronger-than-expected 2.5%. 
Recent data suggest US economic growth will moderate in 2024 from 
current levels and reduce inflationary pressures and interest rates.

Growth in emerging economies like China will likely help prevent 
a global recession. China’s economy-wide deflation will require 
further incremental fiscal and monetary policy changes to help 
relieve troubled sectors. The resultant high-risk trading environment 
(risk-on trade) will likely benefit South Africa.

Since October, news headlines have been dominated by developments 
in the Middle East. The conflict, which has deep and complex roots, 
will potentially impact the global economy – most notably, the world’s 
energy markets.

South Africa
South Africa experienced weak economic growth during the first half 
of 2023, albeit better than expected, driven by the private sector’s 
resilience, effective use of machinery and technology, and additional 
private electricity becoming available. While the negative growth rate 
in Q3 prompted fears of a recession, growth was weak.

High inflation and interest rates and an ongoing confidence crisis 
continue impacting consumers. This was alleviated by recovering 
employment rates after the pandemic and the July 2021 unrest. 
2.2 million jobs were created in 2022 and 2023. 

Inflation eased from 7.8% in July 2022 to 4.7% by July 2023, then 
increased to 5.1% by year end due to Avian flu impacting chicken 
and egg prices, floods impacting vegetable prices and increased 
petrol prices from August to October 2023. From April 2024, 
inflation is set to ease to 4.5% and allow for interest rate cuts. 

The current repo rate is restrictive, slowing demand and placing 
downward pressure on prices. Credit growth slowed to 4.9% year 
on year by December, largely because of lower demand from corporate 
borrowers.

Lower inflation and interest rates, along with the ongoing recovery 
in employment, should ease demand on consumers in 2024. The 
recent increase in effective personal income tax will burden higher-
income groups more than lower to middle-income groups. 

The rand exchange rate will likely benefit from US rate cuts, resulting 
in softer dollar and a risk-on trade globally. The rand is  weaker than 
fundamentals suggest, likely pricing in more risk than needed. 

The 2024 budget highlighted a worsened budget deficit from 4% 
to 4.9% of gross domestic product (GDP) during the 2023/2024 fiscal 
year with stronger further fiscal consolidation than expected. Lower 
deficits, ongoing primary surpluses and a lower and earlier peak 
in the debt ratio should contribute to improving the fiscal environment, 
bolstered by responsible use of the Reserve Bank’s unrealised profits 
on foreign exchange reserves. 

African Regions
Inflationary pressure continues to impact most economies, particularly 
Malawi, Zimbabwe and Nigeria. In East Africa, although still elevated, 
inflation growth rates stabilised in Q3. Most central banks maintained 
elevated interest rates. Malawi’s growth prospects are plagued 
by persisting challenges relating to fuel and foreign currency 
shortages, and a decline in maize output.

All Old Mutual Africa Regions markets apart from South Sudan (-2%) 
registered GDP growth in 2023. The weighted average 2023 GDP 
growth rate for these countries is 4.79%.

Fiscal constraints led to increasing taxes, notably in Kenya, Zimbabwe 
and Ghana. 

Sovereign risk remains a key issue. Kenya faces maturities of domestic 
debt and foreign USD-denominated debt within the next year. Malawi’s 
total public debt increased by 37.6% year on year to 75.0% of GDP. 
Currency depreciation against the USD and chronic dollar shortages 
in some markets hamper foreign currency-denominated obligations 
like dividend payments and Group charges remittances and payments 
for critical systems. 

In Zimbabwe, rapid currency depreciation followed post election 
political fragility as tensions from the election outcome intensified. 
eSwatini national elections in Q3 2023 faced minimal disruption. 
In Kenya, political risk is de-escalating after initial protests in Q3 

against the rising cost of living and tax reforms. In Nigeria, the response 
to the new administration was largely muted. Planned industrial 
actions did not materialise and reforms are being implemented swiftly. 
Ongoing marches in Ghana signified increased dissatisfaction with 
governmental decisions, impacting key services. 

The regulatory environment remained uncertain across many markets 
and lines of business. Regulatory changes ranged from cyber and data 
security governance to bills on universal health care. Many of these and 
new changes could materially affect our businesses. 

In Kenya, four new bills relating to universal health care will be tabled 
to parliament. In Ghana, the National Insurance Commission issued 
two new draft directives on governance and conduct of business for 
insurers. 

Outlook
While global growth will be softer in 2024, it is expected to not weaken 
any further in 2025. Compared with 2.7% in 2023, growth is expected 
to reach around 2.3% in 2024 and 2025, likely softening in developed 
economies while remaining relatively stable in emerging economies. 
There are downside risks from potential spikes in the global oil price 
if the conflict in the Middle East escalates and growth falters in China, 
and global tension could increase because of several key elections 
taking place in 2024 and the stalemate in the Russia/Ukraine war.

While global inflation is decreasing, the extent of the decline remains 
uncertain and will likely depend on the extent of the slowdown in real 
economic activity. New geo-political developments will continue 
to impact commodity prices. Supply chain disruptions and the risk 
of elevated Brent crude prices present an upside risk to inflation, 
impacting interest rate decisions and crafting economic outlooks. 
South African inflation will likely settle to the mid-target range – 
around 4.5% – for most of 2024. 

Related risks
 » Growth risk

 » Sovereign risk

 » Organisational 
resilience risk

Strategy and business model responses
 » We are reducing our exposure in long-dated government papers with elevated sovereign risk, pausing 

the development of guaranteed products and responsibly and systematically reducing government bond 
exposure in our Africa regions

 » Set exposure limits to South African sovereign credit risk linked to an internal sovereign risk dashboard
 » Engaging with banks and other stakeholders in Malawi to ensure foreign exchange liquidity for dividend 

remittances

 » Conducting impact and compliance gap assessments of new legal and regulatory developments 

to proactively comply

 » Diversifying product offering across our business
 » Reducing the running expenses in the business through operational efficiency initiatives
 » Improving our power resilience in our campuses and branches to maximise operating hours during load shedding
 » Establishing the Crisis committee, which is invoked if there is a major business resilience event

40

Integrated Report 2023 Industry trends
In recent years, business agility and innovation have become increasingly important for consumers and investors. To remain relevant 
in the ever-evolving financial services landscape, it is critical for us to have a clear view of the trends that shape our industry. 
This ensures that our strategy development and execution remain contextual to the current climate and anticipated market shifts. As part of our continual monitoring of our environment, we provided an overview of the material 
trends defining our business landscape, while outlining the associated value creation opportunities and related risks. These trends should not be viewed in isolation as their confluence has the ability to disrupt the broader industry.

Changing customer expectations and needs

The evolving customer landscape
The customer landscape continues to evolve rapidly, with their needs and expectations being shaped 
by external factors. This includes a constrained macroeconomic and employment backdrop, a shift 
in spending priorities, increasing comfort with interacting through digital means and a greater focus 
on holistic wellbeing and longevity. 

With employment levels and disposable income remaining under pressure, consumers are increasingly 
mindful of their financial choices and the companies they choose to do business with. More consumers 
are struggling to make ends meet and resorting to formal and informal sources of credit to cover shortfalls. 
Concurrently, they reprioritise their spending to focus on essentials such as food, health and medication. 
The latter continues to gain prominence as people are living longer, and have a greater appreciation for 
their holistic wellbeing in a post COVID-19 world. As a result, customers are becoming more discerning, with 
a strong focus on product affordability, transparency and value for money. They seek adaptable, personalised 
solutions to cater to their changing needs, preferences and life stage. Organisations that view retail, corporate 
or small business customers as unique and understand their circumstances, while engaging them based 
on their personal preferences and needs, gain advantage relative to their peers. Customers are becoming 
more aware of how institutions conduct themselves as responsible corporate citizens. This is intricately 
linked to trust, which is an important currency in today’s business landscape.

We have observed greater levels of comfort with interacting digitally, particularly post COVID-19. Despite this 
shift, digital penetration remains relatively low in Africa. Research suggests that consumers in Africa do not 
view digital distribution channels and engagement mechanisms as a substitute for face-to-face customer 
engagement, particularly in the non-banking financial services sector. Enduring challenges that create 
barriers to digital penetration include low financial literacy levels, high data and device costs, inadequate 
infrastructure, a trust deficit in digital technology and the prominence of legacy systems in the industry, 
leading to slow adoption of new technology. This is poised to change with the expected increase 
of internet penetration in Africa.

The growing need for financial inclusion
Financial inclusion continues to be a challenge across most of Africa and emerging markets. Consumers’ 
inability to access credit, financing and insurance solutions reinforces their fragile financial situation and 
constrains broader socio-economic upliftment. To date, African markets have shown some of the world’s lowest 
insurance penetration levels. This protection gap poses great danger to individuals and organisations given 
recent weather events, resulting in consumers being left in severe financial distress. The COVID-19 pandemic 
and economic downturn have curbed insurance penetration growth in Africa, with consumers cutting down 
on discretionary spending, including insurance.

Growing need for financial inclusion

85%

79%

41%

19%
85%

12%

41%

19%

45%

40%

36%

23%

71%

2%

71%

68%

46%

29%

36%

66%

23%

2%

17%
15%

1%

17%

South Africa

Kenya

Namibia

Ghana

Access to insurance

Access to credit or financing

Ability to save and invest

Ability to transact

Source: Findex 2021 (excl. Botswana at 2017), World Bank, Press, National Insurance Regulators, McKinsey research

When considering the macro landscape, South Africa shows good performance on basic metrics of financial 
inclusion compared to regional and income group peers, according to Global Findex data. However, several 
comparable economies, including Kenya, India and China, significantly outperform South Africa through the 
provision of digital financial services ecosystems that serve low-income consumers. This presents an attractive 
opportunity to employ digitalisation strategies to help bridge the access gap to formal financial services. This, 
coupled with financial education, will ensure that customers are empowered and sufficiently equipped when 
engaging with mainstream financial services providers.

Related risks
 » Growth risk
 » Technology, information 
security and data risk
 » Organisational resilience
 » Credit risk
 » Non-life insurance risk

Strategy and business model response
 » Expand customer value through enhancements to our Old Mutual 

Rewards programme

 » Deliver flexible and modular risk and savings solutions, such 

as Old Mutual Protect

 » Meet a broader set of health-related needs through Old Mutual 

Health Solutions

 » Develop personalised solutions, such as usage based insurance

Related risks
 » Growth risk

Strategy and business model response
 » Support formal financial inclusion through the development 

of affordable and accessible financial solutions

 » Drive financial wellness by delivering financial education 
to contribute to socio-economic upliftment and financial 
empowerment

 » Invest in our East and West Africa operations

41

Integrated Report 2023 Industry trends continued
       Technological disruption
The fast-paced nature of technological advancement shapes how organisations do business and changes the competitive 
landscape across the broader financial services sector.

Digitalisation
Organisations continue to rethink their operating models to better service their customers through using technology efficiently while 
remaining cognisant of data privacy and associated risks. 

One of the biggest highlights during the period under review was the tipping point in the advancement of generative AI and machine 
learning. A key contributor to the scaled use of this technology was the introduction of ChatGPT at the end of 2022, which enabled the 
broad use of generative AI. The mass utilisation of tools such as ChatGPT ensured the enrichment of data through machine learning, 
which can be used by interested parties such as financial institutions. This brought the opportunity for businesses to explore 
various use cases for the application of AI technology. Some key applications already deployed by African financial services players 
to increase efficiency and ensure cost containment include process automation, hyper-personalisation, streamlined verification processes, 
data analysis, fraud detection methods, new product development and marketing. The rise of AI also resulted in the scaled optimisation 
of established technological trends that have been shaping the finance industry for years, such as digitalisation, gamification, social 
commerce, Internet of Things and big data.

While generative AI can enhance efficiency, automate 
tasks and improve decision making, it also introduces 
vulnerabilities that must be carefully managed. A primary 
concern is the potential for malicious actors to exploit 
AI models, leading to fraudulent activities, data breaches and 
financial losses. Regulatory bodies governing the financial 
services industry have had to introduce robust measures 
to ensure the protection of customer data and privacy 
to prevent new technology from exposing consumers 
to risks.

For our intermediaries, these technologies play a material 
role in enabling an enhanced experience across both the 
customer and intermediary value chain. The shift in the 
number of products, customer expectations and needs, 
and the increasing sophistication of the advice process 
have necessitated a change in the way sales, advice and 
service are provided to customers.

Status of digital protection-related legislation 
across African countries

E-transaction 
legislation

Data protection and 
privacy legislation

Cybercrime 
legislation

Online consumer 
protection legislation

33

6

6

9

27

9

13

5

39 2

12

1

28 3

8

15

Enacted

Draft

0

10
None

20
Insufficient data

30

40

50

60

Source: Findex 2021 (excl. Botswana at 2017) , World Bank, Press, National Insurance Regulators, McKinsey research

Non-traditional market entrants and the rise 
of platform based ecosystems
Industry convergence and the democratisation of digital technologies 
continue to shape the competitive landscape, with fintechs and insurtechs 
gaining traction in the marketplace over traditional financial service providers. 

These business models have caught the attention of many traditional 
insurers and investment firms who seek cross-industry collaboration through 
partnerships with adjacent industry players such as telecoms, banks, retailers, 
health care providers and tech companies. Partnerships with alternative 
industries help traditional players leverage the strengths and capabilities 
of the partners to drive meaningful growth without spending the time 
needed to build these capabilities internally.

This integration of industry offerings is enabled through platform based 
ecosystems, which are non-traditional business models delivering value based 
on shared outcomes. These extend across a range of market participants, 
spanning competitors, customers and suppliers. Embedded finance is closely 
linked to ecosystem business models, where financial services are seamlessly 
integrated into non-financial services offerings and platforms. These 
ecosystems have introduced a new dynamic in the market, offering 
a consolidated ‘one-stop shop’ marketplace, which allows access to various 
products and services. Traditional financial services providers can capitalise 
on this evolution to benefit from new technologies, obtain access to new 
markets to grow their customer base and partner with platform owners 
to be part of their broader ecosystems.

Related risks
 » Growth risk

 » Strategic execution risk

Strategy and business model response
 » Invest in our adviser experience to digitalise core user journeys
 » Expand the range of digital sales and servicing channels for customers 

and advisers

 » Technology, information and data risk

 » Explore AI use cases across the internal value chain to enhance the customer 

and adviser experience

Related risks
 » Growth risk

 » Strategic 

execution risk

Strategy and business model 
response
 » Extend our participation across 

the financial services value chains

 » Participate in platform based 

ecosystems and embedded finance 
(e.g. SMEgo and NEXT176)

42

Integrated Report 2023 Industry trends continued
Talent management

Skills shortage and the war for talent
In recent years, the global employment landscape has been shaped by two major phenomena: the 
‘great resignation+’ that describes record numbers of people leaving their jobs after the COVID-19 
pandemic ended and the ‘war for talent’, a complex and increasingly competitive scenario for retaining 
existing and attracting talented employees. 

Typically, the talent war is about developing, attracting and retaining the most capable employees. 
However, in the context of the broader African economic landscape, which is characterised by high 
levels of unemployment, this trend is more pronounced. In a post COVID-19 world, the scarcity of talent 
has been accentuated as a result of flexible and remote work policies. Digitalisation and industry 
convergence continue to place pressure on skills availability and retention in the broader marketplace. 
Organisations are facing unprecedented levels of volatility from a skills and talent perspective as a result of:
 » Skills needs that are changing rapidly, making it difficult for talent and learning strategies and 

budgets to keep up, which makes it difficult for employees to develop skills fast enough to keep 
up with business demand

 » Increased competition for scarce skills
 » Individuals with sought-after skills have tilted the traditional power dynamics between employers 

and employees, resulting in unprecedented employee demands regarding where people work and 
working methods

Employers need to continuously adapt their responses to ensure that they remain competitive and 
are able to successfully execute on their strategies. This includes adopting a multi-pronged approach 
to skills and talent management with an appropriate mix of developing skills internally, sourcing ‘talent 
on demand’ to fast-track execution in targeted areas and partnering with specialist service providers 
while building their internal pipelines.

Related risks
 » Growth risk

 » Strategic execution 

risk

 » People risk

Strategy and business model response
 » Re-skill where possible, through internal job rotations and 
project based work to develop new skills in the existing 
workforce

 » Partner with tertiary institutions to develop an early pipeline 

of the required skills across our businesses

 » Position Old Mutual as an employer brand of choice
 » Optimise the hybrid working model
 » Continue the culture transformation journey which 
we are adapting to cater for this changing context

Climate change

The impact of and response to climate change
Climate change is a long-term shift in global or regional climate patterns. Africa is severely impacted by 
associated climate catastrophes at a societal and commercial level. Although Africa contributed only 4% 
to greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, it is one of the most vulnerable regions to climate change impacts. 
Floods, storms and droughts have increased from 85 recorded events in the 1970s to over 540 between 2010 
and 20191. Since 1970, climate hazards in Africa have: 
 » Caused over 730 000 deaths 
 » Cost the economy $38.5 billion 
 » Contributed to food insecurity, population displacement and stress on water resources

As an African insurer we want to protect populations from risk, particularly the most vulnerable. We aim 
to accelerate the creation of insurance solutions that support the Just Transition towards a more sustainable 
and less carbon-intensive economy.

Cumulative value in  ESG and impact funds2

300

250

200

150

100

50

0

271

187

2

2012

3

2013

$ billion

7

19

24

40

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

118

90

68

1  Climate change in Africa – statistics & fact: Published by Doris Dokua Sasu, Jan 10, 2024 
2  Cumulative final closed size in ESG, climate, Sustainable finance disclosure regulations, and impact buyout or infrastructure funds where funding 

size has been disclosed

Source: https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/sustainability/our-insights/climate-investing-continuing-breakout-growth-through-uncertain-times 

Pitchbook; Mckinsey analysis

The call to action by industry players in the business ecosystem, such as rating agencies, policy makers, investors, 
government and market commentators is growing stronger. As a result, the urgency to formulate a clear climate 
action strategy and take action is increasingly important. African insurers operate in a unique context with the 
opportunity to create meaningful climate response policies without deterring economic growth. 

Our continued focus on climate action has resulted in new business models focusing on green propositions. 
The rise in demand for green propositions presents a unique opportunity in the African market, as the 
continent’s rich renewable energy resources present a wealth of largely untapped alternative investment 
opportunities for the business sector to explore. Companies in the global market who have employed low 
carbon investment strategies have realised uplift in their bottom line. This proves that driving climate-focused 
business practices benefits the earth and has the potential to be a revenue driver.

Related risks
 » Climate risk
 » Organisational 
resilience risk

 » Non-life insurance risk
 » Life Insurance risk

Strategy and business model response
 » Demonstrate industry leadership through climate activism
 » Develop a clear and cohesive climate action strategy
 » Integrating ESG factors into our investment portfolios
 » Actively driving decarbonisation of economies through our 

responsible investing and stewardship activities

43

Integrated Report 2023 Regulatory changes

At Old Mutual, we support all changes to regulatory and reporting standards that promote financial stability or inclusion, 
encourage uniform market practices and ensure customers are treated fairly. While this could potentially impact the cost 
of doing business and our non-compliance risk, we mitigate this by strengthening our compliance capabilities and the 
systems and processes we have in place. 

Reporting
IFRS 17, a new international accounting standard for insurance contracts, replaced IFRS 4. The standard 
is effective for reporting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2023 and offers a comprehensive and consistent 
approach to accounting for insurance contracts. While IFRS 17 does not change the underlying fundamentals 
of our insurance business, our cash generation or our capital strength, it significantly changes how we report 
on our insurance business. In 2023 we placed substantial focus on the programmes and initiatives across the 
Group to ensure the standard’s successful implementation.

Refer to our IFRS 17 Bridging pack, which sets out the impact on the Group’s key performance indicators 
from IFRS 4 to IFRS 17 results for June and December 2022

Anti-money laundering
The past year has seen substantial developments in emerging regulations relating to anti-money laundering 
and combating the financing of terrorism in most jurisdictions where we operate. These developments require 
continuous focused attention from our businesses.

South Africa’s grey listing, which was published in February 2023, resulted in additional due diligence 
requirements placed on our South African business and our clients as well as increased scrutiny from our 
regulators. We continue to work closely with our international asset and investment managers to meet their 
requirements. 

Kenya and Namibia’s evaluation reports were published towards the end of 2022, resulting in an increase 
in legislation changes and regulatory scrutiny in these two jurisdictions in 2023. The progress these countries 
made to address the findings raised in their respective evaluations will be assessed by the Financial Action Task 
Force in February 2024.

Retirement fund reform
The South African National Treasury’s retirement industry reforms, first released in mid-2022, include a proposed 
two-pot retirement system to encourage South Africans to preserve their retirement savings. This is expected 
to have far-reaching effects on South Africans and retirement fund administrators and is anticipated to come 
into effect on 1 September 2024.

The changes aim to boost household savings by increasing preservation before retirement and increasing 
flexibility through partial access to a percentage of retirement funds pre-retirement under prescribed 
circumstances. The reform proposes that all future contributions to a retirement fund would be split two thirds 
to a retirement pot, which is accessible at retirement to acquire an annuity and one third to a ‘savings pot’ which 
permits the withdrawal of a minimum of R2 000 once per annum with no maximum amount prescribed, 
subject to normal income tax. These amendments require substantial changes to operational processes and 
systems. Old Mutual established a formal project in 2023 to implement these changes.

Additionally, several conduct-related standards applicable to the business of retirement funds were finalised 
in the year and the amendments to Regulation 28 of the Pension Funds Act, 24 of 1956 came into effect.

Employment Equity Act amendments
In South Africa the Employment Equity Amendment Act, 4 of 2022 (Employment Equity Act) was signed into 
law in April 2023, with the aim of achieving equity outcomes by effecting significant changes to the employment 
equity landscape. The most significant changes include a change in the definition of designated employer 
to limit the application of certain sections of the Employment Equity Act to larger employers. This aligns the 
definition of people with disabilities to the definition in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons 
with Disabilities. It empowers the Minister of Employment and Labour (the Minister) to identify national 
economic sectors and set employment equity targets for each of these sectors. On 12 May 2023, the Minister 
published the draft five-year sectoral numerical targets for the national economic sectors, including the financial 
sector, for public comment.

Considering the importance Old Mutual Group places on equity in the workplace, we commenced our journey 
to align with and, where possible, exceed the sector targets when the initial iteration of the Amendment Bill 
was published. We stretched employment equity targets into the Group plan and track these targets through 
established segment and legal entity employment equity forums. The Group consulted with trade unions 
regarding the final plan and numbers, and cascaded the targets to the Group’s employment equity forum, 
which were ultimately included in the Group’s employment equity plan. The Group emphasises women 
in leadership, fair and responsible pay practices, attracting talent from diverse backgrounds and with diverse 
experiences, and empowering employees with disabilities to thrive in the workplace.
Zimbabwe compensation framework
A commission of inquiry established by the Zimbabwean government concluded its investigation into the 
loss in value for certain policyholders and beneficiaries when insurance and pension values were converted 
from Zimbabwean dollars to United States dollars after the dollarisation of the economy in 2009. The 
commission of inquiry in 2015 sought to establish the extent of prejudice to policyholders and pensioners and 
recommend compensation where prejudice has been established. The Insurance and Pensions Commission 
is finalising the compensation framework for policyholders and pensioners, which seeks to recognise and 
ensure that fund members and policyholders with policies affected by loss of value during the investigative 
period are compensated.

While the regulations for the insurance industry must still be finalised, the Pensions and Provident Funds 
(Compensation for Loss of Pre-2009 Value of Pension Benefits) Regulations, 2023 (SI 162 of 2023) were 
published in September 2023, and funds had to submit their compensation schemes by 31 December 2023. 
Old Mutual, as a responsible business, established a formal implementation project to ensure timeous 
compliance and engagements with our regulators.  

Namibia Financial Institutions and Markets Act and subordinate 
legislation
The Financial Institutions and Markets Act, 2 of 2021, consolidates and replaces all non-banking financial services 
legislation in Namibia under the supervision of the Namibia Financial Institutions Supervisory Authority in one 
consolidated act. Although it was promulgated on 1 October 2021, the expected effective date is towards the 
end of 2024. It introduces substantial new requirements in the non-banking financial services sector in Namibia.

44

Integrated Report 2023 Regulatory changes continued

As part of this process, supporting standards and regulations are being developed and Old Mutual is actively participating 
in industry engagement in this regard. We completed substantial work in the business to ensure that business operations 
and strategy are aligned to these developments.
Climate change
As a responsible business in Africa, Old Mutual is committed to playing an active part in the climate change journey, 
considering our corporate emissions, our commitment to responsible investing and the initiatives we support in our 
communities to drive change and reduce carbon emissions. Our climate change strategy is embedded in our day-to-day 
business processes and we are working to understand the impact of climate change on our non-life business.
We also actively participate in the development of climate change regulatory frameworks in the regions where we operate. 
In South Africa the Climate Change Bill was passed by National Assembly in October 2023 and we are committed 
to implementing this in our business. The Prudential Authority is developing guidance for South African insurers on climate 
change disclosures and we participate in industry forums and engage with our regulator on this.
Tax legislation changes
Below we highlight the material changes to tax legislation in the regions in which we operate.

South Africa
 » Tax laws were amended to facilitate the implementation of the new IFRS 17 accounting standards for long and short-term 

insurers. These new rules also provide for six and three-year transitional adjustments for long and short-term insurers, 
respectively, to phase in the day one impact of adopting the new accounting standard

 » The interest limitation rules which limit excessive interest deductions on debts owed to persons not subject to tax in South 
Africa were extended and, consequently, indirect loans to entities not subject to tax in South Africa, and where entities are 
subject to a reduced withholding tax rate in terms of a double tax agreement a portion of the loan would be deemed not 
to be subject to tax in South Africa

 » A limitation has been imposed with effect from 1 January 2023 on the use of the benefit of assessed losses, capped at an 

amount equal to 80% of taxable income earned in a particular tax year before the set-off of the assessed loss carried forward. 
As a consequence, affected companies will be taxed on a minimum of 20% of taxable income earned in a particular tax year, 
despite the existence of larger assessed losses

Southern Africa
 » In Zimbabwe, the VAT rate was revised from 14.5% to 15% effective 1 January 2023

East Africa
 » In Kenya, exported services are now zero rated (previously subject to VAT of 16%). The 20% excise duty on fees charged for 

money transfer services was reduced to 15%
 → A new exemption to the interest deduction restriction was introduced on loans between Kenya tax residents. Furthermore, 

restricted interest and realised foreign exchange losses are deferred for three and five years, respectively

 » In South Sudan, a sales tax of 18% has been introduced on commissions and other fees charged for financial services

West Africa
 » In Ghana:

 → A minimum tax of 5% of turnover was introduced, where a taxpayer has losses for the previous five years. The period 

for carrying forward losses for all taxpayers is five years 

 → A new limitation on the deduction of foreign exchange losses in respect of debt claims, debt obligations or foreign 

currency holdings was introduced, which applies to transactions with residents and non-residents

Related risks
 » Growth risk 
 » Strategic execution 

risk 

 » Operational resilience 

risk

Strategy and business model response
 » We are actively participating in industry, the Financial Sector Conduct 

Authority and National Treasury working groups and forums

 » The Chairman, Board and Audit committee met with the Prudential Authority 
in South Africa on separate occasions during the year to discuss, among other 
things; climate change and the related risks and organisational resilience 
as the focuses for 2023. The Boards of our subsidiaries also engaged with 
regulators in their regions regularly

 » We monitor the plans the Zimbabwe treasury has for the compensation for 

loss of value to pension funds

45

Integrated Report 2023 RISKS AND 
OPPORTUNITIES

In this section

Our approach to risks and opportunities

Risk management

Top risks

47

49

51

46

Integrated Report 2023 Our approach to risks and opportunities
An effective risk management system supports the business’ sustainability and growth and our ability to create long-term 
value for all our stakeholders. Our risk management process is designed to continuously monitor the internal and external 
environment to identify any conditions or changes that may require us to mitigate the related risks and capitalise on opportunities. 
This ensures we remain within our risk appetite, achieve our business plans and realise our strategic objectives.
Risk governance
The Board is aware of the importance of risk management as it is linked to the strategy, performance and sustainability of the Group. It sets the risk appetite and tolerance levels annually as part of its review of the Group risk 
strategy. The Board, through the Risk committee, oversees the Group’s risk management activities. The Risk committee is responsible for approving the risk strategy and risk policy suite, as well as providing oversight of the 
risk management system and risk-taking activities across the Group.

          Board focus: Risk governance

The Board is responsible for ensuring that the Group and our subsidiaries monitor and manage risks with effective risk management and internal control systems in place. 
During the year the Board:
 » Reviewed and monitored the stability and security of the technology strategy, information security and operational processes to enable business success and continuity
 » Monitored retail credit, life and general insurance risks to ensure that they are optimally managed
 » Continued monitoring the impacts and actions required to proactively address climate and environmental, social and governance risks
 » Oversaw the Group’s response to the complex macroeconomic landscape

  Refer to the Corporate Governance Report for information on the Risk committee’s activities and focus areas

Risk management
Risk classification model
The risk classification model forms the basis for 
risk management across the Group. A uniform risk 
classification model allows for the analysis, aggregation 
and reporting of risks in a structured manner across 
the Group. It forms the basis for risk identification and 
focuses on including risks based on their inherent risk 
assessment and ensures that all key risks and the related 
control environment are assessed, monitored and 
reported on regularly. A causal model ensures that the 
key causes of risks are considered to enhance the control 
environment. Considering the size and complexity of our 
organisation and stakeholders, risks must be considered 
on a financial and non-financial basis. The risk strategy, 
appetite and policies are fully aligned to the risk 
classification model.

The risk classification model comprises 12 level 1 
categories that are then expanded into level 2  
categories and, where necessary, level 3 categories. 
The risk classification model, causal categories 
and the financial and non-financial impacts, are 
presented in a ‘bowtie’ format for easy reference.

CAUSES

People

Process 

System 

INSURANCE

STRATEGIC

GROWTH 

EXTERNAL 

IMPACTS

Financial

LIQUIDITY 

MARKET 

Our risk 
universe

LEGAL AND 
REGULATORY 

Reputational

MARKET 
CONDUCT 

External 

CREDIT AND 
COUNTERPARTY

OPERATIONAL 

Internal 

INFORMATION 
TECHNOLOGY 

PEOPLE 

Licence 
to operate

Business 
resilience and 
sustainability

47

Integrated Report 2023 Our approach to risks and opportunities continued
Our approach to risk 
Our approach to risk and strategy are aligned to our vision of becoming our customers’ first choice to help them grow, sustain and protect their prosperity. 
As part of our strategy, we establish our risk appetite, which determines how much of a certain risk we are prepared to take on. Together with the Group Financial 
Management Framework, our risk strategy informs the overall business strategy, thereby integrating our business operations, strategy and risk appetite to facilitate 
a disciplined and balanced approach to risk based strategic decision making and active control over risks to which our earnings and capital are exposed. The Group 
Financial Management Framework defines how the Group allocates and manages capital and liquidity, including performance hurdles and growth targets to enhance 
shareholder value. Our escalation mechanisms account for risk events and breaches in risk limits or targets. A forward-looking business plan and scenario and stress 
testing enable us to assess the robustness of our balance sheet.

When assessing the risks in our strategy, we follow a top-down approach. It guides risk-taking activities and ensures that we sustainably deliver on our strategic 
objectives. The guiding risk principles that underpin our risk strategy and the nexus to the Group strategy is as follows:

Risk principles

Strategic focus areas

Our approach to risk

 » We protect our 

reputation 
by maintaining 
trust with all our 
stakeholders

 » We focus on risks 

that align with our 
business strategy, 
areas of competitive 
advantage and 
evolving skills

 » We use risk mitigation 
techniques to manage 
risk exposures

 » We recognise the 

value of diversification 
and the challenges 
of risk inter-
connectedness 
to avoid excessive risk 
concentration and 
ensure sustainability
 » We optimise returns 
on a risk-adjusted 
basis

 » Our tolerance 
for uncertainty 
is informed by our 
businesses’ maturity 
and growth 
aspirations

Growing and protecting the core
Holistic coverage of customer needs:
 » Provide product solutions that meet our customers’ needs and 

with the addition of banking solutions

 » Cater to our customers at any stage of their life and financial journey, 

educate them on finances, provide them with financial advice to make 
the right financial decisions and reward them when they do so

Distribution and digital engagement:
 » Ensure that we are accessible to our customers when they need us, 

through the channel of their choice

 » Improve ease of doing business by digitally enabling our strong adviser 
force, so they can focus on what matters most – serving our customers
 » Continue to invest in MyOldMutual ecosystem to drive rich, regular and 

personalised engagements with our direct customers

Operational efficiencies:
 » Reduce costs and leverage efficiencies through advances 

in technology

 » Drive greater economies of scale powered by low-cost, scalable cloud 

ready infrastructure

 » Provide a consistent, always-on customer digital experience
 » Improve the pace of deploying new systems and solutions to the market
 » Improve operating margins and enhancing competitiveness

Unlocking new growth engines
Strategic growth markets:
 » Continue to focus on business ventures and strategic partnerships 

in Old Mutual Africa Regions

 » Grow customer volumes and optimise channels in China
 » Build on strong existing capabilities and the trust people have in the 

brand

Strategic growth businesses:
 » Through NEXT176, focus on new digital-led businesses, providing seed 
capital to new ecosystem based ventures and developing mutually 
beneficial strategic relationships with other large businesses

 » Launch our bank to complete our holistic integrated financial services 
offering and enhance our ability to have regular, organic, business-
driven interactions with customers, which have a beneficial impact 
across various lines of business

 » We have zero appetite for systematic, unfair or irresponsible 

business practices that may affect our customers, their families 
and the communities in which they live

 » Accordingly, we take care to treat all our stakeholders fairly. 
ensuring we create shared value by contributing towards 
positive economic, environmental and social outcomes. 
As a responsible asset owner and manager, our responsible 
investment practices incorporate ESG-related considerations 
into investment decisions

 » Treating our customers fairly and offering them sound advice 

and value-for-money, affordable solutions that meet their needs. 
are key to the strategy and meeting our strategic objectives
 » Developing market-leading solutions requires appropriate 
investment in people, technology, information security and 
robust execution of the business strategy through our chosen 
business models

 » Continuously improving our solutions and launching 

innovative and refreshed propositions will enable us to respond 
promptly to the key shifts in customer demand, including 
customised solutions and the best advice delivered through 
a seamless experience

 » Diversification is key to avoiding excessive risk concentration 
in integrated financial services, thereby ensuring that the 
sustainability of the business is not undermined by adversity 
in one area

 » Our new growth engines play a key role in enhancing our core 
propositions, and create greater diversification across risk types, 
products, geographies, target markets and distribution 
channels

 » The growth of these solutions remains subject to meeting 
financial targets, pricing responsibly for risks taken on and 
investing in the necessary capabilities to manage these risks 
effectively, especially in our African businesses

 » We have a high preference for innovation to ensure our 

customers and advisers experience market-leading solutions. 
Thus, we recognise that we need to execute our plans 
effectively with an appropriate risk management focus

Our risk process
Determining our risk 
preference for each risk 
category
Our risk strategy documents our risk 
preferences for key risk types in our 
risk classification model. 

Quantifying the risk appetite 
metrics for financial soundness, 
earnings at risk and liquidity
Risk appetite is the level of risk exposure 
we are willing to accept to meet our strategic 
objectives. Our financial resources and risk 
appetite determine the nature and level 
of growth that can be targeted, as they 
reflect the impact of assumed risk on capital 
requirements and earnings volatility. We use 
stress and scenario testing to evaluate the 
earnings and balance sheet resilience in 
relation to our business plans and risk-taking 
activities.

Creating target ranges for our 
earnings at risk and statutory 
capital requirements
Our risk appetite metrics measure capital 
requirements, earnings and liquidity risks 
and ensure compliance with the Prudential 
Financial Soundness Standards. These are 
calibrated to allow us to manage an extreme 
downside scenario with sufficient resources 
to avoid regulatory intervention.

Allocating capital
Under the Group Financial Management 
Framework, we allocate capital and funding 
to segments within our risk appetite 
parameters. This process facilitates a disciplined 
and balanced approach to strategic risk based 
decision making, opportunity assessment and 
resource allocation, which are expected 
to maximise value for investors in the long 
term.

Updating our risk approach
We review our risk approach annually and the 
Board approves any changes. We did not add 
any new risk appetite statements in 2023. 

48

Integrated Report 2023 Risk management

Risk culture
Risk culture is the foundation for 
effective risk management and 
supports risk based decision making.

Our leaders set the tone at the top, consistently and 
deliberately championing risk management, role modelling 
appropriate risk behaviours to instil the desired culture and 
fostering open communication where people feel safe 
to speak up without fear of retribution. This demonstrates 
our willingness to proactively consider diverse viewpoints 
and find and receive constructive challenges. 

There is effective risk oversight in our business, with roles 
and responsibilities being clearly understood, embraced and 
discharged across the three lines of assurance. This ensures 
business and strategic decisions align with our risk appetite 
and transparency internally and externally, considering the 
risks that impact our business the most. The level of skills, 
learning and data across the three lines of assurance support 
effective risk management practices and behaviours. Our 
risk architecture and management systems are formalised 
in structures and arrangements that include the risk 
approach, methodology, tools, governance and processes, 
and we ensure these are adopted across the organisation.

In 2023 we included risk culture questions in our annual 
Pulse Culture Survey for the first time. Previously 
we performed top-down assessments of risk culture with 
business unit Executive committees. This provided the first 
comprehensive bottom-up view of our risk culture. The 
results showed a similar assessment of the risk culture 
across the Group and most geographies, with a score 
of 4.86 out of 6. This assessment will be repeated every two 
years. The risk culture scores were debriefed with the key 
business units and we identified actions for improvements. 
At an Old Mutual Limited level, we will focus on risk 
awareness while working with the other assurance 
providers to support management in continuing to improve 
the control environment. 

Risk policies
Our comprehensive suite of risk policies 
is aligned to the risk classification model.

They provide the minimum mandatory requirements 
of how risks should be managed and controlled. The 
risk policies are subject to annual review and the Board 
approves any changes. Key business units annually attest 
to their level of compliance with the policies and actions 
are put in place for any identified gaps.

Risk management process
The Group Financial Management Framework brings together capital and liquidity management 
principles with the business planning process, to maximise shareholder value in the context of the 
Group’s risk strategy and resultant risk appetite.

 In doing so, the Group aims to balance competing stakeholder interests, including:
 » Shareholders, who expect earnings growth, revenue growth, operating margin, cash generation, dividend growth and return on capital
 » Regulators, debt holders and policyholders, who expect strong solvency and liquidity

R I S K   M A N AGEMENT PROC
       RISK
I D E N T IFICATION

E

S

S

D RISK
ENT
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S A
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A
Y
G
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A
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T
S

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I
S
U
B

A

P

R

P

I

S

E

K

T

I
T

E

S

C

S

E

T

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R

A

E

R

S

I
O T

N

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ESTING

D

G ROWTH
T A RGETS

M

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CIA
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FIN

STRATEGY 
AND 
BUSINESS
PLANNING

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FRAMEWORK

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R F OR
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R I S K   M O
A N D   R

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O RING
R TIN G

 For details of the Risk committee’s focus areas and how 
it addressed risks, refer to our Corporate Governance Report

Business and risk strategy alignment ensures that 
the risks assumed in our business plans reflect our risk 
preferences, considering the interconnectedness 
of risks and points of leverage within our risk mitigation 
activities.

Risk identification is focused on identifying obstacles that could prevent 
us from achieving our business strategy and objectives. We categorise our risks 
using our risk classification model to ensure consistency and enable the 
aggregation of similar risks across the Group to understand their full impact.

Risk measurement and response focuses on quantifying risks by considering 
the likelihood and impact of the risk and deciding on mitigating actions. 
Risks are quantified in three dimensions:
 » Inherent: considering the likelihood of occurrence and impact (financial and 

non-financial) that the risk may have on the business, without considering any 
mitigating factors

 » Residual: considering the likelihood of occurrence and impact the risk may have 
on the business, after considering the control environment and any mitigating 
actions

 » Residual risk vs tolerance: comparing the residual risk to the risk appetite and 

preferences as detailed in the risk approach per risk type

Once quantified, we consider the risk rating and our appetite for that risk 
to determine a risk response and implement mitigating actions as appropriate.

Risk monitoring is the ongoing process of assessing the control environment 
and the effectiveness of mitigating actions taken to determine a residual risk 
rating. It considers the impacts of materialised risks, assurance work, indicators 
and changes in the external and internal environment on both our risks and 
controls.

Risk reporting focuses on comparing the residual risk exposures to our risk 
appetite, as articulated in our risk strategy, reporting on risks that are either 
outside of the targeted range or outside of our risk appetite.

Stress and scenario testing is the process of evaluating the impact of specified 
scenarios on our financial position using several statistically defined probabilities. 
This facilitates the assessment of the resilience of earnings and our balance sheet 
based on our business plans and the various risk-taking activities.

49

Integrated Report 2023  
 
         
 
 
 
 
 
 
                  
      
 
     
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Risk management continued
Our three lines of assurance
As a Group, we follow a three lines of assurance model, which defines 
clear accountabilities for managing risk and the control environment.

Line 1 –
Management

Line 2 –
Internal control 
functions

Line 3 –
independent 
assurance providers

Management is responsible 
for risk identification, 
implementing an effective 
system of internal controls,  
and daily risk management 
across the business. This 
line also includes specialist 
and Group functions such 
as finance, balance sheet 
management, actuarial, tax, 
legal, information security 
and quality assurance 
functions.

Internal control functions 
oversee the appropriateness 
and effectiveness of the 
risk management system, 
ensuring that policies and 
procedures are followed, 
and that reporting is 
accurate and complete. 
This line includes the risk, 
compliance, actuarial 
oversight and forensics 
functions.

Independent assurance 
providers are responsible for 
opining the effectiveness 
of governance, lines one 
and two functions and 
the system of internal 
controls. This line includes 
internal and external audit 
functions.

Combined assurance
Our combined assurance processes are well established. Our philosophy is 
to sustain an integrated and coordinated approach across all three lines of 
assurance. Our key focus is on collaboration and sharing information while 
ensuring appropriate coverage and avoiding duplicate work.

The Board-approved combined assurance plans provide an integrated view of all assurance activities related to the 
Group’s key inherent risks. We identify focus areas for a specific year by identifying the key internal and external 
risks that could impact the delivery of our strategy, as well as considering of our current control environment and 
assurance work in prior years. Quarterly reporting against the plans provides an integrated view of the outcome 
of all assurance activities, resulting in an improved understanding of the effectiveness of internal controls.

The risk function is responsible for maintaining the Group Combined Assurance Framework. Independent 
assurance of the Group Combined Assurance Framework and process is provided on a periodic basis.

Emerging risks
Emerging risks are new or familiar risks that become apparent in new or unfamiliar 
conditions. They evolve in areas and ways with inadequate available information, making 
them difficult to quantify. An emerging risk transitions into a principal risk when there 
is a sufficient understanding of its nature and impact. Once this is determined, we develop 
actions to mitigate the risk. We identify emerging risks through external environment scans 
and assess them as far as possible according to their impacts on the business, the timeline 
over which the risk is expected to occur, and the velocity of the risk.

We identified the following emerging risks as part of the 2024 to 2026 annual strategy and 
business planning exercise and they are aligned to the material matters. 

     For details on our material matters, refer to page 39

Cyber security 
and data privacy

Climate change 
and natural 
disasters

Technology 
disruption

Regulatory 
changes

Economic 
volatility

Demographic 
shifts

Political and 
social stability

Pandemic 
and health 
crisis

Talent 
management

Changing 
customer 
expectations

We report on emerging risks to the Board Risk committee regularly and the emerging risk 
report forms part of the input into the annual strategy and business planning cycle. During 
2023 we did not identify any new emerging risk themes or risks. However, previously identified 
emerging risks could change due to their connection with other risks.

50

Integrated Report 2023 Top risks

We identify our risks by considering to different 
factors, which include:
 » Residual risks recorded as part of our risk and 

control self-assessment process

 » Events that have materialised into risks, which 

were analysed to understand the impacts 
on our risk process and control environment
 » Emerging risks in preparation for risk response 

and mitigation with a longer time horizon

 » Interconnected Group risks to identify possible 

concentration and contagion risks

Top residual risks
Changes to the top residual risks
Top risks are identified based on their likelihood 
of materialising in a reasonably short timeframe, 
with a magnitude that materially impacts the 
Group. Our top risks are assessed and reviewed 
at least quarterly. Based on these assessments 
in 2023, we included credit risk in our top risks, 
reflecting the impact of the sustained muted 
macroeconomic environment on retail and 
investment credit. Market conduct risk dropped 
off the top risks. Business resilience risk was 
updated to organisational resilience risk, 
broadening the scope of the risk to include the 
regulatory agenda as a key theme during 2023.

The impact and likelihood of our top risks

t
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I

Sovereign risk

Growth risk

Strategic execution risk

Technology, information 
security and data risk

Organisational  
resilience risk

Climate risk

Life Insurance risk

Credit risk

Non-life  
insurance risk

People risk

Rare

Unlikely

Possible

Likely

Almost certain

The outlook of the risk expresses the expected outlook of the risk for the next year considering all available information at the time the report is released.

indicates a deteriorating outlook

  indicates a neutral outlook

indicates an improving outlook

     Refer to our operating context on pages 38 to 45 to understand the factors that influence our risk assessment and management process

LIKELIHOOD

51

Integrated Report 2023  
 
Top risks continued

  Growth risk

2022 vs 2023
Unchanged

Outlook

Stakeholders

The risk of being unable to achieve and maintain profitable growth and be a dominant player in our chosen markets

Adverse economic conditions increase cost-of-living, decrease retail customers’ disposable income and reduce corporate customers’ growth and liquidity levels. Non-traditional businesses and fintechs continue to enter 
financial services and compete aggressively.

Impact
 » Recovery of personal finance market share 

of recurring premium underwritten risk sales 
remains under pressure despite improving 
trend

 » Pipelines for asset flows and/or regular 

contributions take longer to materialise into 
flows for our Old Mutual Corporate and Asset 
Management businesses

 » Persistency in our low-income segment 
in South Africa has deteriorated due 
to a sustained muted macroeconomic 
environment

 » Persistency of general insurance business 

in South Africa is also under pressure, 
particularly in iWYZE

Key actions
 » Deliver strategic programmes which advance the integrated financial services strategy
 » Focus on driving quality sales in retail segments. Introduced new products and capabilities, while realising 
synergies through our newly acquired businesses, and services with increased flexibility for customers and 
rewards benefits 

 » Scale digital distribution channels to drive direct business
 » Grow our alternative distribution channels, especially the franchise business and the foundation market in Mass 

and Foundation Cluster

Opportunities
 » Embedding the capability to respond 

to opportunities created by rapidly changing 
market dynamics and deliver game-
changing innovation in Next176 to support 
sustainable, long-term growth

 » Diversifying product offerings through new 

acquisitions and partnerships

 » Prioritise data analytics to drive customer insights and improve customer experience – this will promote customer 

 » Exploring inorganic growth opportunities 

acquisition and create cross-selling and upselling opportunities to drive growth

 » Pursue new growth engines in the form of our transactional capability and leveraged off partnerships in strategic 

growth markets 

 » Continue to focus on growing the corporate business across Old Mutual Africa Regions 
 » Improve adviser retention and productivity through digital enablement and focused on the ease of doing 

business for our advisers in South Africa

 » Drive retention strategies across our life and non-life businesses, including a significant focus on innovation 

and addressing market consolidation in key 
African regions

 » Driving operational efficiencies to reduce 

expense base

 » Cost-to-income ratios come under pressure 

in the premium collection processes

as persistency challenges reduce the book size 
that supports the fixed cost base 

 » Focus on driving operational efficiencies to improve cost-to-income ratios across our businesses

Related material matters

Strategic focus areas

Capitals

FC

HC

MC

  Strategic execution risk

2022 vs 2023
Unchanged

Outlook

Stakeholders

The risk of failing to effectively deliver on our material programmes in a timely manner to achieve our strategic objectives

There are several key change initiatives underway that will set us up as an organisation to achieve our strategy and business plan objectives.

Impact
 » Delays in progressing change initiatives could result 

in additional running costs, opportunities not being fully 
capitalised on and benefits not being timeously realised

 » Overlapping dependencies on key resources may lead 

Key actions
 » Embed agile programme delivery methods across the value chain 
 » Enhance testing capability to improve delivery cadence and reduce defects for change initiative
 » Continue prioritisation of projects through the Old Mutual Strategic Investment Portfolio committee 

to alleviate constrained capacity 

Opportunities
 » Driving strategic clarity based on delivering 
an integrated financial services experience 
for customers

 » Maturing our capability to drive innovation 

to slippage and compression

 » Focus on prioritising project outcomes by value generated and benefit realisation through an improved 

and partnerships to support growth

 » Sustained pressure on key individuals could impact staff 

gating process

wellbeing and retention

Related material matters

 » Implement people retention strategies for critical resources in key programmes

Strategic focus areas

Capitals

FC

HC

MC

SC

IC

52

Integrated Report 2023  
 
Top risks continued

  Climate risk

2022 vs 2023
Unchanged

Outlook

                    Stakeholders

The risk that global warming, extreme weather events and the transition to a low carbon economy will adversely impact economic growth, asset valuations and insurance profitability. In combination with increased 
costs of doing business, these could threaten the resilience and sustainability of our business

Increased frequency and intensity of severe weather events can cause business disruption and adversely impact claims experience and pricing of insurance products, particularly in the Property and Casualty business in the 
short term. Policy shifts could lead to stranded assets and job losses from highly exposed industries, including fossil fuel investments.

Impact
 » Property and Casualty claims are increasing due to the rise in frequency 

Key actions
 » Understand Old Mutual’s fossil fuel investment exposure and influence action in investee 

and intensity of extreme weather events

 » Increased concentration risk by geography or sector due to physical 

climate risks or dependency on primary industries
 » Severe weather events causing business disruption
 » Reduced capacity in reinsurance markets to transfer risk from our own 

balance sheet

 » Increased price for securing reinsurance, which may have a knock-on 

effect on product pricing

 » Stranded assets triggering asset devaluations in highly exposed 

industries, including fossil fuel investments

 » The possibility of deterioration in mortality and morbidity due to illness 

and food and water insecurity induced by extreme weather events

companies on climate risk issues and developing a path to decarbonisation of our investment 
portfolios

 » As a responsible business, we are working to ensure that we minimise the carbon footprint 

of our own operations

 » Assess the impact of climate-related risks and opportunities on our businesses, strategy and 

financial outcomes, and developing response plans

 » Continue to develop our ability to locate and calculate extreme weather events to understand 

climate exposures in our non-life portfolio 

 » Review policy terms and conditions in conjunction with pricing to ensure these accurately 

reflect the risk exposures, particularly in relation to property, motor and crop insurance

 » Expand our exposure to investment projects which develop clean or green power solutions
 » Scenario planning to develop strategic options, particularly for OMLACSA and broadly for Old Mutual 

Limited to navigate the volatility of the transition to build financial and operational resilience

Opportunities
 » Exploring ways to develop market-

leading products that will protect our 
customers against climate risk

 » Managing our own carbon footprint 

as a business by improving our energy 
management and waste recycling 
processes and creating alternative water 
supplies for our buildings

 » Investing in the renewable energy sector 

in South Africa and Africa

Related material matters

Strategic focus areas

Capitals

FC

SC

NC

53

Integrated Report 2023               
 
Top risks continued

  Sovereign risk

2022 vs 2023
Unchanged

Outlook

Stakeholders

The risk that governments face challenges in stabilising and servicing the debt they have issued

We are directly exposed to sovereign risk through holdings of government bonds and state owned enterprise investments and indirectly via local banks through bank deposits and hedging strategies. We invest in 
long-dated sovereign and state owned enterprise debt instruments in our shareholder funds, as well as to match the long-term nature of the liabilities to hedge guaranteed products. Although default risk is low, 
a restructure of sovereign debt is possible if the fiscal position worsens over the long term.

Impact
 » A sovereign crisis could reduce our customers’ investment 
returns and trigger value-for-money concerns in some 
portfolios

 » Higher interest rates that are normally accompanied 

with sovereign distress could also affect the affordability 
of insurance products due to pressure on our customers’ 
disposable incomes

 » Depending on the severity of investment valuation losses 
on sovereign debt holdings, our capital and liquidity levels 
may be impacted, limiting our ability to invest in growth 
opportunities

 » In some of our Old Mutual Regions businesses, a substantial 
portion of shareholder and policyholder funds are invested 
in sovereign debt or the local banking sector, which poses 
solvency and liquidity risk should there be a sovereign default 
or debt restructure

Key actions
 » Introduce portfolio sectoral and durational tilts into our investment portfolios to manage and 

Opportunities
 » Identifying investment and lending 

diversify portfolio risk

 » Diversify local bank exposure and increasing our exposure to offshore banks and other international 

counterparties

 » Rightsize our exposure to state owned entities
 » Tailor product range and investment strategies to mitigate this risk
 » Engage with industry groups on how to respond to the systemic risk posed by a sovereign debt 

opportunities in sectors which show growth 
potential, resilience or are counter-cyclical 

 » Identifying renewable energy and 

infrastructure development investment 
opportunities that would assist economic 
growth and improve the fiscal position

crisis

 » Develop a sovereign risk dashboard with forward-looking risk indicators to monitor the extent 

of sovereign risk exposure and enable proactive management decisions

 » Reduce exposure in long-dated government paper in Old Mutual Africa Regions entities with 

elevated sovereign risk

 » Embed the investment credit risk framework in our African regions
 » Set appropriate credit risk appetite limits and early warning triggers to ensure actions can be taken 

timeously to correct unexpected performance deviations for institutional credit portfolios

Related material matter

Strategic focus areas

Capital

FC

54

Integrated Report 2023  
Top risks continued

  Technology, information and data risk

2022 vs 2023
Unchanged

Outlook

Stakeholders

The risk that legacy information technology infrastructure poses to our ability to fully deliver the integrated financial services strategy and achieve consistent customer and adviser experience across systems 
and platforms. Failure to simplify the estate will negatively impact our ability to realise operating efficiencies and reduce the capacity for investment

Data is key for our business to achieve its operational and strategic goals. We rely on data that is accurate, complete, and integrated to enable our integrated financial services ambitions. The evolving global threat 
landscape may result in Old Mutual being prone to intentional and unintentional cyber security attacks. As we evolve our business model, it is critical that we understand the risks introduced by third parties.

Impact
 » System downtime may disrupt servicing and sales processes
 » Inability to meet our customer and adviser expectations, 

ultimately impacting our growth ambitions

 » Failure to achieve process efficiencies and, therefore, 

operational costs exceed planned expenditure

 » Potential loss of data or intellectual property
 » Possible disruption of services due to temporary failure 
of critical third parties, such as suppliers experiencing 
a cyber incident

 » The lack of accurate, complete and integrated data may hinder 
our ability to make strategic risk based business decisions and 
drive the execution of our integrated financial services strategy

 » A poor data analytics capability could also result in missed 

opportunities to further enhance offerings to our customers 
and advisers

Key actions
 » Adopt a cohesive, Group-wide approach to information technology architecture, business resilience 

Opportunities
 » Utilising emerging technologies such 

and information security

 » Ongoing modernisation and simplification of the application landscape, including completing and 

optimising our cloud migration

 » Digitalise our processes and improving adoption of the digital platforms so that we meet the 

demands of our customers, advisers and employees

 » Continue improving of our third-party risk management capabilities
 » Continue to enhance our information technology security strategy, monitoring and staff awareness 
to ensure we respond to current and new threats, protect intellectual property, sensitive customer 
information and other business-critical information

 » Complete the modernisation of legacy data architecture and platforms to ensure we have the right 

foundation for our integrated financial services strategy

 » Improve data completeness and quality to ensure we are able to leverage generative AI and other 

emerging technologies that improve our services for customers and advisers

 » Develop a data loss prevention strategy to protect Old Mutual and our customers’ information from 

data breaches that pose a risk to our people, tools, infrastructure and business

as generative AI to improve the customer 
and adviser experience

 » Driving digital adoption so that more 

customers and advisers can easily access 
services

 » Leveraging our cloud adoption to improve 

operational efficiencies

 » Simplifying and modernising of the 

information technology estate to unlock 
efficiencies

Related material matters

Strategic focus areas

Capitals

FC

HC

MC

  Life insurance risk

The risk that actual mortality and morbidity is worse than what we expected

2022 vs 2023
Lower

Outlook

Stakeholders

Our Life and Savings business provides insurance cover for a wide range of contingencies to our customers. The mortality and morbidity risk associated with providing this cover is aligned with our business strategy 
of offering protection products.

Impact
 » Mortality and morbidity losses reduce earnings where experience 

Key actions
 » Undertake experience investigations in areas of concern and 

is worse than expected

reviewing pricing

Opportunities
 » Refining the granularity of our rating categories for pricing purposes
 » Tilting business mix towards underwritten products in the  

 » Where losses are expected to continue for the foreseeable future, 

 » Continue to monitor the impact of pandemics on the 

middle-income market

they are capitalised in that year for the expected future losses by way 
of a basis change, which multiplies the effect of a single-year loss

underwriting experience

 » Investigate the climate change risk and its impact on mortality 

Related material matters

and morbidity

Strategic focus area

 » Capturing cross-selling opportunities to increase customer needs met 

by writing disability, critical illness and other benefits in addition 
to death cover

Capitals

FC

HC

55

Integrated Report 2023  
 
Top risks continued

  Organisational resilience risk

2022 vs 2023
Higher

Outlook

Stakeholders

The risk of the organisation not being able to withstand operational risk-related events that could cause significant operational failures or wide-scale disruptions to servicing and/or financial markets, such 
as pandemics, cyber incidents, technology failures, power grid failures or natural disasters

Scenario planning assists us in assessing where we need to strengthen resilience to ensure smooth operations and a consistent customer experience despite challenges affecting operations.

Impact
 » Operational systems, people and/or processes 

Key actions
 » Consistently implement existing risk management frameworks, business continuity plans and third-party 

are impacted depending on the cause, size and 
timing of the disruption, with possible 
reputational impacts

 » Human error in manual processes could result 
in financial losses to the organisation, as well 
as reputational impact

 » Third-party risk events may have a detrimental 
effect on servicing and/or information security
 » Extended load shedding at higher stages may 

have operational impacts on servicing

dependency management across Old Mutual Limited

 » Align operational resilience approach with identified critical functions and shared services and appropriate 

governances

 » Continue to improve our identification and management of operational risks
 » Strengthen our business continuity planning and the regularity of testing them, including scenario planning 

and simulations

 » Ensure we have complete and valid maps of our critical processes, including interconnections and 

interdependencies

 » Continue to strengthen our third-party risk management capability and processes
 » Strengthen our incident management capabilities and processes
 » Continue elevating our current information security and cyber capabilities
 » Accommodate employees in the office as part of our hybrid working arrangements during higher stages 

of load shedding to ensure uninterrupted service levels as far as possible

 » Improve our power resilience at our main campuses and branches to maximise operating hours during 

extended load shedding or a possible grid failure

 » Continue engaging with our established Crisis committee, which is invoked if there is a major business resilience event

Related material matters

Strategic focus areas

Opportunities
 » Improving our overall resilience will allow 
us to service our customers and advisers 
during a potential crisis

 » Having a best-in-practice approach 

to resilience to allow for easier regulatory 
compliance

 » Proactively identifying and addressing 

operational risks can result in eliminating 
or minimising the impact of disruptions

 » Improving resilience also allows for 

improved cost efficiencies, competitive 
advantage

Capitals

FC

HC

MC

NC

IC

  Credit risk

2022 vs 2023
New

Outlook

Stakeholders

The risk of higher-than-expected default rates in our retail and investment credit portfolios due to the macroeconomic environment. The low growth environment affects the demand for corporate credit, which 
depresses credit margins for lenders

It is also challenging to maintain margins within the retail credit book given strong competition for decreasing the pool of better quality borrowers.

Impact
 » Higher default rates impact retail credit losses and have the 

potential to substantially reduce profitability through increased 
provisions and write-offs

 » The inability to take on new retail credit at historic margins 
could reduce return on capital in our lending businesses
 » Defaults on debt instruments backing guaranteed liabilities 

reduces excess capital

 » Re-scheduling payments on debt instruments backing 

liabilities may impact liquidity

 » Defaults on debt instruments backing with profit funds and 

linked investments reduce the investment return

Key actions
 » Diversify the credit portfolio across different sectors, maturities and counterparties
 » Set appropriate credit risk appetite limits and early warning triggers to ensure that 

actions can be taken timeously to correct unexpected performance deviations

 » Strong oversight and governance of credit making processes
 » Continuously monitor and revise of credit granting processes and mechanisms
 » Strict oversight of credit models and changes made to them
 » Rollout and embed of the investment credit risk framework in Old Mutual Africa Regions
 » Rightsize our exposure to state owned entities
 » Enhance portfolio monitoring, particularly for sectors most at risk
 » Enhance and optimise collections capabilities and strategies in our retail lending entities

Opportunities
 » Identifying investment and lending opportunities 
in sectors with growth potential, resilience or are 
counter-cyclical

 » Identifying renewable energy and infrastructure 

development investment opportunities that could 
assist economic growth and diversify investment 
credit instruments

 » Enhancing test and learn capabilities to improve 
the predictive capabilities of retail credit models
 » Further enhancing automation and data analytic 

capabilities across retail credit portfolios

Related material matters

Strategic focus areas

Capitals

FC

IC

56

Integrated Report 2023  
 
Top risks continued

  People risk

2022 vs 2023
Unchanged

Outlook

Stakeholder

This risk arises from not attracting, developing and retaining the skills necessary to implement our strategic objectives, and from insufficient action to reduce the risk of burnout among key employees

Specialist skills are required to deliver our strategic objectives, and compelling remote working opportunities mean we are competing to retain and attract talent on a global scale.

Impact
 » Talent retention for certain skills which are in high demand 

Key actions
 » Revise remuneration value propositions in line with local environments where 

globally and locally due to remote working opportunities where 
salaries are paid in hard currencies, which is particularly prevalent 
across the Old Mutual Africa Regions businesses where talent 
outflows are driven by local, American and European employers

 » Increasing work demands on a small pool of subject matter 
experts created by a few key strategic business programmes 
continues to create overall employee wellbeing risk

 » Deterioration in employee wellness could impact delivery and 
service, including the execution of large programmes critical 
to our strategy

we operate

 » Continue to position Old Mutual as an attractive employer of choice in the external market
 » Institute a mandatory two days in the office as part of hybrid approach to work, supporting 

the need for flexibility and accommodation of critical and scarce skills and roles
 » Implement an overarching wellbeing strategy which is cascaded into businesses. 

This is supported by bespoke wellness initiatives and plans within those businesses 
and a Group-wide employee assistance programme

 » Manage staff burnout risk by filling vacancies, effective prioritisation and capacity 

planning

Related material matter

Strategic focus areas

Opportunities
 » Leveraging wider recruitment pools due to hybrid 

working for specialist skills

 » Offering retention bonuses for key talent delivering 

strategic initiatives

 » Implementing non-financial retention strategies 

at a Group and business unit level

Capitals

HC

FC

  Non-life insurance risk

2022 vs 2023
Higher

Outlook

Stakeholders

The risk of adverse impacts on our ability to write profitable Property and Casualty business

The underwriting experience across our Property and Casualty businesses is susceptible to pricing of replacement parts and adverse weather conditions, as well as higher cancellations due to affordability concerns 
of customers. The reinsurance market has become increasingly difficult over the past few years, resulting in less capacity and higher premiums to transfer risk to a third party.

Impact
 » Increased claims due to the increased frequency and severity of weather 

Key actions
 » Evaluate different reinsurance options across our entities that offer Property 

Opportunities
 » Leveraging insights derived from the Climate 

catastrophes

and Casualty products

Change Task Force

 » Deterioration in the earnings of the Property and Casualty businesses due 

 » Continue to review policy wording in South Africa to ensure we manage 

 » Partnering with other insurers, municipalities and 

to underwriting losses and higher cancellations due to affordability concerns
 » Slow growth in the book size of our Property and Casualty businesses across 

Africa

escalating exposures to risks such as power surges, etc.

 » Launch a retail top-up product to ensure indemnity level is maintained
 » Deliver process efficiencies and reduction in claims management costs, 

third parties on climate change

 » Exploring opportunities to develop new products
 » Exploring partnerships with SMMEs linked to the 

 » Increased retention of risk on the balance sheet of Property and Casualty 

particularly on motor books

insurance industry

businesses due to the hardening reinsurance market and possible 
contraction in underwriting margins

 » Inflation and currency depreciation increasing the cost of claims

Related material matters

Strategic focus area

Capitals

FC

MC

NC

57

Integrated Report 2023  
 
PERFORMANCE 
AGAINST STRATEGY

In this section

Growing and protecting the core

Unlocking new growth engines

Agile delivery driven by engaged employees

Rewarding strategic performance

59

64

68

71

58

Integrated Report 2023 Growing and protecting the core
At the core, we start from a position of strength. We have large businesses with leading market positions in Mass and 
Foundation Cluster, Personal Finance and Wealth Management, Old Mutual Corporate, Old Mutual Insure, Old Mutual 
Investments and across most of the Southern African Development Community.

Holistic coverage of customer needs

What we aim for
»  To offer a high-quality, holistic financial services offering 

anchored in financial wellness

»  Customers are able to meet all their primary financial services 
needs with us, at any stage of their life and financial journey 
 » Customers benefit from having multiple products with us, are 

rewarded for doing so, and get a seamless, engaging experience 
throughout their journey

How we deliver this
Our holistic solutions span life and savings, investments, property 
and casualty and lending and banking. Each solution offers 
various products to meet our customers’ needs. Our solutions are 
flexible and can be tailored to customers’ changing circumstances 
and needs. Beyond the products we offer, we support customers 
to attain financial wellness by providing financial advice and 
education. Customers are rewarded for choosing Old Mutual 
as their partner and for progressing towards their financial goals.

Our medium-term priorities

Launch new flexible and modular solutions, such as the new 
savings and income proposition, by utilising the new core 
technology infrastructure

Launch of our transactional banking capability 
in South Africa

Further integrate Old Mutual Rewards across our 
solution set

1

2

3

4

What we achieved
»  Continued enhancements to Old Mutual Rewards, with membership numbers 
now reaching over 2.2 million (2022: 1.8 million). We also launched Old Mutual 
Rewards in Namibia

»  Continued the accelerated growth of Old Mutual Protect, our market-leading risk 
proposition, which also supported the shift to underwritten life sales in the South 
African retail mass market

»  Expanded our health insurance offering, through the launch of Old Mutual Health 

Solutions

»  Enhanced our SMME offering through the next iteration of the SMEgo platform, 
feature enhancements include online payment links to help businesses get paid 
faster, the incorporation of insurance for business protection and funding 
enhancements that enable businesses to get their credit score and select the 
most suitable funding product

»  Launched a pilot of our home loan solution, in partnership with SA Home Loans. 

Our Rewards programme is integrated into the solution.

Impacted capitals and resource allocation

Inputs

Outcomes

FC   Financial capital

HC   Human capital

IC   Intellectual capital

  Increased  
  Increased  
  Increased  

FC

MC

SC

Associated value driver
»  Revenue growth

Strategic KPIs
Old Mutual Rewards membership (000) 

Number of people reached through financial education1 (m) 

2023

2 200

2022

1 800

2021

1 300

2020

830

2023

20

2022

2021

2020

37

22

20

Old Mutual Protect Life APE sales2 (Rm)  

Old Mutual Protect active policies (m) 

2023

2 158

2022

1 854

2021

1 645

2020

300

2023

2022

2021

2020

1.8

1.7

1.1

1.0

Launch home loan and solar solutions

1	

	This	metric	comprises	of	financial	education	social	media	reach	as	well	as	face-to-face	financial	education.	In	the	last	year,	the	social	media	platforms	X	and	Facebook	have	changed	their	data	
extraction	methodologies	to	no	longer	include	organic	reach	figures.	This	has	resulted	in	the	decrease	in	number	from	2022

2	 Standardised	measure	of	the	value	of	new	life	insurance	business	underwritten

59

Integrated Report 2023  
 
 
Growing and protecting the core continued

Holistic coverage of customer needs continued

Providing quality access to 
affordable health care
The launch of Old Mutual Health Solutions 
marks an exciting milestone in our journey 
to becoming our customers’ financial partner 
of choice and provider of integrated solutions. 
We recognise the importance of improving 
health care access and outcomes as a priority 
customer need. Starting with a primary care 
focus, we acknowledge that the cost of 
comprehensive medical aid is prohibitive 
for many South Africans. Statistics show that 
84% of South Africans currently rely on an 
overburdened public health care system, 
with only 16% of the population able to access 
private health care. Our solutions, offered 
in an integrated fashion, as part of Old Mutual 
Corporate’s employee benefits proposition, 
were launched to fill this gap in the market. The 
offering spans a range of solutions that provide 
affordable access to high-quality private health 
care to employees who earn up to R30 000 per 
month. 

The innovative solution provides value 
to employers and employees. Many employees 
are forced to miss days of work when seeking 
medical attention and may not get the quality 
care they need to recover from illness or injury. 
Employers benefit from this solution through 
lower absenteeism and improved productivity. 
Employees benefit from access to quality health 
care and value-added benefits that contribute 
to their holistic wellbeing. With every plan, 
members gain access to a personal health 
adviser, a clinically trained professional available 
for telephonic consultations and advice around 
the clock. The plans also include 24-hour 
emergency medical services, ensuring access 
to private emergency care when needed, 
financial support with accidental death benefits 
and access to a primary health care nurse 
to support wellbeing.

Supporting financial wellness through financial education
Financial education forms the foundation of healthy financial behaviour 
by helping to close the gap in an individual’s financial knowledge. Our 
investment in financial education reaches more than 36 million 
customers in Africa. We see financial education as an important tool 
to support financial wellness, drive financial inclusion and improve overall 
financial resilience.

In South Africa, On the Money is our flagship financial education 
programme that reaches several of our stakeholder groups, including 
our customers, advisers and the broader communities in which 
we operate. The content is delivered through a range of formats, making 
it easy for participants to interact with us in the way they are most 
comfortable. This includes face-to-face sessions, digital delivery through 

an online portal and an engaging podcast series. In 2023, we launched 
a new WhatsApp line to help customers and advisers proactively 
manage their financial journeys. Embedded with an AI capability, 
customers are able to get instant answers to a range of personal-finance 
related questions. Some of the content includes  budgeting tips, steps 
to get out debt, guidance on drafting a will and the ability to connect 
with a financial adviser. 

On the Money reaches an audience of almost 20 million people, and 
makes a meaningful impact in supporting customers towards financial 
wellness. Participants are left feeling more in control and more 
financially confident after attending an On the Money session. 

The Big five secrets of money management
THE BIG 5 SECRETS OF MONEY MANAGEMENT
The On The Money programme concentrates on helping people get into 
savings habits, and get out of debt traps.

Be fearless like the lion 
and take control 
of your money.

THE SECRET OF THE LION 

Be fearless like the lion and take 
control of your money.

THE SECRET OF THE RHINO 

Charge down your 
debt like a rhino. 
Do not let your debt 
run  your life.

Charge down your debt like a 
rhino. Don’t let your debt run  
your life. 

Focus on your goals 
like the leopard stalks 
its prey.
THE SECRET OF THE LEOPARD 

Focus on your goals like the 
leopard stalks its prey.

Pay attention like the 
elephant. Know your 
income, track your 
expenses and make 
informed choices.

THE SECRET OF THE ELEPHANT 
Pay attention like the elephant. Know 
your income, track your expenses and 
make informed choices.

Protect yourself, your 
THE SECRET OF THE BUFFALO 
assets and your family. 
Protect yourself, your assets and 
Grow your herd’s 
your family. Grow your herd’s 
(family’s) wealth.
(family’s) wealth.

A financial  
behaviour change 
experience

For more information please email 
financialeducation@oldmutual.com

Impact of On the Money sessions
We see an increase in feelings of financial control ...
» Pre-session: 25% of respondents feel like they are  

not in control of their finances

» Post session: This number dropped to only 3% after the 

On the Money session

We see an increase in financial confidence levels …
» Pre-session: 

 → 20% of respondents indicate that they are not 

confident in managing their finances before the session

 → 49% are confident in managing their finances

» Post session: 

 → Respondents that are not confident in managing their 

finances drop to only 4% after the On the Money session
 → Respondents that are confident in managing their finances 

increased to 82% after the session

Catch Old Mutual On The Money on:

 On The Money Financial Education Programme   

  @OM_OnTheMoney             WhatsApp 011 966 8066     

   Old Mutual On The Money

   Board focus: Customer and product governance

Old Mutual Life Assurance Company (SA) Limited is a licensed FSP and Life Insurer.

4
8
6
8
C

3
2
0
2
8
0

.

S
D
B
M
O

The Board has a statutory responsibility to ensure our customers’ interests are represented and safeguarded. During the year the Board:
»  Continued to oversee the Group’s efforts to enhance our customer centric approach to become our customers’ first choice, including the various 

digital capabilities being built to enhance the customer experience, particularly customer service

»  Considered and monitored the impact of the constrained macroeconomic environment on our customers 
»  Monitored the compliance of our products and services with all relevant laws and regulations, including those related to consumer protection and 

data privacy

»  Continued to oversee the programme responsible for market conduct programme throughout the Group

60

Integrated Report 2023  
 
 
 
 
Growing and protecting the core continued

Distribution and digital engagement

What we aim for
» Customers and advisers can reach us where and when 

they need us – whether physically or digitally

» Delivering a meaningful and personalised customer 
experience, integrated across digital and face-to-face 
mediums through the MyOldMutual platform 

» Making it easier for advisers to do business with us

How we deliver this
We will extend our traditional face-to-face interactions through 
new distribution channels and distribution partnerships. We 
will leverage new technologies to better enable our advisers 
and empower customers to connect with us through the 
channel of their choice.

We will convert our understanding of our customers’ goals and 
circumstances to provide personalised, regular and meaningful 
engagement. At the centre of this intent is MyOldMutual, 
a pan-African digital platform that aims to deliver a seamless 
and integrated customer experience across our full suite 
of capabilities. This includes financial advice, financial 
education, rewards, data-driven nudges and a full suite 
of modular products. This will enable us to offer customers the 
right solutions at the right time, helping them to reach their 
financial goals.

Our medium-term priorities

Accelerate the rollout of our needs based goals and 
financial wellness platform to South African customers

Grow adviser and franchise footprint across selected 
South African segments

1

2

3

What we achieved
»  Broadened our points of presence through strategic partnerships and 
acquisitions, including Bridge Taxi Finance, Pineapple (an insurtech 
company) and Two Mountains Funeral Services

»  Launched an innovative fintech solution in Zimbabwe called O’mari, 

which  encompasses mobile money, insurtech and healthtech services

»  Enhanced our servicing processes to improve the customer and 

adviser experience, translating into an increase in our Net Promoter 
Score

»  Partnered with OneConnect Financial Technology (part of the Ping An 
Group, one of the largest integrated financial services companies in the 
world) to develop our new digital adviser workbench

»  Launched a pilot of the next iteration of our needs based goals and 
financial wellness capability to a small cohort of customers and 
advisers

Impacted capitals and resource allocation

Inputs

FC   Financial capital

HC   Human capital

IC   Intellectual capital

SC

   Social and 
relationship capital

Outcomes

  Increased   FC

  Increased   MC

  Increased  IC

  Increased   SC

Associated value drivers
»  Revenue growth
 » Operating margins

Strategic KPIs

Net Promoter Score

2023

2022

2021

2020

70

67

70

60

Digital life APE1, 2 sales (Rm) 

2023

368

2022

2021

315

310

2020

134

Digitally enable our advisers to improve the adviser 
experience and their productivity

1	 Standardised	measure	of	the	value	of	new	life	insurance	business	underwritten
2		 Digital	sales	figures	are	for	South	Africa	only

61

Integrated Report 2023  
 
 
 
Growing and protecting the core continued

Distribution and digital engagement continued

Enhancing the adviser experience
Face-to-face distribution is our primary channel for advice-led sales and 
represents the tangible experience of the trust the Old Mutual brand is known 
for. Our intermediaries are an important element of our internal ecosystem. The 
intermediary landscape is characterised by an increasing regulatory burden, 
and professional adviser fees under pressure. By investing in the digitalisation 
of the intermediary proposition, we aim to make it easier for them to do 
business with us and, by extension, be better equipped to serve our customers.

Our digital adviser enablement strategy aims to reduce friction in our systems 
to make it easier for our advisers to understand the full customer circumstances, 
use our platforms and offer our solutions to customers. The use of technology 
also allows us to automate administration and communication. This frees 
up time for advisers to deliver value by servicing customers, reviewing their 
portfolios and cover, setting goals and recommending appropriate solutions.

We partnered with OneConnect Financial Technology (part of the Ping 
An Group) to leverage their leading insurance and technology expertise 
to build digitised solutions that will enhance our new digital adviser platform. 
We launched a pilot with a select adviser group and aim to scale the solution 
to the broader adviser community this year. 

   Refer to the Sustainability Report for more detail on intermediaries

     Board focus: Digital journey governance

The Board is responsible for overseeing the Group’s digital journey, 
it’s sustainability and facilitating the delivery of an integrated financial 
services offering. During the year the Board: 
»  Ensured that the Group remained at the forefront of innovation 

and digitalisation
 → This ensures our products and services are competitive and meet 

the changing needs of customers 

 → This includes using digital channels and data analytics to better 
understand customer needs and tailor products and services 
accordingly

»  Monitored the progress and effectiveness of information and 

technology strategies and initiatives across the Group, including 
reskilling employees and using AI tools

»  Ensured the Group’s cyber security risk is managed within tolerance 

levels

»  Considered and deliberated on new technologies and associated 

IT security risks, noting that management implemented mitigating 
controls

Innovating through our 
fintech platform – O’mari 
In Zimbabwe, we 
launched our 
fintech business, 
O’mari, with a 
vision to create 
better everyday 
lives, today and 
tomorrow. O’mari 
offers mobile 
money services, 
insurtech, 
investech, digital 
lending, e-commence, electronic payments 
and digital products and services for the 
retail mass market. O’mari’s tailored 
products cater to the everyday person. They 
include unique micro-insurance solutions, 
FoodCare and SchoolCare, which offer 
simple, affordable, and flexible micro-
insurance cover. The O’mari platform 
provides customers freedom of choice and 
convenience, care for loved ones and peace 
of mind that their families will be looked 
after should unfortunate events occur. As 
part of the platform’s loyalty and rewards 
programme, frequent transactions provide 
customers access to O’mari HealthCare. A 
single, convenient platform allows access to 
customers through multiple mediums. The 
platform comprises the O’mari mobile app, 
uniform, universal mobile network USSD 
short codes and a WhatsApp platform. The 
initial market response was overwhelmingly 
positive, with over half a million customers 
signing up on O’mari in the first six months 
following its launch. This platform aligns with  
our integrated financial services ambition to 
deliver practical solutions to customers’ 
everyday challenges.

     For more information on our technology 

operating context refer to page 42

62

Integrated Report 2023  
Growing and protecting the core continued

Operational efficiencies

What we aim for
»  To achieve a better cost to serve while delivering with speed 

and agility

 » To enhance growth and margins through scale in processes, 

products and infrastructure

 » To optimise capital allocation and efficiencies

How we deliver this
We will leverage efficiencies through advances in technologies 
by (a) removing legacy systems where needed or migrating 
them to cloud based systems for higher scalability at lower cost; 
(b) implementing robotic process automation and AI solutions; 
and (c) investing in our infrastructure to deliver a product 
platform for unified solutions. This will enable us to offer multiple 
products to multiple segments using the same infrastructure, 
allowing us to extract the benefits of scale. These technology 
investments will also enable us to deliver a customer and adviser 
experience that is fast, consistent and able to meet their 
always-on expectations. 

What we achieved
»  We modernised our core South African retail administration platform, 
which services South Africa and Namibia. We launched Old Mutual 
Protect off this platform in 2021 with enhancements over time 
» We migrated our old generation risk solution’s in-force book (the 

risk solution known in the market as Greenlight) onto the new retail 
platform. We started decommissioning the old platforms, which will 
reduce operational costs once concluded

» We migrated our South African IT estate to the cloud. We started 
this journey in 2019 and in Q1 2023, we successfully concluded the 
migration of 100% of our in-scope IT estate to the cloud, enabling 
improved scale and reliability of the underlying IT infrastructure 
» We streamlined our  digital assets across the Group. This included 

consolidating 13 of our public websites into a single platform, allowing 
users to create, update, optimise, and deliver content to the right 
audiences at the right time on the right channels to improve our 
sales and service experiences across our different regions

 » We migrated our core platforms and data lake in Old Mutual Insure 

to the cloud

Impacted capitals and resource allocation

Inputs

Outcomes

FC   Financial capital

HC   Human capital

  Increased   FC

  Increased   MC

IC   Intellectual capital

  Increased   IC

Associated value drivers
»  Operating margins
»  Competitive strengths
 » Execution and delivery

Our medium-term priorities

1

2

3

4

Decommission South Africa’s heritage retail administration 
platforms

Migrate Old Mutual Insure and Old Mutual Africa 
Regions Information Technology (IT) estate to the cloud

Modernise Old Mutual Insure Insure’s information 
technology (IT) estate by leveraging data and technology 
to drive efficiencies 

Optimise allocated capital 

Migrating our heritage in-force risk book
We successfully migrated our heritage South African risk 
book, Greenlight, onto our new retail platform and started 
decommissioning the old platforms. This represents an important 
milestone in our technology modernisation journey and towards 
delivering on our integrated financial services ambitions. Following 
the migration, our old generation Greenlight policies and our 
flagship Old Mutual Protect proposition are on our new retail 
administration platform. The migration is a tangible example 
of mutual value creation for our business and our key stakeholders. 
Our advisers benefit by being able to service customers 
on a common digital platform with Old Mutual Protect and 
includes features such as paperless servicing and straight 
through processing. These capabilities improve adviser 
productivity, operational efficiency and servicing cycle times. 
Our business benefits through the simplification of our life 
insurance operations and the cost efficiencies this brings. The 
cumulative impact is that we are able to continually innovate 
and deliver efficiencies to remain competitive over the long term.

Our South African retail risk proposition in numbers 

Our Greenlight Migration

Old Mutual Protect 

1.85 million 
Greenlight policies

1.9 million  
Protect policies 

63

Integrated Report 2023  
 
 
Unlocking new growth engines

Strategic growth businesses

What we aim for
To drive customer access, new offerings and capabilities through digital-led 
solutions, including ecosystem based ventures and strategic relationships.

How we deliver this
We invest in and allocate capital to new growth businesses and new business 
models with higher inherent risk-return profiles compared to incremental 
improvements to the core. Thus, we set up NEXT176 as a new business unit, with 
a strong investment governance system in place and we are building a bank.

What we achieved
»  Entered into four key strategic 
partnerships through NEXT176

 » Made significant progress 

on our bank build

Impacted capitals and resource allocation

Inputs

Outcomes

FC   Financial capital

HC   Human capital

IC   Intellectual capital

SC

   Social and 
relationship capital

  Increased   MC

  Increased   IC

  Decreased   FC

Associated value 
drivers
»  Capital efficiencies
»  Revenue growth
 » Operating margins

Our medium-term priorities

1

2

3

4

Launch our bank in South Africa

Make strategic investments in high-growth and disruptive companies 
across our targeted ecosystems

Capitalise on the growing trend of disaggregated financial serves value 
chains 

Build large-scale, strategic relationships that support distribution channel 
expansion and product innovation opportunities 

     Board focus: Banking offering governance

The Group is focusing on delivering an integrated financial services offering, 
which includes building the bank. During the year the Board:
»  Through the Banking subcommittee, approved the submission of the licence 
application under section 16 of the Banks Act, 94 of 1990, for the registration 
of the banking offering

»  Monitored expenditure and progress to complete our banking offering
»  Oversaw the banking offering’s customer value proposition, the differentiation 

of the offering and its integration into the Group’s wider product offering 

Investing in our South African transactional banking capability

Our application for a banking licence in South Africa brings us a step closer to delivering on our victory condition by enhancing 
our ability to sustain our customers’ prosperity. Our bank build is a core component of our integrated financial services 
ecosystem. A transactional banking capability enhances our ability to regularly interact with our customers and partner with 
them early in their life journeys. We are building the bank through a digital-led functionality and will primarily service upper 
mass market and lower affluent consumers (customers earning between approximately R5 000 – R80 000 per month).

We have existing lending and transactional solutions in South Africa, consisting of our Money Account and an unsecured 
lending product. Our current transactional solution is delivered through a commercial arrangement with a third-party bank. 
Securing our own banking licence allows us to hold the primary relationship with our customers. This will drive greater regular 
interaction with them and enhance cross-selling opportunities across our businesses. 

Our core banking platform is being built using the latest, cloud native technology provided by 10x Banking. Building our bank 
from the ground up, using the latest available technologies, allows us to differentiate in the context of the South African retail 
banking landscape. This includes the ability to deliver personalised, cost-effective, flexible and scalable solutions to our 
customers. We are on track to launch our proposition within the next 12 months, subject to regulatory approval.

The hallmarks of our bank

Cloud native 
software-as-a-
service model

Reinvent the 
customer 
experience 
paradigm

Allow us to  
react faster  
to customer 
needs,  
competitive 
forces

Differentiated  
by cost

64

Integrated Report 2023  
 
 
Unlocking new growth engines continued

Strategic growth businesses continued

Driving innovation through NEXT176
NEXT176 was established with a mandate to accelerate the growth and innovation agenda at an 
enterprise level. This includes delivering large-scale, strategic partnerships, supporting distribution 
channel expansion, product innovation opportunities, and capitalising on the growing trend of 
disaggregation of financial services value chains through embedded finance. NEXT176 delivers value by:

»  Building new growth ventures across our priority ecosystems to enhance our businesses of today 

and build businesses for future success

»  Investing in companies for either distribution or capability across key ecosystems and target sectors
 » Partnering with large scale businesses to unlock the benefits of embedded finance for customers

Meeting customer needs through ecosystem based business 
models
We aim to meaningfully impact our customers’ lives through our ecosystem approach. We aim 
to achieve this by solving friction points in the following ecosystems with attractive growth 
potential, where we are well placed for success.

Education

Sustainability  
and ESG

Income  
protection

Delivering shared value through strategic partnerships
Strategic partnerships are a capital-efficient way to access customers at scale and represent 
a significant distribution opportunity for Old Mutual’s existing and new products. Over the past year, 
NEXT176 successfully concluded four strategic relationships, spanning the Vodacom Group, ShopriteX 
(the digital arm of the Shoprite Group), TEBA and SC Ventures (Standard Chartered’s innovation, 
fintech investment and ventures arm).

Our partnership with the Vodacom Group included the participation of the 
Vodacom Group as an employer in Old Mutual’s SuperFund and Old Mutual 
transferred its mobile estate to Vodacom.   

Future areas of collaboration include the provision of finance for backup power 
solutions, supporting Vodacom’s ESG efforts through Tweak Carbon (NEXT176’s 
carbon accounting software venture) and insurance solutions through iWYZE.

Through our partnership with Openview and ShopriteX, we launched a ‘buy now, 
pay later’ proposition, OsioPay, which is live in the market.

The partnership between NEXT176 and ShopriteX seeks to explore synergies in our 
businesses in common ecosystems of focus.

Debt

Health

Jobs

TEBA and Old Mutual Will partnered to offer TEBA’s employees and over 280 000 
customers access to the TEBA branded Digital Wills. This will allow them to protect 
their estates, safeguard their legacies and address the financial burdens associated 
with death expenses through simplified insurance products.


2022: 

Our partnership with SC Ventures seeks to leverage synergies between our growth 
ventures. This started with micro, small and medium enterprise lending in Kenya 
through a partnership between SOLV Kenya, a platform for facilitating trade and 
financing for micro, small and medium enterprises, and Faulu, an Old Mutual 
Microfinance Bank, with Faulu making up the bulk of the current monthly 
disbursements.

     Refer to Industry trends on pages 41 to 45 of this report

65

Integrated Report 2023 Unlocking new growth engines continued
Our new growth engines are an emerging part of our portfolio. They will deliver new revenue streams and future earnings for 
the Group over the longer term. 

These businesses are in their infancy, with considerable investment required to build the requisite infrastructure and capabilities. They were deliberately set up to allow us to deliver new solutions at pace and swiftly adapt 
to new trends as they emerge. We remain steadfast in our belief that doing the right thing for customers will translate into sustainable financial value over the long term. 

Strategic growth markets

Our businesses in East and West Africa and our joint venture in China represent our strategic growth markets. We have a small presence in these 
regions and see the potential for faster growth relative to our core businesses. 

What we achieved
» Corporate sales as a percentage of total APE sales was 55% in East 

Africa and 56% in West Africa

» Strong improvement in  underwriting margin across our  East African 

businesses

» Entered into four strategic partnerships in Ghana to deliver enhanced 

solutions to customers through innovative digital channels

Impacted capitals and resource allocation

Inputs

Outcomes

FC   Financial capital

IC   Intellectual capital

SC

   Social and 
relationship capital

  Increased   MC

  Increased    IC

  Decreased   FC

Associated value drivers
»  Capital efficiencies
»  Revenue growth
»  Operating margins

What we aim for
 » To become a top three player in our chosen markets across East 

and West Africa over the medium term

 » To seek further growth opportunities in China given the position 

we occupy in the niche, affluent end of the market

How we deliver this
We will adopt a country and region-specific approach to deepening 
our presence in our identified growth markets. This means we 
might not participate in the full value chain in these markets, but 
instead focus on specific products, capabilities and partnerships 
to strengthen our regional positioning.

Our medium-term priorities

1

2

3

4

Deliver profitable topline growth through a strategic pivot 
to corporate business in East and West Africa

Turn around and fix underperforming businesses

Expand our solutions and scale through strategic 
partnerships, digital technologies and disruptive innovation

Explore new growth opportunities in China

66

Integrated Report 2023  
 
 
Unlocking new growth engines continued

Strategic growth markets continued

Driving innovation and partnerships to accelerate growth in 
Ghana
Our approach to organic growth in Ghana focuses on driving innovation through partnerships. Strategic 
partnerships support enhanced innovation, speed of execution and capital-efficient value creation through 
access to multiple ecosystems and diverse customer bases. We worked on collaborations and alliances 
within the digital economy and mobile money ecosystem. The mobile money sector recorded a transaction 
value of GHS1.9 trillion in 2023, with a compound annual growth rate of 50% since 2020. To date, we have 
six key partnerships within the fintech and telco industries. Our efforts aim to develop alternate distribution 
channels within these ecosystems by embedding and co-creating solutions. Our distribution and product 
related pilots underway include a partnership with a fintech, where we launched a savings-backed loan that 
allows customers to easily access emergency funds. We are piloting a savings solution with encouraging 
results so far. The lessons and customer feedback from these pilots will allow us to refine and enhance our 
offerings to support revenue generation and customer value in 2024.

Delivering customer and shareholder value through our pivot 
to corporate 
Given our smaller presence in some of our East and West Africa regions, we made a strategic choice to pivot 
to corporate offerings in selected markets to improve the profitability of our life insurance operations. This will 
ensure we deliver sustained growth over the long term, while the broader retail market matures. We rolled 
out the below initiatives to support this shift:
» A more competitive product offering, including group life assurance with new product features and 

benefits

» An enhanced broker value proposition to better support our intermediaries, including: 

 → Training and development on specialist product topics 
 → An enhanced servicing model, offering brokers dedicated support and quicker turnaround times
 → Our new top brokers’ conference, which aims to recognise our top supporting brokers and create 

a platform to share best practice examples  from leading broker practices

» Financial education for our customers and support for our brokers to deliver financial education 

to their clients

The results thus far are encouraging, with corporate sales now accounting for over 50% of total life sales 
in East and West Africa. We saw a year-on-year improvement in the broker experience, which increased 
the number of supporting brokers. Our corporate brand tracker results confirm that we are on the right 
path to positioning the Old Mutual brand as a leading holistic employee benefits and wellness provider 
in Ghana. We observed an improvement in our 2023 survey results, which show that more corporates and 
intermediaries view Old Mutual as their preferred choice for group risk solutions when compared to 2022. 
Old Mutual Ghana is now also the second largest financial services provider in the Ghana corporate market, 
with a market share of 15%.

67

Integrated Report 2023 Enabled by

Agile delivery driven by engaged employees

What we aim for
We believe agile delivery driven by engaged employees yields 
meaningful customer experiences. We strive to unlock the potential, 
passion and drive of our employees by creating meaningful 
experiences for them. We aim to create an environment where our 
employees find a deep sense of connection and meaning in our 
purpose and victory condition, as demonstrated by their relentless 
focus on delivering meaningful customer experiences at every stage 
of the customer journey. We want our employees to feel empowered 
and motivated to be part of an organisation that rewards and 
recognises high performance.

How we deliver this
Our people strategy focuses on building a future-fit, transformed 
workforce, culture and employee experience that enables the 
business to respond effectively to rapidly changing customer needs.

In building this workforce, we are creating an environment that 
embraces new ways of working and developing the capabilities 
needed to gear the business for growth. This will be supported 
by driving the requisite culture shifts to create an agile and 
execution-focused organisation. We will also ensure our employee 
experience, including our employee value proposition, remains 
compelling to attract and retain key talent.

What we achieved
»  Invested R241.6 million (2022: R176.4 million) in learning and development 
initiatives to support emerging talent, employee reskilling and upskilling 
and future-fitting our leaders

» Decreased our score in the employee engagement dimension of our 

Culture Index Score to 4.32 (2022: 4.42) 

» Achieved an employment equity score of 10.471 (2022: 10.39) in South  Africa, 

and maintained our level 1 B-BBEE rating in South Africa for a fourth 
conservative year

» Implemented a Remuneration Policy, which established a minimum annual 

salary of R180 000 for South Africa based employees

» Enhanced our Parental Leave Policy to be more inclusive and gender-
neutral; policy highlights include updated definitions of parents and 
co-parents to that of primary and secondary caregivers and fully paid 
parental leave across the Group 

» Issued an additional 5.04 million Bula Tsela shares in the Employee Share 
Scheme for new black South African employees who join a participating 
employer company; the grant was made under the original scheme rules 
using the initial allocation guidelines

 » Won the 2023 Top Graduate Employer Award in the insurance category
 » Received the Gold Award in the Best Integrated Campaign category 
of the 2023 South African Graduate Employers Association Awards

 » Won a double recognition by the South African Reward Association (SARA) 

for work on fair and responsible pay and strong disclosures in our 2022 
Remuneration Report

1  B-BBEE verification for 2023 had not been completed at publication date

Impacted capitals and resource allocation

Inputs

Outcome

  Increased   

HC

FC   Financial capital

IC   Intellectual capital

SC

   Social and 
relationship 
capital

Associated value drivers
»  Execution and delivery
»  Competitive strengths
 » Revenue growth 

Our medium-term priorities

1

2

3

Implement an agile operating model and ways of working 
to improve speed to market and efficiencies

Enable a future-fit workforce by investing in future skills 
development

Enhance our employee value proposition to attract, engage 
and retain top talent

4

Establish a diverse and inclusive workforce in all countries 
where we operate

Strategic KPIs
Employee engagement score (out of 6)

2023

4.32

2022

4.42

2021

4.54

Skills development spend (Rm)

2023

242

2022

176

2021

2020

82

89

68

Integrated Report 2023  
Enabled by continued

Agile delivery driven by engaged employees continued

Our approach to driving employee engagement
The successful execution of our strategy would not be possible without our employees being adequately 
equipped to deliver on our victory condition. We recognise that a multi-faceted approach is required 
as no single solution is going to effectively retain a productive and engaged workforce. This includes our 
ongoing investments in learning and development, talent management, proactively managing employee 
wellbeing, the continuous evolution of our hybrid working model, and targeted women’s development, 
among others. 

For more information on what we are doing in each of these areas, refer to our Sustainability Report

Our culture journey
Our culture transformation journey underpins our approach, guided by our culture and engagement 
model as measured by our Pulse Culture Survey, which was launched in 2019 . The survey provides our 
employees with the opportunity to provide feedback on their experience of the organisation. The full Pulse 
Culture and Engagement Survey is conducted every second year, with intermittent mini Pulse surveys. 
The insights from the results are used to drive organisational change to achieve the desired culture.

The overall Culture Index Score is an aggregate score of all questions in the 13 culture and engagement 
model dimensions, resulting in a score out of six. This score evidences the progress being made along the 
culture transformation journey, indicating how much work is required to achieve a positive and strong 
culture. All responses are anonymous and confidential. The data from the survey is used to create 
feedback reports on a Company, business unit and team level. The results are shared with all employees, 
executives and the Board. All leaders receive a dashboard with their team’s results to inform action plans 
to drive meaningful culture change and improve our employees’ experience of working at Old Mutual. 

We identified the following focus areas  as we continue to shift the culture at Old Mutual:
 » Drive inclusive leadership through leaders who value their teams and are more inclusive in the way 

they manage their people

 » Enhance employee engagement where employees have energy at work and enjoy the work they do
 » Foster psychological safety where employees feel safe enough in their work environment to take 

interpersonal risks involved in highlighting inadequate performance or asking questions and making 
suggestions for improvement

 » Enable execution and delivery and internal service delivery by removing hassles that impact or hinder 

delivery within the organisation and to our customers 

 » Attract and retain top talent by understanding our employee turnover risks and retention opportunities 

across critical talent groups

 » Further embed hybrid working initiatives focused on driving culture connectedness, leading high-

performing teams, immersing new hires and those early in their careers and designing workspaces 
in different working environments 

Refer to the Sustainability report under the responsible to employees section

.

     Refer to segment strategic performance for segmental survey results

69

Integrated Report 2023    
      
Enabled by continued

Agile delivery driven by engaged employees continued

Progressing our diversity, equity and inclusion agenda by 
building a diverse and equitable workforce
Our principal belief is that our strength and collective success lies in our diversity. It forms a core part of who we are, 
as reflected by our Company values. We embrace and respect the diversity of our people, and their differing views, 
opinions and experiences. We continue to champion gender rights and equality. Our diversity, equity and inclusion 
efforts align to our broader culture transformation journey as we work towards creating and sustaining an inclusive 
workplace. At Old Mutual, we represent various nationalities, races and cultures from across Africa, as well as different 
abilities, genders, generations, religions and beliefs. This helps to make us a strong, resourceful and resilient business. 
Old Mutual has zero tolerance toward discrimination, which is reinforced through our policies and practices.

Employee resource groups
Our employee resource groups bring our diversity and inclusion strategy to life and aim to drive connection, belonging, 
inclusion and engagement with our employees. We have three employee-led resource groups within the organisation. 

Through Pride@Mutual in South Africa, we aim to create a safe space for employees who identify 
as LGBTQIA+, and their allies, to drive meaningful change across our South African businesses. 
Pride@Mutual is committed to championing diversity and inclusion by driving an inclusive 
culture of respect, acceptance, and ongoing learning that authentically acknowledges people’s 
differences and similarities, enabling our employees to achieve their full potential personally and 
professionally within a safe working environment.

In 2023 Pride@Mutual represented Old Mutual at pride marches and events to demonstrate our 
support for the broader social cause.

Millennials@Old Mutual (MiOM) aims to create open and accessible platforms for young Mutualites 
to meaningfully contribute to shaping Old Mutual’s future. MiOM’s vision is to connect and engage 
Mutualites to influence the growth of Old Mutual Limited, giving a voice to young people in 
co-creating Old Mutual’s success story. 

The 2023 focus for MiOM was financial wellness, in light of the current socio-economic realities faced 
across the globe. Through an ongoing series of webinar engagements, MiOM has tackled topics 
ranging from the importance of financial advice and planning to the possible impact of retirement 
reform and the pending implementation of the two-pot system in South Africa in 2024.

The Old Mutual Women’s Network (OWN) provides a platform for women across our business 
to make a real difference in the workplace and within communities in which they operate. OWN has 
expanded its reach over time from South Africa to all of Africa. Each country receives Group support 
and guidance but runs independently to ensure authenticity and relevance in its strategy and 
implementation, given the diversity of environments and needs across our pan-African business.

In 2023 OWN took on the challenge to look beyond creating equal opportunities for women 
within Old Mutual and broader networks to truly understand women’s circumstances and act 
to empower them through projects and masterclasses.

Business agility to accelerate execution and delivery 

Execution and delivery is one 
of our value drivers and is critical 
to our competitiveness and 
ability to respond to our 
customers’ ever-evolving needs. 
We see business agility as a way 
to accelerate execution. We drive 
agility by transforming how 
teams organise themselves 
through agile practices, roles 
and events in certain parts of our 
business. To support the shifts 
required, we established an Agile 
Centre of Excellence to establish 
best practices and support their 
rollout in suitable areas of the 
organisation. Some established 
practices include developing the 
Old Mutual Agile Playbook, and 
introducing quarterly interaction 
models, agile forums and agile 
learning offerings.

Decentralised 
decision making

Putting the 
customer 
at the centre of 
everything 
we do

Continuous 
learning  
and 
improvement

Business 
agility

Self-organising
 teams

Continuous and 
incremental delivery 

     Board focus: Culture and human capital governance

The Board is responsible for setting and steering the Group’s culture. During the year the 
Board:
 » Continued to oversee the Group’s cultural transformation to a higher-performance culture, 

suited to a hybrid working environment

 » Monitored the Group’s efforts aimed at identifying, recruiting and retaining critical skills, 
as well as initiatives aimed at reskilling of employees to enable the delivery of the Group’s 
strategy

 » Continued to monitor the Group’s succession planning, in particular the succession plans 
for the eight Non-executive Directors who are due to step off the Board over the next two 
years, as well for the Executive committee and heads of control functions

 » Monitored Group culture and employee wellbeing to support a high-performing workforce 

in a changing world of work

70

Integrated Report 2023 Rewarding strategic performance
Remuneration philosophy and principles
Our remuneration philosophy underpins our Group strategy in supporting a high-performance culture that remunerates engaged employees who make meaningful contributions to achieve the Group’s purpose, victory 
condition and values. Our core remuneration principles support this philosophy and are underpinned by our fair and responsible pay approach, ensuring that remuneration across the Group is externally relevant, internally 
equitable and supports the delivery of the Group’s short, medium and long-term objectives.

Our approach to variable pay
The Remuneration committee reviews the appropriateness of the variable pay structures annually. Variable pay should align to shareholder outcomes, align with the Group strategy and maintain clear and appropriate pay for 
performance. The current structures facilitate this through the following key features:

Alignment  
with Group  
strategy

Pay for  
performance

Alignment  
with  
shareholder  
outcomes

Metrics are carefully selected to align with our value drivers, which support us to 
responsibly build the most valuable business in our industry.

Pay is closely linked to financial performance, with an emphasis on operating profit 
and a high weighting to other key financial metrics in the scorecard.

We have clear and transparent award limits with on target calculated 
as a percentage of TGP with appropriate maximum and threshold criteria.

Minimum levels of individual performance must be maintained.

Executive remuneration is targeted to deliver more than 50% of total remuneration 
in the form of shares.

For the STI, vesting of deferred shares is broken into three tranches over one, two 
and three years.

For DPA, the vesting period is spread over years two, three and four.

Malus and clawback provisions may be triggered under various conditions 

Delivery of value drivers measured through performance metrics

A single Group scorecard applies to both the short-term incentive and deferred performance award 
creating aligned focus across the organisation. The Group scorecard is closely aligned to the Group’s 
strategic direction and objectives and measures delivery against financial, strategic and ESG-linked 
objectives.

The majority of the incentive outcome remains linked to financial performance. Operational profit 
delivery drives the creation of the short-term incentive pool. This creates a direct link to financial value 
creation. The scorecard then increases or decreases the short-term incentive pool depending on wider 
business performance.

The outcome of the deferred performance award is similarly driven by financial performance with 
a 65% weighting to this category. Capital efficiency, as measured by return on net asset value excluding 
new growth initiatives, has a high weighting given the focus on ensuring an efficient use of capital 
in delivering shareholder outcomes. In addition, total shareholder return relative to peers and the 
broader market has been included. This closely aligns the experience of shareholders with that 
of management. The vesting period of the awarded shares is between two and four years, further 
aligning management outcomes with those of shareholders.

2024 Group scorecard link to Group strategy

Category

Performance metrics

Value driver

V A L U E  DRIVERS

RFO

Outcome of value drivers

RoNAV excluding new growth initiatives 

Capital efficiency

VNB

VNB margin

Revenue growth

Operating margin

Old Mutual Insure net underwriting margin Operating margin

Gross flows and gross written premiums

Revenue growth

Financial

Strategic delivery

Relative total shareholder return (TSR)
(Peer group and Capped SWIX 40)

Growing and protecting the core

Unlocking new growth engines

Engagement index

ESG

Customer growth and experience

Sustainable investing

Outcome of value drivers

e
f

C
a

f 
c

Revenue growth
Competitive strengths
Execution and delivery

Execution and delivery

Revenue growth
Operating margin

Revenue growth

i

p

e

i

t

n

a

c

l

i

e

s

e

u

n

R e v e
gr o w t h

O U TCOME

O

p

er

m

ar

a

ti

n

g
i

n

g

s

s
h
t
g
n

e
v
i
t
i
t
e
p
m
Co

stre

RESPONSIBLY  
BUILD THE MOST 
VALUABLE BUSINESS 
 IN OUR INDUSTRY

Execut i o n
and deli v e r y

R   V I C T ORY CON

DIT
I

O

N

U

O

To be our customers’ 
 1st choice to 
sustain, grow 
and protect their 
prosperity

71

t
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o
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 E

Integrated Report 2023  
 
 
 
 
Rewarding strategic performance continued
2024 Group scorecard for STI and DPA

t
r
o
p
e
R
n
o
i
t
a
r
e
n
u
m
e
R
e
h
t

m
o
r
f

t
c
a
r
t
x
 E

Weight Component

20.0% RoNAV excluding new growth initiatives

12.5%

VNB

10.0%

VNB margin

65%

2.5%

Old Mutual Insure net underwriting margin

Threshold 50%

12.2%

Target 100%

14.2%

Maximum 150%

16.2% 

Cost of equity

Cost of equity + 2.0%

Cost of equity + 4.0% 

Target – 20%

Prior year excluding large 
deals1

Target + 20%

2.0%

3.0%

2.2%

4.5%

2.5%

6.0%

10.0%

Gross flows and gross written premiums

Target – 15%

Prior year

Target + 15%

5.0%

5.0%

7.5%

7.5%

15%

Relative TSR: peer group
Alexforbes, Discovery, Momentum Metropolitan Holdings and Sanlam

TSR outcome in line with 
peer group average

Interpolation

Highest TSR delivery 
of peer group

Relative TSR: capped SWIX 40
JN430

0.0%

+2.5%

+5.0%

Growing and protecting the core
Focusing on capabilities to support the holistic coverage of customer 
needs as well as actions underway to deliver operational efficiencies

Unlocking new growth engines 
Developing our bank capability and executing our Old Mutual Africa 
Regions strategy (focusing on performance in East and West Africa)

Internal quantitative assessment of delivery against targets as approved by the Remuneration 
committee and aligned with the business plan and strategy.

5.0%

Employees – Engagement index

20%

10.0%

Customers – Customer growth and customer experience

Internal quantitative assessment of delivery against targets as approved by the Remuneration 
committee and aligned with the business plan and strategy.

5.0%

Sustainability – Impact investing

1  Not disclosed for competitive reasons

The Remuneration committee uses 
an approved methodology to 
assess the impact of significant 
deals in Old Mutual Corporate on 
VNB margin. This incorporates 
capping the contribution of the 
deal to ensure it does not distort 
the Group VNB margin outcome 
relative to shareholder value 
creation.

The Remuneration committee may 
be required to exercise discretion  
if any business units no longer 
contribute to key performance 
indicators.

If corporate activity materially 
impacts the outcome of the relative 
TSR metrics, the Remuneration 
committee may be required to 
exercise discretion.

Our bank build targets are  
subject to potential regulatory  
and third-party delays. The 
Remuneration committee may 
exercise discretion regarding the 
outcome of this metric if the delays 
are outside of management’s 
control.

In line with our incentive practices, 
any changes will be communicated 
to shareholders.

l

a
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c
n
a
n
F

i

y
g
e
t
a
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t
S

G
S
E

Financial

Strategy

ESG

Financial metrics have remained largely aligned with the 2023 scorecard. Capital efficiency remains a core 
component of the scorecard, with the largest weighting. We updated the metric to reflect the capital 
efficiency of our core operations given the significant investment in the bank build and its impact 
on capital returns over the short term. Targets remain linked to cost of equity.  

VNB and VNB margin are critical components of the scorecard. VNB assesses the growth in life business 
through profitable new business. VNB growth of 37% into 2023 was exceptional. To allow for this high base, 
the scorecard has been set such that repeating the significant 2023 VNB delivery will result in an on-target 
outcome. VNB margin assesses the efficiency of this profit generation with targets set relative to our 
medium-term targets.

The Old Mutual Insure net underwriting margin is introduced into the scorecard for 2024 with a weighting 
of 2.5%. Similar to VNB margin, this metric assesses the efficiency of delivering underwriting profit in Old 
Mutual Insure. Targets are wider than our medium-term targets given the increased volatility over a 
one-year period due to climate events.

Gross flows and gross written premiums represent growth across Life, Asset Management and Property 
and Casualty through new and existing business. As with VNB, delivery of growth in gross flows and gross 
written premiums was particularly strong in 2023. The target has therefore been set requiring the 2023 
level of flows to be repeated.

Relative TSR metrics align the outcome for management with that of shareholders. Performance 
is assessed relative to peers as well as the wider market (represented by the Capped SWIX 40 benchmark). 
Targets are set with performance in line with the peer group or broader market required before 
an incentive is achieved.

Our integrated financial services strategy has two key areas 
of focus, growing and protecting the core and unlocking 
new growth engines. The scorecard is aligned to this 
strategy and performance will be measured quantitatively 
against a scorecard agreed upon with the Remuneration 
committee and aligned with the internal business plan.

Growing and protecting the core
The scorecard focuses on building capabilities to support 
our customers’ financial wellness and operational 
efficiencies, which are measured using financial key 
performance indicators and project milestones.

Unlocking new growth engines 
Two key areas are included in the scorecard: developing 
our bank proposition and improving performance in our 
Old Mutual Africa Regions business. The delivery of the 
bank proposition will be measured taking into account 
feedback from the banking committee. Execution of our 
Africa strategy focuses on the pivot to Corporate sales 
in East and West Africa and improving the OMAR net 
underwriting margin.

The metrics are consistent with the 2023 scorecard, with three key focus 
areas:
Employees – The employee engagement index continues from the 
prior year and measures employee engagement levels using energy, 
commitment and positive feeling as metrics. Research identified these 
dimensions as being closely linked to improving service delivery and 
operational support, which are closely linked to better outcomes for our 
customers. As our organisational culture improves, our customer satisfaction 
and brand reputation will improve.

Customer growth and experience – This includes a quantitative 
assessment of the growth we drive in our retail customer base and 
customer experience. We use three metrics to measure this focus area:
Average needs met per customer in the retail segments
Customer numbers in Mass and Foundation Cluster and Personal Finance
 » Net Promoter Score across our South African businesses

Impact investing – Previously called green economy, we renamed 
this metric to reflect that investments are not purely focused on the 
environment but also reflect investments in affordable housing, health, 
water and education. Growth in new business across our Listed Equity and 
Alternatives funds and propositions is assessed relative to targets approved 
by the Remuneration committee. Further information is provided in the 
2022 Remuneration Report.

72

Integrated Report 2023  
 
 
 
 
GROUP FINANCIAL 
PERFORMANCE

In this section

Group highlights

Group financial review

Balance sheet and capital metrics

Supplementary income statement

Group financial performance

74

75

77

81

83

73

Integrated Report 2023 Group highlights

Casper Troskie

Chief Financial Officer

Old Mutual delivered strong growth  
in adjusted headline earnings of 21%, 
underpinned by exceptional sales growth  
with value of new business up 37% on  
the prior year.

I

I

W
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V
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N
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N
I
F
P
U
O
R
G

Key performance indicators
Rm (unless otherwise stated)

Results from operations
Adjusted headline earnings 
Headline earnings1
IFRS profit after tax attributable to equity holders of the parent1
Return on net asset value (%)
Return on net asset value excluding new growth initiatives (%)2
Group equity value
Discretionary capital (Rbn)
Group solvency ratio (%)1,3
Dividend cover (times)4

Per share measures5
Cents
Adjusted headline earnings per share6
Headline earnings per share1
Basic earnings per share1
Total dividend per share 

Interim 
Final 

Group equity value per share7

Supplementary performance indicators
Rm (unless otherwise stated)

Life and Savings and Asset Management
Gross flows
Net client cash flow 
Funds under management (Rbn)
Life and Savings
Life APE sales
Value of new business
Value of new business margin (%)
Banking and Lending
Loans and advances
Net lending margin (%)
Property and Casualty
Gross written premiums
Insurance revenue
Net underwriting margin (%)

I

S
W
E
V
E
R
T
N
E
M
G
E
S

FY 2023

FY 2022

8 343
5 861
7 380
7 065
11.1%
13.1%
90 114
1.1
178%
1.5

7 310
4 850
5 854
5 231
9.4%
11.0%
89 477
3.5
188%
1.7

Change

14%
21%
26%
35%
170 bps
210 bps
1%
(69%)
(>100 bps)
(12%)

FY 2023

FY 2022

Change

129.0
165.5
158.4
81
32
49
1 880.9

106.4
129.2
115.5
76
25
51
1 820.9

21%
28%
37%
7%
28%
(4%)
3%

FY 2023

FY 2022

Change

203 802
(7 510)
1 331.0

178 027
(12 425)
1 231.1

14 604
1 921
2.3%

19 391
11.3%

25 513
25 204
0.1%

12 501
1 400
2.2%

19 009
13.1%

22 344
22 082
1.4%

14%
40%
8%

17%
37%
10 bps

2%
(180 bps)

14%
14%
(130 bps)

1  These	metrics	include	the	results	of	Zimbabwe.	All	other	key	performance	indicators	exclude	Zimbabwe
2	 Return	on	net	asset	value	excluding	new	growth	initiatives	was	previously	reported	as	core	return	on	net	asset	value.	This	key	performance	indicator	excludes	adjusted	headline	earnings	and	equity	

impacts	as	well	as	any	expected	investment	over	the	next	12	months	into	these	initiatives.	The	prior	year	has	been	re-presented	from	10.8%	to	11.0%

3	 The	prior	year	has	been	re-presented	to	align	results	to	the	audited	Prudential	Authority	submission
4	 The	dividend	declared	of	76	cents	per	share	which	amounted	to	a	dividend	cover	of	1.7	times	on	an	IFRS	4	basis	was	approved	by	the	Board	in	2022
5	 Per	share	measures	can	be	found	on	page	88	of	summarised	consolidated	annual	financial	statements
6	 Adjusted	headline	earnings	per	share	is	calculated	with	reference	to	adjusted	weighted	average	number	of	ordinary	shares.	Weighted	average	number	of	shares	used	in	the	calculation	of	the	

adjusted	headline	earnings	per	share	is	4	544	million	(FY	2022: 4	557 million)

7	 Group	equity	value	per	share	is	calculated	with	reference	to	closing	number	of	ordinary	shares.	Closing	number	of	shares	used	in	the	calculation	of	the	Group	equity	value	per	share	is	4	791 million	

(FY 2022: 4 914 million)

74

Integrated Report 2023  
 
 
Group financial review
Management of the Group’s balance sheet
Shareholder capital management
Overview
The Group proactively manages its balance sheet in order to maximise long term shareholder value. This 
is driven by capital optimisation initiatives and efficient capital allocation, combined with sophisticated 
financial risk management and the strategic asset allocation of shareholder funds. This ensures that the 
balance sheet remains strong with capital deployment and capital optimisation supporting overall business 
growth.

Balance sheet strength
The Group and its subsidiaries set solvency and liquidity targets relative to the regulatory minimum 
requirements and risk capacity of the Group. These targets balance protection and business potential 
by assessing severe market impacts (‘perfect storm’ scenarios) while enabling investments into the business 
to support growth.

The Group regularly models the impact of these extreme but plausible sequence of events, that could lead 
to a ‘perfect storm’ scenario on our solvency, capital and liquidity positions. These stress tests are calibrated 
at a 1 in 200 year stress event to ensure we remain sufficiently capitalised with appropriate liquidity.

Solvency risk management
The Group solvency position remained solid at 178% for the year ended 31 December 2023, within the solvency 
target range of 170% to 200%. Capital is allocated within the Group based on subsidiary risk profiles, the 
requirements of relevant regulators, competitor and customer considerations and return on capital targets. 
All entities’ solvency positions are monitored on a regular basis to ensure they are appropriately capitalised. 
The largest insurer in the Group, OMLACSA’s solvency position of 204% remained strong at the upper end 
of the solvency target range of 175% to 210%, for the year ended 31 December 2023.

Shareholder liquidity risk management
The Group’s liquidity is managed centrally which ensures that sufficient liquidity is available to withstand 
severe market stresses and that all subsidiaries carry sufficient liquidity to support their respective business 
activities. Sources of liquidity include liquid assets and contingent facilities, with the quantum of each driven 
by the specific liquidity risk being covered and underlying costs.

The Group and subsidiary liquidity positions remained robust and within target ranges for the year ended 
31 December 2023 and are sufficient to cover the modelled stress scenarios.

Asset and liability management
Products with shareholder guarantees or guaranteed rates of return require sophisticated financial risk 
management approaches to ensure relevant exposures remain within the Group’s risk appetite.  

Financial risks (including market, liquidity, funding, and reinvestment risk) are mitigated through capital 
market transactions and allocation strategies which recognise that risk and funding should be managed 
as scarce resources.

Within OMLACSA, guaranteed products are managed centrally in line with the Group’s Three Manager Model 
operating framework to optimise hedging costs and ensure that capital within the Group is preserved. 
Financial risks are mitigated to allow the deployment of funds generated through liability product origination. 
This deployment follows a guaranteed product investment strategy, with the bulk of the funding invested 
in fixed interest credit assets within the respective investment businesses, taking into consideration the 
duration and nature of the product liabilities.

For the rest of the Group, the financial risks resulting from the sale of guaranteed products are mitigated 
through the selection of appropriate matching assets. In geographies with mature capital markets, more 
sophisticated hedging programmes are executed to mitigate financial risk.

Over the course of 2023, the OMLACSA asset and liability management programmes were rebalanced 
to align with the IFRS 17 liabilities and related market risk sensitivities. The rebalance spanned most of the 
first half of the year and was successfully executed despite volatile capital markets. The resulting decrease 
in financial risk exposures will lead to reductions in the underlying costs attached to the relevant asset and 
liability management programmes. 

Shareholder investments
The Group manages its shareholder assets in accordance with the Strategic Asset Allocation Framework. The 
Strategic Asset Allocation Framework prescribes a low-risk investment strategy for invested shareholder 
assets aimed at protecting and preserving shareholder capital. The investment strategy targets an asset 
allocation that maximises net of tax expected returns subject to a defined market risk budget and the 
Group’s liquidity and solvency requirements. The shareholder investment strategy is designed to ensure 
optimal, long term investment outcomes, while managing the impact of short-term volatility on capital. The 
shareholder investment portfolio is managed in adherence to the Group’s Responsible Investment policy and 
transitional climate action plans.

In South Africa, we mainly target a combination of protected equity and interest-bearing assets including 
a small allocation to bonds. The Nedbank stake was completely disinvested in August 2023. Various 
optimisations were implemented during the year, particularly within the fixed income and protected equity 
portfolios. 

Across the Old Mutual Africa Regions, the shareholder investment strategy adheres to the Group’s low-risk 
investment strategy aimed at protecting shareholder value. The strategy targets capital and inflation 
protection subject to the market risk appetite. Each entity has a bespoke investment strategy which 
is influenced by the respective macroeconomic and regulatory regimes. Significant progress has been made 
in de-risking the balance sheet in this regard and enhancing the investment outcomes for the entities 
in these regions. Given broader fiscal risks and the global economic backdrop, a more appropriate strategic 
asset allocation may be implemented in countries where there are inflationary or sovereign concerns in order 
to better preserve capital.

Capital deployment
The Group maximises shareholder value by balancing the return of capital to shareholders and allocation 
of capital for growth. This is supported by the cash generated from operations and capital optimisation 
initiatives.

Free surplus generated
Free surplus generated represents the cash generated from our operations which comprised of capital 
remitted by operating subsidiaries to the Group. The free surplus balance for the year ended 31 December 
2023 was R4 779 million. Our operating segments continue to generate a high proportion of cash earnings 
of 82%. The free surplus is net of central costs and can be deployed to ordinary dividends with the remainder 
contributing to the discretionary capital balance.

Dividend policy
The dividend policy targets a full year ordinary dividend cover of 1.5x to 2.0x adjusted headline earnings. When 
determining the appropriateness of a dividend, we consider the underlying cash generated from operations, 
fungibility of earnings, targeted liquidity and solvency levels, the Group’s strategy and market conditions 
at the time.  

In light of our strong liquidity levels and well capitalised balance sheet, the Old Mutual Limited Board 
declared a final dividend of 49 cents per share, which amounts to a dividend cover of 1.5 times.

75

Integrated Report 2023 Group financial review continued
Management of the Group’s balance sheet continued
Discretionary capital
The Group proactively manages its discretionary capital by optimising its allocation of capital and distribution 
to shareholders where appropriate. Discretionary capital represents the surplus assets available for 
distribution, deployment and/or acquisitions. The discretionary capital balance includes amounts earmarked 
for investments in growth and innovation initiatives including the bank build.

Capital allocation
The Group’s strategy is supported by financial metrics and targets that drive shareholder value. These targets 
and metrics are embedded in all significant business decisions, including the annual business planning 
process and in the assessment of inorganic growth opportunities.

During 2023, the largest allocations of capital were to the Mass and Foundation Cluster, Personal Finance and 
Wealth Management as well as Old Mutual Corporate to support new business. These segments contribute 
to the majority of Group earnings.

Any new opportunities are further appraised against our Group acquisition framework. This framework aligns 
all acquisitions with our strategy, while ensuring that the return generated over time will exceed the cost of 
equity, and will ultimately result in an increased return to investors. A gated approach to new ventures is 
followed, ensuring an appropriate delineation of capital allocation between our core operations and growth 
opportunities to balance profitability and long term growth.

During 2023, the Group successfully concluded the following strategic corporate 
actions:

The acquisition of a 75% ordinary equity interest in the Two Mountains Group, a licensed 
micro-insurer that distributes and underwrites funeral policies and provides burial services

The acquisition of a 100% ordinary equity interest in Genric Insurance Company Limited, 
a licensed non-life insurer and specialist insurer focused on bringing innovative and niche 
insurance solutions to the market

The acquisition of the remaining 25% ordinary equity interest in Old Mutual Finance (Namibia) 
Proprietary Limited resulting in the entity becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of the Group

The acquisition of a 40% ordinary equity interest in Marsh Zimbabwe Holdings (Private) Limited, 
an insurance brokerage and risk management services provider

The acquisition of Woodbridge Financial Services CC book of clients, an independent financial 
advice business

The acquisition of 30% of the economics and associated rights attached to the iWYZE life and 
non-life businesses

Balance sheet efficiency
We are committed to generating long term shareholder value by delivering sustainable, cash-generative 
growth at returns on capital that exceed the cost of equity. Our core businesses are expected to deliver stable 
and high returns in the near to long term. Our Growth Portfolio is expected to require investment in the short 
term with higher growth in the longer term. As the Growth Portfolio reaches scale, it will support our long 
term return on capital targets.

Return on net asset value
Return on net asset value is used to assess and measure the capital efficiency of the Group. Return on net 
asset value excluding new growth initiatives excludes adjusted headline earnings and equity impacts as well 
as any expected investment over the next 12 months into these initiatives. Return on net asset value increased 
to 11.1% and return on net asset value excluding new growth initiatives increased to 13.1% for the year ended 
31 December 2023. 

Improvements to our return on net asset value are dependent on three factors, the continued optimisation 
of our balance sheet, market share growth within our key markets and external market factors as well 
as investment returns.

Capital optimisations
The Group continues to optimise its capital structure to enhance value for shareholders. Initiatives to improve 
the management of working capital (across Other Group Activities and Personal Finance and Wealth 
Management) delivered material capital and liquidity benefits. The release of capital and distribution 
of profits in subsidiaries in Personal Finance and Wealth Management (exceeding R200 million) and Old 
Mutual Investments (exceeding R500 million), resulted in higher levels of dividends paid by these segments. 

Significant progress was made in managing the solvency drag of centrally held cash by utilising the central 
treasury company. This is mostly expected to support internal free cash flow generation. The Group remains 
committed to continuously identify opportunities to optimise its balance sheet.

Issuance of tier 2 subordinated debt
During the first half of the year, OMLACSA issued R859 million of floating rate subordinated debt under the 
Old Mutual Limited Multi-Issuer Domestic Medium-Term Note programme at 150 bps over three-month 
JIBAR. In November 2023, OMLACSA issued a further R641 million of floating rate subordinated debt at 134 
bps over three-month JIBAR, bringing the total issuance for the year up to R1.5 billion. There were 
no OMLACSA subordinated debt redemptions in 2023.

We intend to issue subordinated debt annually to optimise the Group’s weighted average cost of capital and 
create a smooth maturity profile, in line with the optimal gearing ratio of 15% to 20%, subject to market 
conditions and investor demand remaining favourable.

76

Integrated Report 2023 Balance sheet and capital metrics

Rm (unless otherwise stated)

Contractual service margin

Return on net asset value (%)

Return on net asset value excluding new growth 
initiatives (%)1

Invested shareholder assets

Embedded value

Group equity value

Group solvency ratio (%)2,3

Discretionary capital (Rbn)

Gearing ratio (%)4

Interest cover (times)

Notes
A
B

B
C
D
E
F
F
G
G

FY 2023

62 050

11.1%

13.1%

21 718

67 866

90 114

178%

1.1

18.0%

10.2

FY 2022

59 796

9.4%

11.0%

25 897

64 874

89 477

188%

3.5

15.7%

12.4

Change

4%

170 bps

210 bps

(16%)

5%

1%

(>100 bps)

(69%)

230 bps

(18%)

1  Return	on	net	asset	value	excluding	new	growth	initiatives	was	previously	reported	as	core	return	on	net	asset	value.	This	key	performance	indicator	
excludes	adjusted	headline	earnings	and	equity	impacts	as	well	as	any	expected	investment	over	the	next	12	months	into	these	initiatives.	The prior 
year	has	been	re-presented	from	10.8%	to	11.0%

2	 The	prior	year	has	been	re-presented	to	align	results	to	the	audited	Prudential	Authority	submission
3  This	metric	include	the	results	of	Zimbabwe.	All	other	key	performance	indicators	exclude	Zimbabwe
4	 Gearing	ratios	are	calculated	with	reference	to	the	IFRS	value	of	debt	that	supports	the	capital	structure	of	the	Group	and	closing	adjusted	IFRS	

A   Contractual service margin
The contractual service margin is set up at the initial recognition of an insurance contract. It represents 
a store of future profit held on the balance sheet which, with the risk adjustment for non-financial risk, will 
be released into profit over the lifetime of the insurance contract. The contractual service margin is the key 
driver of insurance profit emergence under IFRS 17.

Contractual service margin (R billion)

Predictable

Not predictable

59.8

3.2

5.5

(6.5)

(0.4)

(0.6)

1.0

62.0

Expected 
range of 
future 
contractual 
service margin 
allocation 
to P&L: 
8% to 12%

FY 2022

New 
business 

Interest 
accretion

Release 
of contractual 
service margin1

Economic 
experience 
items

Non-economic 
experience 
items

Foreign
exchange
impact

FY 2023

1  Release of contractual service margin includes the impact of expected investment profits or losses

equity

Adjusted IFRS equity

Rm

Closing adjusted IFRS equity

Equity attributable to the holders of the parent

Equity in respect of operations in hyperinflationary 
economies
Equity in respect of non-core operations

Closing adjusted IFRS equity by region

South Africa

Old Mutual Africa Regions

Average adjusted IFRS equity

South Africa

Old Mutual Africa Regions

FY 2023

51 234

56 060

(3 326)

(1 500)

51 234

39 760

11 474

52 611

40 406

12 205

FY 2022

53 342

57 585

(2 875)

(1 368)

53 342

41 328

12 014

51 822

40 488

11 334

Change

(4%)

(3%)

(16%)

(10%)

(4%)

(4%)

(4%)

2%

(0.2%)

8%

The contractual service margin increased by 4% from December 2022. The effect of writing new business 
of R3.2 billion contributed to growth of 5.3% relative to the opening balance. Interest income is added to the 
contractual service margin which amounted to R5.5 billion for the year. This equates to a return of 9.0% 
compared to 5.6% for December 2022. For our general measurement model contracts, the contractual service 
margin grows at the locked in interest rate, while for the variable fee approach, it grows at current interest 
rates.

The expected contractual service margin allocation of R6.5 billion represents the portion that was allocated 
to profit for the year. The allocation rate was 9.4% for 2023 compared to 10.2% at December 2022, which 
is within our target range of 8% to 12%. The allocation is driven by ‘coverage units’, which is a driver of service 
delivery for each product. This release was the main contributor to our life operating profit in 2023. 

The economic experience of R1.0 billion was driven by actual returns being higher than expected 
on policyholder funds resulting in an increase in expected asset-based fee income on most investment and 
smooth bonus products, both in South Africa and Old Mutual Africa Regions. The impact of experience 
variances and assumption changes of R0.4 billion as well as foreign exchange impacts on profitable contracts 
amounting to R0.6 billion are included in the build-up of the closing contractual service margin of R62.0 
billion at 31 December 2023.

77

Integrated Report 2023 Balance sheet and capital metrics continued

B   Return on net asset value
%

South Africa

Old Mutual Africa Regions

Return on net asset value 

Return on net asset value excluding new growth 
initiatives1

FY 2023

FY 2022

9.9%

7.5%

9.4%

Change

170 bps

220 bps

170 bps

Invested shareholder assets by asset class (%) 

11.6%

9.7%

11.1%

13.1%

11.0%

210 bps

10%

1	 Return	on	net	asset	value	excluding	new	growth	initiatives	was	previously	reported	as	core	return	on	net	asset	value.	This	key	performance	indicator	
excludes	adjusted	headline	earnings	and	equity	impacts	as	well	as	any	expected	investment	over	the	next	12	months	into	these	initiatives.	The	prior	
year	has	been	re-presented	from	10.8%	to	11.0%

Return on net asset value of 11.1% increased by 170 bps from 9.4% in the prior year, reflecting the solid growth 
in adjusted headline earnings. Similarly, return on net asset value excluding new growth initiatives of 13.1% 
increased by 210 bps from the prior year.

Return on net asset value of 11.6% in South Africa increased by 170 bps, mainly due to growth in adjusted 
headline earnings attributable to South Africa from R3 995 million in the prior year to R4 680 million. This was 
primarily due to strong growth in results from operations and shareholder investment return. The average 
adjusted IFRS equity remained fairly flat year on year, however, the closing adjusted IFRS equity decreased 
by 4% in comparison to 31 December 2022. This was predominantly due to the share buyback programme 
which was completed in October 2023, with R1.5 billion of Old Mutual Limited shares delisted in the year.

Old Mutual Africa Regions recorded an increase of 220 bps in return on net asset value from 7.5% to 9.7%. This 
was primarily due to higher adjusted headline earnings, resulting from the strong results from operations and 
shareholder investment return, partially offset by a higher average equity base. Closing adjusted IFRS equity 
decreased by 4% in comparison to 31 December 2022 due to dividends paid to the holding company and 
foreign currency depreciation, in particular the Malawian kwacha, Nigerian naira and Kenyan shilling. This was 
partially offset by an increase of R127 million related to acquiring the remaining 25% minority interest in Old 
Mutual Finance (Namibia) Proprietary Limited.

C   Invested shareholder assets
Rm

South Africa

Old Mutual Africa Regions

Invested shareholder assets

FY 2023

FY 2022

Change

Value of new business margin (%)

13 564

8 154

21 718

16 163

9 734

25 897

(16%)

(16%)

(16%)

Invested shareholder assets of R21 718 million decreased by 16% from the December 2022 asset base 
of R25 897 million. The invested shareholder asset base in South Africa decreased due to the funding of the 
Old Mutual Limited share buyback and acquisitions as well as other planned allocations.

In Old Mutual Africa Regions, invested shareholder assets of R8 154 million decreased by 16% from the prior 
year. This was primarily due to the financing of the remaining shareholding in Old Mutual Finance (Namibia) 
Proprietary Limited, dividend payments and a reduction in unlisted equity holdings, in line with de-risking 
the balance sheet. Currency devaluation in Malawi, East and West Africa also contributed to the decrease 
in invested shareholder assets.

28%

5%

23%

2023

5%

2%

27%

9%

23%

2022

4%

26%

8%

1%

23%

6%

● South African protected equity
● South African bonds
● South African fixed income assets
● South African unlisted and other assets
● Protected Nedbank1
● Old Mutual Africa Regions equity
● Old Mutual Africa Regions interest-bearing assets
● Old Mutual Africa Regions investment property

1  The Nedbank stake was fully disinvested during the second half of 2023

D   Embedded value
Rm (unless otherwise stated)

Adjusted net worth 

Value in force 

Embedded value

Operating embedded value earnings

Return on embedded value

Value of new business

FY 2023

26 822

41 044

67 866

7 298

11.2%

1 921

2.3%

FY 2022

25 390

39 484

64 874

5 132

7.3%

1 400

2.2%

Change

6%

4%

5%

42%

390 bps

37%

10 bps

The return on embedded value increased to 11.2%, primarily driven by higher expected returns, profitable new 
business written, positive risk experience variances and risk assumption changes. This was partially offset 
by increased once-off expenses, worse than expected persistency experience and strengthening of our 
persistency assumptions. The operating embedded value earnings increased by 42% to R7 298 million.

Value generated by new business was higher than prior year, driven by strong sales across the business and 
a more profitable mix of new business. This was partially offset by the impact of the higher yields.

Despite the dividend outflows from our Life and Savings businesses, our total embedded value increased due 
to strong operating earnings and improved investment performance on both shareholder and policyholder 
funds. Actual investment returns on policyholder funds were higher than the expected yields, resulting in an 
increase in expected asset-based fee income on most investment and smooth bonus products.

78

Integrated Report 2023 Balance sheet and capital metrics continued

E   Group equity value

Rm

Covered business

Non-covered business

Asset Management

Banking and Lending

Property and Casualty

Residual plc

Zimbabwe

Other

IFRS 
equity

30 827

16 973

4 809

5 849

6 315

1 500

3 326

3 434

Total group equity

56 060

FY 2023

FY 2022

Group 
equity 
value

67 866

22 969

8 915

7 223

6 831

402

–

(1 123)

90 114

Adjusted 
headline 
earnings

6 230

1 491

1 177

56

258

–

–

(1 860)

5 861

IFRS 
equity

28 881

17 715

5 481

6 228

6 006

1 368

2 875

6 746

57 585

Group 
equity 
value

64 874

22 631

8 301

7 945

6 385

412

–

1 560

89 477

Adjusted 
headline 
earnings

4 088

1 826

1 023

549

254

–

–

(1 064)

4 850

Group equity value of R90 114 million increased by 1%, reflecting the growth in covered business and higher 
valuations of the Asset Management and Property and Casualty businesses, partially offset by a lower 
valuation for the Banking and Lending line of business and lower value of the other line of business due 
to capital actions including the Old Mutual Limited share buyback of R1.5 billion as well as ordinary dividends 
of R3.8 billion. 

The group equity value of covered business is set at embedded value, which increased by 5% due to solid 
operating earnings and improved investment performance. The value of non-covered businesses is based 
on a series of directors’ valuations for each material legal entity, with the remaining entities included at IFRS 
equity attributable to equity holders of the parent.

The increase in Asset Management group equity value of 7% was mainly due to higher valuations of Old 
Mutual Wealth and Old Mutual Investments. The increase in the Old Mutual Wealth valuation was largely 
driven by improved performance resulting in better forecast cash flows, supported by higher assets under 
management. The Asset Management IFRS equity decreased by 12%, driven by net dividends paid of R1.4 
billion in South Africa and foreign currency depreciation in Old Mutual Africa Regions, particularly in Malawi 
and East Africa. 

The group equity value of the Banking and Lending business decreased by 9%, mainly due to a lower 
valuation of Old Mutual Specialised Finance. This was mainly as a result of dividend paid of R450 million and 
mark to market losses on certain instruments. In 2023, Old Mutual Finance in South Africa and Namibia was 
valued using a combination of valuation techniques, whereas in the prior year it was determined with 
reference to the purchase price agreed for the buyout of the 25% minority shareholding. The group equity 
value of Old Mutual Africa Regions Banking and Lending business decreased due to foreign exchange 
movements, particularly the depreciation of the Kenyan shilling. 

Property and Casualty group equity value increased by 7% mainly due to a higher valuation of Old Mutual 
Insure, which was driven by the acquisition of Genric Insurance Company and marginal improvements 
in forecast cash flow. The Property and Casualty business received capital injections of R300 million during 
the year. This was partially offset by foreign currency depreciation in Old Mutual Africa Regions. 

The Residual plc contribution to group equity value is based on the realisable economic value 
of approximately £17 million at 31 December 2023, translated at the closing exchange rate. The increase 
in value of Residual plc was mostly due to foreign exchange movements, partially offset by dividend paid of 
£3.1 million.

The group equity value in Zimbabwe remained at zero due to the continued impact of hyperinflation on the 
Zimbabwean economy. The IFRS equity increased due to equity and property asset value growth which was 
partially offset by currency depreciation. 

Other includes the IFRS equity of holding companies (including cash), present value of central costs, our 
investment in new growth and innovation initiatives and our joint venture in China at fair value. The value 
of the other line of business decreased to negative R1 123 million, mainly due to the share buyback of R1.5 
billion shares, funding of the strategic acquisitions and the investment in new growth initiatives. Dividends 
paid to shareholders for the year was R3.8 billion and dividends received from the covered and non-covered 
lines of business was R4.9 billion for the year.

F   Solvency and capital
Solvency

Rm (unless otherwise stated)

OMLACSA
Eligible own funds
Solvency capital requirement 
Solvency ratio (%)2

Group
Eligible own funds3
Solvency capital requirement 
Solvency ratio (%)2

Optimal 
target range

FY 2023

Re-
presented1 
FY 2022

175% to 210%

170% to 200%

59 062

29 011

204%

100 530

56 398

178%

59 530

27 857

214%

93 149

49 632

188%

Change 
vs re-
presented

(1%)

4%

FY 2022

59 618

27 853

214%

(>100 bps)

94 271

49 533

8%

14%

190%

(>100 bps)

1  The	prior	year	has	been	re-presented	to	align	results	to	the	audited	Prudential	Authority	submission
2	 Due	to	rounding	of	eligible	own	funds	and	solvency	capital	requirement,	the	ratio	presented	could	differ	when	recalculated
3  Refer	to	table	3.2	in	the	additional	disclosures	for	a	reconciliation	between	IFRS	equity	to	Group	eligible	own	funds

The solvency ratio for OMLACSA decreased to 204% from 214% at December 2022, mainly driven by the 
impact of the OMLACSA interim dividend of R1.6 billion, foreseeable final dividend of R3.1 billion and 
a foreseeable special dividend of R2 billion. In addition, profitable new business resulted in an increase 
in lapse risk. 

The Group solvency ratio of 178% remains within our target range. The reduction relative to the prior year was 
mainly due to the inclusion of Old Mutual-CHN Energy Life Insurance Company Ltd (‘the China operations’) 
on a South African prudential basis. In prior periods, with approval from the Prudential Authority, the own 
funds and solvency capital requirement were included on an alternate basis using the in-country regulations 
– China Risk Oriented Solvency System (‘C-ROSS’). 

The Group has performed a detailed investigation which indicates that the South African Prudential 
Standards calibration does not appropriately reflect the economic risks in the China operations and is more 
conservative than Solvency II. Our own view of the appropriate calibration of the economic risks is closer 
to C-ROSS.

This change does not impact the Group’s cash generation, dividend capability or discretionary capital. 
Management’s assessment of an economic basis for China would result in the Old Mutual Limited ratio being 
at a similar level to 31 December 2022.

79

Integrated Report 2023 Balance sheet and capital metrics continued

Free surplus generated from operations

Rm (unless otherwise 
stated)

Free surplus generated from 
operations

Free 
surplus 
generated

FY 2023

Adjusted 
headline 
earnings

FY 2022

Free 
surplus 
generated

Adjusted 
headline 
earnings

%

%

4 779

5 861

82%

7 473

4 850

154%

Operating segments generated gross free surplus of R4 779 million in 2023, representing 82% of the adjusted 
headline earnings. Our operating segments continue to generate a high proportion of cash earnings, which 
were paid to the Group as dividends. The free surplus is net of central costs and can be deployed to ordinary 
dividends with the remainder contributing to the discretionary capital balance. Distributions contributing 
to free surplus generated include remittances from OMLACSA of R3 550 million, Old Mutual Investments 
of R900 million, Old Mutual Finance of R462 million, Old Mutual Africa Regions of R100 million and Old 
Mutual Residual plc of £3.1 million.

Discretionary capital
The Group discretionary capital balance as at 31 December 2023 decreased to R1.1 billion from the R3.5 billion 
reported at 31 December 2022 principally as a result of capital allocations. 

Capital allocations include the Genric Insurance Company acquisition of R300 million, the acquisition of an 
equity stake in the Two Mountains Group of R260 million, the minority buyouts of Old Mutual Finance 
Namibia of N$214 million, associated rights attached to the iWYZE life and non-life businesses of R269 million 
as well as the investment in growth initiatives, with the largest allocation to the bank build of R710 million, 
ongoing business support and the share buyback of R1.5 billion completed in October 2023. The discretionary 
capital balance of R1.1 billion has been earmarked for continued investment in our growth and innovation 
initiatives.

An OMLACSA special dividend of R2 billion has been approved by the Board subject to regulatory approval. 
The dividend will increase our discretionary capital balance and will therefore be available for growth 
or return to shareholders.

G   Gearing and interest cover
Rm (unless otherwise stated)
Gearing1
IFRS value of debt2
Closing adjusted IFRS equity
Gearing ratio (%)1

Interest cover   

Finance costs 

Adjusted headline earnings before tax and non-controlling 
interests and debt service costs 

Interest cover (times)

FY 2023

FY 2022

Change

11 255

51 234

18.0%

1 020

10 387

10.2

9 942

53 342

15.7%

662

8 236

12.4

13%

(4%)

230 bps

54%

26%

(18%)

1  Gearing	is	calculated	with	reference	to	the	IFRS	value	of	debt	that	supports	the	capital	structure	of	the	Group	and	closing	adjusted	IFRS	equity
2	 Refer	to	table	3.3	in	the	additional	disclosures	for	the	reconciliation	of	IFRS	value	of	debt	to	IFRS	borrowed	funds	as	disclosed	in	the	IFRS	balance	

sheet

The gearing ratio of 18.0% increased by 230 bps from December 2022, reflecting increased levels of long term 
debt that supports the capital structure of the Group, particularly in OMLACSA and lower closing adjusted 
IFRS equity as a result of the share buyback of R1.5 billion. During the year, OMLACSA issued 
in total R1.5 billion of floating rate subordinated debt. The gearing ratio remains in line with our optimal 
gearing ratio of 15% to 20%.

Interest cover of 10.2 times decreased by 18% from the prior year, which reflects the impact of increased 
finance costs in OMLACSA due to the higher interest rate environment, coupled with the issuance 
of subordinated debt in the current year. This was partially offset by the increase in adjusted headline 
earnings before tax, non-controlling interest and debt service costs, reflecting strong results from operations 
and significantly higher shareholder investment returns. 

Discretionary capital (R billion)

52%

Used for Group 
growth
initiatives

3.5

(1.0)

(0.8)

0.8

0.1

43%

Returned to
shareholders

(1.5)

1.1

FY 2022

Acquisitions

Investment 
in growth 
initiatives

Free surplus 
generated post 
dividends paid

Optimisation 
net flows

Share 
buyback

FY 2023

80

Integrated Report 2023 Supplementary income statement

Rm

Notes

FY 2023

FY 2022

Change

Mass and Foundation Cluster

Personal Finance and Wealth Management

Old Mutual Investments

Old Mutual Corporate

Old Mutual Insure

Old Mutual Africa Regions

Net result from group activities

Results from operations

Shareholder investment return

Finance costs
Loss from associate1

Adjusted headline earnings before tax and 
non-controlling interests

Shareholder tax2

Non-controlling interests

Adjusted headline earnings

1	 Reflects	our	share	of	loss	related	to	our	investment	in	China
2	 Shareholder	tax	increased	due	to	improved	profits

A

B
C

1 846

3 710

1 227

1 718

524

1 116

(1 798)

8 343

2 162

(1 020)

(118)

9 367

(3 216)

(290)

5 861

1 517

3 369

1 240

1 449

678

535

(1 478)

7 310

979

(662)

(53)

7 574

(2 512)

(212)

4 850

22%

10%

(1%)

19%

(23%)

>100%

(22%)

14%

>100%

(54%)

(>100%)

24%

(28%)

(37%)

21%

Adjusted headline earnings by region
Rm

South Africa

Old Mutual Africa Regions

Adjusted headline earnings

FY 2023

FY 2022

Change

4 680

1 181

5 861

3 995

855

4 850

17%

38%

21%

A   Net result from group activities
Rm

Shareholder operational costs

Interest and other income 

Net treasury gain

New growth and innovation initiatives

Bank build

Next176

FY 2023

(1 614)

FY 2022

(1 123)

357

194

(735)

(626)

(109)

367

(9)

(713)

(601)

(112)

Net result from group activities

(1 798)

(1 478)

Change

(44%)

(3%)

>100%

(3%)

(4%)

3%

(22%)

The loss on net result from group activities of R1 798 million, which includes new growth and innovation 
initiatives, increased by 22% from the prior year. This was mainly driven by higher shareholder operational 
costs, partially offset by the increase in net treasury gain.

The increase in shareholder operational costs was mainly due to higher product administration platform 
costs and online adviser tools, increase in employee related costs following higher variable pay as well 
as foreign exchange rate movements on US dollar and pound denominated contracts. Significant 
consumption of diesel to keep branches operational during load shedding and continued investment in solar 
capacity also contributed to higher expenses. Material investment in IFRS 17 reporting capabilities continued 
during the year. We expect these expenses to reduce over time.

The increase in net treasury gain was driven by favourable fair value movements on financial instruments.

B   Shareholder investment return
Rm

South Africa

Old Mutual Africa Regions

Shareholder investment return

FY 2023

FY 2022

Change

1 099

1 063

2 162

252

727

979

>100%

46%

>100%

Shareholder investment return of R2 162 million increased significantly despite negative sentiment, a volatile 
investment environment and a lower asset base throughout the year. During the year, South African assets 
were negatively impacted by ongoing general pessimism over the economic outlook. Despite the 
challenging environment, the shareholder investment strategy in South Africa continued to meet the 
primary objective of protecting and preserving shareholder capital. 

The positive investment performance was largely due to the South African interest-bearing assets portfolio 
benefiting from higher interest rates returning 9.1% year to date. This represents approximately 1% 
outperformance of the STeFI Composite Index due to favourable duration positioning and a good asset 
selection of respective money market and credit assets.

The South African listed protected equity portfolio returned 5.5%. The protected equity portfolio targets 
on average 50% to 60% of overall market performance. Therefore, given the Capped SWIX Top 40 Index return 
of 7.2%, this translates to a targeted benchmark return of 3.6% to 4.3%, with our portfolio outperforming 
by yielding a 5.5% return. The outperformance was primarily due to effective hedging management as well 
as the adoption of more frequent tranches, instead of quarterly. The hedging strategies on the protected 
equity portfolio are mainly executed in the form of zero cost collars of varying exposures and maturities 
whereby the exposure to losses is limited to 0% to 15% of the investment value, while the underlying equities 
passively track the Capped SWIX Top 40 Index. The local protected equity strategy is used primarily 
as a capital protection mechanism and thus is not expected to generate returns in line with the market. 

The local bond portfolio returned 9.9% year to date, marginally outperforming the Government Bond Index 
by 0.2%. The relative overweight position of the fund to the longer end of the yield curve during the year 
resulted in underperformance relative to the benchmark which was altered towards the end of the year. 

During the second half of 2023, the Nedbank holding was fully disinvested and therefore, going forward, will 
no longer contribute to shareholder investment return.

The investment performance in South Africa was slightly offset by the impact of the unlisted equity portfolio 
that returned negative 3.7% for the year, mainly due to impairment losses experienced on a subset of assets 
in the portfolio. The unlisted equity balance, however, is a small component of the total asset base. 

Included in the investment returns was a gain of R95 million due to the OMLACSA asset and liability 
management programmes. These programmes focus on managing the financial risks associated with 
guaranteed products within OMLACSA, specifically guaranteed annuities and protection products. This 
contribution to investment returns is not expected to be significant in the long term and may vary depending 
on hedging performance and the ability to allocate guaranteed product funding. 

81

Integrated Report 2023 Supplementary income statement continued

As a result of the transition to IFRS 17, the shareholder investment return in OMLACSA was offset by the 
performance of assets backing the contractual service margin which resulted in a loss of R129 million. These 
assets were previously included in OMLACSA’s invested shareholder asset base and now supports the 
increase in the policyholder liabilities as a result of IFRS 17. 

Shareholder investment return in the Old Mutual Africa Regions of R1 063 million increased by 46%, primarily 
driven by increased investment returns in Malawi, Namibia and East Africa. 

In Malawi, investment returns increased by R176 million relative to the prior year due to fair value gains 
on listed equity investments. The Malawi Stock Exchange returned approximately 79% during 2023 compared 
to 37% in 2022, reflecting increased volatility which may result in returns reversing in future.

In Namibia, investment returns increased by R91 million relative to the prior year, primarily driven by higher 
interest rates and a higher interest-bearing asset base. During 2023, interest rates increased by 300 bps. 
Increased valuations on unlisted equity holdings also contributed to higher investment returns. 

In East Africa, investment returns increased by R42 million primarily as a result of higher interest rates and 
reduced equity exposure.

C   Finance costs
Finance costs on the long term debt that supports the capital structure of the Group increased by 54% from 
the prior year to R1 020 million, reflecting the impact of higher interest rates as well as increased levels 
of subordinated debt in OMLACSA. OMLACSA issued in total R1.5 billion of floating rate subordinated debt 
during the year and there were no redemptions in 2023.

Reconciliation of adjusted headline earnings to IFRS profit after 
tax
Rm

FY 2023

FY 2022

Notes

Change

Adjusted headline earnings

Accounting mismatches and hedging impacts

Impact of restructuring

Operations in hyperinflationary economies

Residual plc

Headline earnings

Impairment of goodwill, other intangible assets 
and property

Impairment of investment in associated 
undertakings

Loss on disposal of subsidiaries and associated 
undertakings

IFRS profit after tax attributable to ordinary 
equity holders of the parent

A

B
C

D

E

5 861

(541)

–

2 039

21

7 380

(273)

(42)

–

4 850

(187)

(153)

1 171

173

5 854

(492)

–

(131)

7 065

5 231

21%

(>100%)

100%

74%

(88%)

26%

45%

(100%)

100%

35%

A   Accounting mismatches and hedging impacts
Accounting mismatches refers to items where current IFRS treatment does not align with the Group’s 
economic decisions. This includes once-off hedging losses arising from the transition of the guaranteed 
product related hedging programmes. During 2023, significant updates were made to the various hedging 
programmes given the implementation of IFRS 17 to ensure that the hedges remain appropriate. This line 
item also includes mismatch losses and gains on policyholder investments, where the IFRS valuation rules 
create mismatches in our asset and liabilities valuations.

B   Operations in hyperinflationary economies
Due to hyperinflation in Zimbabwe and barriers to access capital by way of dividends, we continue excluding 
results from the Zimbabwe business from adjusted headline earnings. Profits in Zimbabwe were driven 
by investment returns earned on the Group’s shareholder portfolio and volatile currency movements. The 
investment returns largely relate to fair value gains earned on equities traded on the Zimbabwe Stock 
Exchange (ZSE) as market participants seek to invest in equities that preserve value in an inflationary 
environment. The ZSE generated returns of 982% during the year compared to 80% reported in 2022. At 31 
December 2023, the year-on-year inflation rate for Zimbabwe was reported at 381%. We caution users of our 
financial results that the investment returns earned on the shareholder portfolio may reverse in future.

C   Residual plc
Residual plc reported a profit of R21 million, a significant decrease from the prior year. The profits of Residual 
plc in the prior year were mainly driven by positive foreign currency movements on US dollar-denominated 
cash balances and dividend income received from subsidiaries. The cash balances decreased significantly 
following the dividend of £3.1 million paid to the Group in December 2023.  

D   Impairment of goodwill, other intangible assets and property
Impairments recognised in the current year related to goodwill in Old Mutual Insure as well as certain 
boutiques in Old Mutual Investments due to the decrease in the respective entities’ valuations. A write up in 
respect of our offices was recognised due to the improvement in property valuations. Furthermore, certain 
of our out of use digital assets were derecognised as no future economic benefits are expected from their 
use.

E   Impairment of investment in associated undertakings
The impairment loss of R42 million relates to impairment of intangible assets held by an associate and 
is excluded from headline earnings as the look-through approach is followed as required by the SAICA 
Circular 01/2023.

82

Integrated Report 2023 Group financial performance
Summarised consolidated statement of financial position
At 31 December 2023

Rm
Assets
Goodwill and other intangible assets
Mandatory reserve deposits with central banks
Property, plant and equipment
Investment property
Deferred tax assets
Investments in associated undertakings and joint ventures
Costs of obtaining contracts
Loans and advances
Investments and securities²

Other investments and securities including term deposits2
Cash and cash equivalents

Insurance contract assets
Reinsurance contract assets
Current tax receivable
Trade, other receivables and other assets
Derivative financial instruments
Cash and cash equivalents
Assets held for sale
Total assets2
Liabilities
Insurance contract liabilities
Reinsurance contract liabilities
Investment contract liabilities
Third-party interests in consolidated funds
Borrowed funds
Provisions
Contract liabilities
Deferred tax liabilities
Current tax payable
Trade, other payables and other liabilities2
Amounts owed to bank depositors
Derivative financial instruments
Total liabilities2
Net assets
Shareholders’ equity
Equity attributable to the equity holders of the parent

Non-controlling interests

Ordinary shares
Total non-controlling interests

Total equity

1	 These	amounts	have	been	restated	due	to	the	adoption	of	IFRS	17
2	 These	amounts	have	been	restated

At 31
December
2023

At 31 
December 
20221

At 1
January 
20221

7 833
133
8 388
47 172
3 945
1 075
431
18 210
958 120
936 785
21 335
4 992
8 798
497
49 599
8 210
38 121
1 058

6 934
173
8 259
42 530
4 740
1 065
478
17 615
892 404
867 080
25 324
3 697
8 071
415
30 839
9 688
37 467
370

6 234
195
9 155
38 672
4 782
908
523
17 617
903 671
881 481
22 190
2 645
9 463
462
17 869
6 391
32 931
269

1 156 582

1 064 745

1 051 787

619 200
1 706
230 629
109 548
16 085
2 001
495
5 232
453
95 932
5 139
11 587

581 052
903
195 404
102 749
16 713
1 729
411
3 370
712
84 216
4 706
12 580

1 098 007

1 004 545

58 575

60 200

608 422
1 671
205 269
77 308
17 506
1 767
435
6 520
499
57 565
5 905
8 082

990 949

60 838

56 060

57 585

57 724

2 515
2 515

58 575

2 615
2 615

3 114
3 114

60 200

60 838

Summarised consolidated income statement
For the year ended 31 December 2023

Rm (unless otherwise stated)

Insurance service result

Insurance revenue

Insurance service expenses

Net expenses from reinsurance contracts

Total insurance service result

Investment result

Net investment return 

Net finance expenses from insurance contracts

Net finance income from reinsurance contracts

Change in investment contract liabilities

Change in third-party interest in consolidated funds

Total net investment result

Non-insurance revenue and income

Banking interest and similar income

Banking trading, investment and similar income

Fee and commission income, and income from service activities

Other income

Total non-insurance revenue and income

Non-insurance expenses

Credit impairment charges

Finance costs

Banking interest payable and similar expenses
Other operating and administrative expenses2,3
Total non-insurance expenses

Share of gains of associated undertakings and joint ventures after tax

Loss on disposal of subsidiaries and associated undertakings

Profit before tax

Income tax expense

Profit after tax for the financial period

Attributable to

Equity holders of the parent

Non-controlling interests

Ordinary shares

Profit after tax for the financial period

Earnings per ordinary share

Basic earnings per ordinary share (cents)

Diluted earnings per ordinary share (cents)

FY 2023

FY 20221

68 260

(54 450)

(3 049)

10 761

135 901

(83 108)

586

(25 295)

(12 753)

15 331

4 379

1 539

8 432

1 359

15 709

(2 349)

(1 020)

(852)

(23 724)

(27 945)

110

–

13 966

(6 333)

7 633

7 065

568

7 633

158.4

154.1

63 300

(54 010)

(961)

8 329

20 412

(19 385)

92

5 987

(1 846)

5 260

4 505

1 026

7 484

999

14 014

(1 079)

(662)

(830)

(18 459)

(21 030)

118

(133)

6 558

(907)

5 651

5 231

420

5 651

115.5

113.4

1	 These	amounts	have	been	restated	due	to	the	adoption	of	IFRS	17
2	

Included	in	other	operating	and	administrative	expenses	is	finance	costs	of	R1 047 million	(2022:	R783	million)	which	includes	interest	relating	to	
funding	that	support	the	operations	of	the	Group	(funding	within	policyholder	investments)	of	R909 million	(2022:	R665	million)	and	interest	on	lease	
liabilities	of	R138	million	(2022: R118	million)

3	 Fee	and	commission	expenses,	and	other	acquisition	costs	of	R11	067	million	(2022: R10 038 million)	have	been	reclassified	to	other	operating	and	

administrative	expenses	following	the	implementation	of	IFRS	17

83

Integrated Report 2023 SEGMENT  
PERFORMANCE

In this section

Mass and Foundation Cluster

Personal Finance and Wealth Management

Old Mutual Investments

Old Mutual Corporate

Old Mutual Insure

Old Mutual Africa Regions

85

88

91 

94

97

101

84

Integrated Report 2023 Mass and Foundation Cluster

Mass and Foundation Cluster is a retail segment that offers a 
wide range of simple financial services products to customers.

Mass and Foundation Cluster is a business segment that operates in the low-income and lower-middle-income 
markets. The segment’s existing and potential customers span individuals who earn R1 000 to R30 000 per month. 
We offer a comprehensive range of value-for-money products to the mass and foundation markets across 
underwritten life and funeral insurance, savings, lending and transactional banking through the following divisions:

 » Retail mass market

» Foundation market

» Old Mutual Finance

» Old Mutual funeral services

Our diversified, multi-channel distribution network is enabled to deliver advice and non-advice solutions to our 
customers efficiently and continue to refine and invest in enabling our distribution channels across face-to-face 
and alternative digital and call centre capabilities. 

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5

Diversified distribution channels and customer touchpoints

Strong financial education as part of our advice process

Long-standing relationships with our stakeholders

Positive brand affinity

Holistic product proposition

Operating context
Mass and Foundation Cluster has an established brand presence in its core markets, driven by 
its face-to-face distribution force, with a growing contribution from franchise, digital, direct and 
foundation market retail channels. Low-cost and value-added offerings have become important 
features in this market segment as funeral product commoditisation continues to increase and 
customers struggle with unemployment and reduced disposable income. 

Debt servicing is becoming more expensive. Interest rates remain high, but we are expecting 
to enter a rate decrease cycle in 2024. Load shedding is expected to continue to negatively 
impact our operating context.

Material matters:  

In response, we remain focused on delivering our integrated financial services strategy, supported 
by a holistic proposition, accessible through different channels including virtual advisers and strategic 
partnerships, while leveraging technologies to drive efficiencies. The proposition is supported by our 
financial education offering, aimed at empowering customers to make informed financial decisions 
about their future, which drives advice-led sales. Over time, this will deepen our relationships with 
stakeholders and communities, increase customer needs met, increase customer volumes, grow 
market share and improve profitability, while helping us to regain our foothold in the community. 
We expect the recovery in our customers’ disposable income to take two years and we therefore raised 
an economic recovery reserve to reflect this. We maintained a conservative approach in our lending 
business, Old Mutual Finance, as we continue to deliver loan sales growth within our risk appetite.

Operational 
metrics

3.1

million 
customers
2022: 3 million

348

retail branches
2022: 348

4 153

tied advisers
2022: 4 065

9 137

employees
2022: 8 616

85

Integrated Report 2023 Mass and Foundation Cluster continued
Strategic focus areas

Holistic coverage of customer needs
Mass and Foundation Cluster is the leader in market share in the mass market through strong 
sales, value of new business and value of new business margin. Customer growth continued 
in 2023, despite the adverse macroeconomic environment. The Mass and Foundation Cluster 
contribution to Old Mutual Rewards membership increased by 20% to 1.2 million. The delivery 
of integrated financial services was supported by the strategic partnership with Two Mountains 
within the funeral services market. We assumed management control of the business 
on 1 December. This partnership enables us to deliver a broader range of integrated solutions 
through vertically integrating the funeral services value chain and extending the offering 
to include micro-insurance products that are easy to access and affordable. Old Mutual Finance 
delivered R1.2 billion, lending cross-sell to our life customer base. 

Distribution and digital engagement 
Our diversified, multi-channel distribution networks have enabled us to deliver advice and 
non-advice solutions to our customers efficiently and yielded growth across all channels. 
We continued to focus on our strategy to leverage our diversified channels to grow in the 
margin-accretive retail protection market, supporting our strong value of new business outcomes. 
We materially grew sales in line with market and customer demand in our third party and 
foundation market channels. Old Mutual Finance partnered with Vodacom to offer a responsible 
credit solution to South Africans through the VodaLend app. The app will enable customers 
to apply for a personal loan online, and approved customers will receive the funds into their 
bank account within 24 hours of concluding the loan agreement.

We are scaling up our voice and digital lending sales capability, with an improved risk profile and 
better lead conversion rates. This promotes interactions via digital channels to improve customer 
experience and service efficiency. Our voice and digital lending capability is enabled by simplified 
toolsets across channels, which improve the adviser experience. Continued investment in our 
enabling and digital capabilities will support sales growth and customer service experience 
in 2024. 

Operational efficiencies 
Our customers continue to be constrained by the rising cost of living. Persistency has been 
a challenge, but we have seen improvements driven by strategic delivery across our sales 
channels and enablement in 2023. We delivered improved results across value of new business 
and profitability. Our mortality experience strengthened in 2023 to partially offset some 
persistency challenges. We continue to enhance our Old Mutual Protect proposition, which 
is central to our focus on underwritten life and increasing our risk sales mix. Productivity across 
all our distribution channels contributed to our strong value of new business and value of new 
business margins in 2023 and cost management continued to be a business focus. Old Mutual 
Finance continued to deliver profitable growth, driven by responsible lending practices and 
efficiencies in transactional banking. 

Agile delivery driven by engaged employees 
Despite strong recruitment activities by competitors, our high-potential and critical skills 
employee retention remained stable. We continued to enable sales leadership with retention 
initiatives. Women in leadership and the increased employment of people with disabilities will 
remain a focus area in 2024. 

Our talent metrics demonstrated positive shifts in succession and the progress of talent 
development programmes. Our continued culture initiatives drive employee engagement and 
the Pulse Culture Survey achieved a 92% completion rate. These results signal an improvement, 
with priority initiatives driven to improve psychological safety and employee engagement. Our 
wellness initiatives drive positive shifts in overall employee wellbeing awareness and these will 
be amplified and scaled in 2024.

  Value creation

  Customers

 » R7.5 billion (2022: R6.9 billion) in claims and benefits 

paid

 » R16.4 billion (2022: R15.5 billion) in responsible 

lending to Old Mutual Finance customers to meet their 
financial goals

   Intermediaries

 » R51.8 million (2022: R44 million) spent 

on intermediary training and development

 » 52% intermediary retention score

Trade-off
We invested in building the new bank, which has reduced our 
developmental investments in Money Account.

 Key activities 2024

 » Drive profitable top-line growth and an integrated customer 

experience

 » Continue to deliver on initiatives to improve persistency, 

product mix and efficiency

 » Ensure readiness to shift Money Account customers 

to our new bank

 » Drive positive outcomes from the Old Mutual Finance 

and Vodacom partnership to offer personal loans on the 
VodaLend app 

 » Integrate Two Mountains into our ecosystem to realise 

synergies from the partnership

86

Integrated Report 2023 Mass and Foundation Cluster continued

Financial performance overview
Rm (unless otherwise stated)

FY 2023

FY 2022

Change

Results from operations 

Gross flows

Life APE sales

Net client cash flow 

Funds under management (Rbn)

Value of new business

Value of new business margin (%)

Old Mutual Finance

Results from operations

Loans and advances

Net lending margin (%)

Credit loss ratio (%)

1 846

14 158

4 824

6 228

29.8

1 180

8.8%

335

16 371

11.0%

7.2%

1 517

12 924

4 216

5 580

28.6

930

7.5%

715

15 512

13.2%

4.8%

22%

10%

14%

12%

4%

27%

130 bps

(53%)

6%

(220 bps)

240 bps

Gross flows of R14 158 million grew by 10% supported by annual premium increases and the inclusion 
of flows from our credit life business following the increase in shareholding of Old Mutual Finance 
in December 2022. Net client cash flow increased by 12% to R6 228 million due to growth in recurring 
premium flows, partly offset by higher surrenders as more customers continue to choose to access 
their savings to support them during these difficult financial times. 

Life APE sales of R4 824 million increased by 14%, with new retail business volumes growing by 21%. 
Sales in high-margin funeral and underwritten products performed particularly well, recording growth 
of 26% and 61%, respectively. Foundation Market group business reported lower sales due to a large 
scheme joining in 2022 which did not repeat in 2023. 

Loans and advances of R16 371 million were 6% above prior year, supported by higher loan sales as we 
continue to grow the book responsibly.

Results from operations grew by 22% to R1 846 million, largely due to higher life profits, partially offset 
by lower profits from the Banking and Lending business.

Life profits showed a strong improvement compared to the prior year due to higher risk sales volumes, 
higher returns on the contractual service margin and better retention outcomes relative to stronger 
assumptions. Retention experience partly contributed to the stronger performance in the second half 
of the year as the additional provisions raised in June 2023 were sufficient to cover the losses that 
emerged. Some elevated levels of lapses and surrenders are expected to continue for the next two 
years as customers’ constrained disposable income takes time to recover.

Banking and Lending profits declined due to higher credit losses and the negative impact of the 
higher funding costs from the rapidly increasing interest rate environment. This led to a decrease 
in net lending margin of 220 bps to 11.0% and a deterioration of the credit loss ratio to 7.2%.

The value of new business grew strongly to R1 180 million, with value of new business margin up by 
130 bps to 8.8% due to increased risk sales volumes and effective cost management as we continue 
to execute across our value drivers.

87

Integrated Report 2023 Personal Finance and Wealth Management
Personal Finance and Wealth Management is a retail segment that offers 
holistic financial advice and long-term solutions to the middle and high-
income market and high-net-worth clients digitally and in person through 
our high-calibre advisers.

Personal Finance operates primarily in Life and Savings and offers a wide range of holistic financial advice and long-term risk, savings, 
income and investment solutions. Personal Finance targets the middle and high-income market, defined as individuals earning 
R30 000 to R100 000 per month. Products are distributed through tied advisers, independent financial advisers, agency franchises 
and direct channels, including digital, iWYZE and tele-advisers.

Wealth Management is an advice-led, vertically integrated retail investment business that offers wealth management, investment 
solutions and funds to high-income and high-net-worth individuals. Wealth Management targets the affluent market, defined as 
customers earning more than R100 000 per month or with investable assets of greater than R15 million. The distribution channels 
include tied advisers, independent financial advisers and direct relationships with clients.

We employ a diverse strategy to connect with our customers at their convenience, utilising in-person and digital channels. In pursuit of 
this, we invested in various distribution models involving independent advisers and our own top-tier advisers within our affiliated models.

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Strong distribution network with a large financial adviser base

High-net-worth and private client solutions locally and offshore

Integrated wealth planning and investment solutions

Comprehensive customer and adviser propositions

Old Mutual Rewards programme

Operating context
Our recurring premium sales have improved from last year. However, at an industry level, 
recurring premium growth is constrained below normal expectations, as customers are 
reluctant to commit to products in the current macroenvironment. The strained economy 
continues to exacerbate financial pressure on our customers, resulting in increased levels 
of disinvestments from savings and investments. Management takes actions to improve 
sales activity across channels and monitor adviser productivity, particularly in the recurring 
premium business.  

Material matters: 

The continued globalisation of investment solutions is shifting local and offshore 
allocations in South Africa. Our wealth strategy has evolved to reposition Old Mutual 
Wealth as a global business for South African investors. We are refocusing our 
independent financial advisers’ proposition to be led by investment solutions. We are 
transforming multi-managers to become a dominant investment solution and consulting 
provider to financial advisers. Through Private Clients, we differentiate our offering and 
reach into the high-net-worth client segment. We continue growing our registered 
financial adviser distribution and advice businesses.

Operational 
metrics

1.7

million 
customers
2022: 1.7 million

2 468

tied advisers
2022: 2 398

8 750

independent
intermediaries
2022: 8 168

3 706

employees
2022: 3 541

88

Integrated Report 2023 Personal Finance and Wealth Management continued

 Strategic focus areas

Holistic coverage of customer needs
To further our integrated financial services, we enhanced our product offering. We launched:
 » Private Clients by Old Mutual Wealth to expand our high-net-worth client proposition and provide integrated services for customers
 » Old Mutual Wealth Cash and Liquidity Solutions, offering short-term fixed interest collective investment schemes funds 

to institutional investors that unlock value for customers with short-term liquidity needs

 » A world-class discretionary fund manager capability, designed to provide a range of solutions to meet our clients’ investment 

objectives 

We continue to lead with advice and drive internal flows across the Group’s investment capabilities. A new range of institutional funds, 
combining active and passive solutions in our multi-managers business, offer affordable investments that combine the best of South 
African and offshore asset managers.

Our Old Mutual Rewards programme continues to be a central focus in our marketing initiatives and communication with advisers, 
consistently yielding positive cross-sell sales from our valued rewards members. To meet the increasing appetite for sustainable 
investment options, Old Mutual Wealth provides a sustainability rating for its collective investment schemes. The business is also 
working with its asset management colleagues to make infrastructure investments in the green economy accessible to retail investors. 
Traditionally, they have only been available to institutional investors.

Distribution and digital engagement
We continue to expand our digital platform capabilities, such as electronic signatures, to support the needs of financial advisers. 
Electronic signature functionality enables clients and advisers to submit and approve instructions electronically. This paperless 
measure enhances online investment experience while reducing the risk of identity theft and fraud. 

We launched an innovation platform where employees can submit ideas. The successful ideas have progressed to the experimental 
phase dedicated to incrementally implementing innovative initiatives in our business. 

We are piloting a succession solution to support successful ownership changes for independent financial advisers’ practices. 
We grew our experienced adviser cohort to 1 749 advisers, and Fairbairn Consult continues to attract independent advisers, with 
183 advisers to date.

The Greenlight book is our legacy protection solution with 1.85 million policies. We successfully migrated to our new product 
administration system in September 2023, which enables advisers to service customers with all the new functionality available 
on Old Mutual Protect, with the added benefit of doing it on one platform. 

Operational efficiencies
We delivered double-digit growth on our new business volume and improvement in mix, with higher guaranteed annuity 
and better underwritten death and living benefit sales. Our recurring premium productivity per personal finance advice sales 
adviser improved by 11% year on year. 

Agile delivery driven by engaged employees
We continue to foster an organisational culture of high performance and investing in professional development. Our core values 
underpin a workplace where talent flourishes. Our wellness programme has gained traction, particularly in promoting employee 
wellbeing. We continuously encourage our team members to utilise their leave to recharge and maintain their energy levels. 

We had a strong 80% participation rate in the 2023 Pulse Culture Survey. Our result was slightly lower compared to previous surveys 
(4.75 to 4.67), in line with similar declines across the Group. This outcome was not unexpected, given the external and internal 
challenges staff are facing. Inclusive leadership consistently shows up as a key strength; it was the top scoring dimension for our 
segment in the last survey. We believe our leadership enables a psychologically safe environment where people can speak up, bring 
their whole selves to work and deliver their best work. This enables a thriving culture of innovation. 

While internal service delivery was our lowest scoring dimension, it has consistently shifted positively over recent years. We plan to 
be more deliberate about driving execution and delivery by promoting collaboration and agile ways of working. Our recognition 
programmes for our sales and enablement teams serve as powerful levers to drive and embed behaviours that support our desired 
culture.

Value creation

 Customers

 » R48.2 billion (2022: R43.7 billion) in claims and benefits paid
 » 69% customer satisfaction score 

 Intermediaries
 » R62.8 million (2022: R52.2 million) spent on intermediary 

training and development

   Communities

 » Providing support through structured initiatives such as the 

Green Hands Trust

 » Launched Gift of Givers Fund

Awards

»  The Old Mutual Wealth Global Equity Portfolio 1 Note won the 

prestigious South African Listed Tracker Award for its 
three-year performance track record.

Trade-off
We delayed the launch of our savings and income proposition 
to ensure it complies with the two-pot retirement system.

Key activities 2024

»  Penetrate our target market with full range of Old Mutual solutions 

to meet our customers’ financial needs

»  Increase our footprint through different distribution models by recruiting 

top-tier advisers and strengthen our new-to-market academy model, 
which is designed for first-time financial advisers

»  Continue to rebuild our value of new business through improved business 

mix and volume 

»  Launch investment consulting service 
»  Launch the digital adviser enablement platform
»  Construct our advice, marketing and distribution narrative to position 
Old Mutual Wealth as a global investment business for South African 
investors

»  Accelerate the growth of our Private Client offering and reach into 

high-net-worth segment

»  Transform the multi-manager business into a dominant solutions 

business for institutional and retail markets

89

Integrated Report 2023 Personal Finance and Wealth Management continued

Personal Finance results from operations benefited from better returns and higher risk-free rates 
on our contractual service margin, positive reinsurance basis changes and higher morbidity profits 
compared to the prior year. Our actual mortality experience relative to expected mortality improved 
in 2023. However, mortality profits in 2022 were boosted by short term COVID-19 provision releases, 
which did not recur.

The segment value of new business of R312 million increased by 64%, with a corresponding 30 bps 
increase in the value of new business margin. The strong growth in guaranteed annuities sales and the 
increase in savings business together with some shift in mix towards higher margin funds contributed 
positively to the value of new business and value of new business margin. The continued progress 
on our management actions to improve the proportion of higher margin risk benefits was partially 
offset by unfavourable economic impacts.

Financial performance overview
Rm (unless otherwise stated)

FY 2023

FY 2022

Change

Results from operations 

Personal Finance

Wealth Management

Gross flows

Life APE sales

Net client cash flow 

Value of new business

Value of new business margin (%)

Wealth Management

Assets under management and administration (Rbn)

Funds under management

Intergroup assets

Revenue

Annuity

Non-annuity

3 710

2 915

795

82 759

4 687

(8 227)

312

0.9%

369.6

434.9

(65.3)

3 258

3 145

113

3 369

2 716

653

77 130

4 068

(4 787)

190

0.6%

328.3

390.6

(62.3)

2 852

2 858

(6)

Revenue bps – annuity1

90 bps

85 bps

1  Calculated	as	annuity	revenue	divided	by	average	assets	under	management	and	administration

10%

7%

22%

7%

15%

(72%)

64%

30 bps

13%

11%

(5%)

14%

10%

>100%

5 bps

Gross flows for the segment of R82 759 million increased by 7% from the prior year. This was driven 
by strong guaranteed annuities flows in Personal Finance and further bolstered by inflows from our 
new Cash and Liquidity Solutions business in Wealth Management in the fourth quarter of 2023.

Life APE sales for the segment of R4 687 million increased by 15% from the prior year. Personal Finance 
delivered strong single and recurring premium sales, driven by robust growth of 57% in guaranteed 
annuities and strong savings sales. In Wealth Management, Life APE sales were marginally higher than 
the prior year despite higher sales in the smooth bonus and fixed bond options as customers 
continued to show a preference for stable and guaranteed funds. 

Net client cash flow for the segment worsened from negative R4 787 million in the prior year 
to negative R8 227 million. In Wealth Management, liquidity requirements in a tough operating 
environment resulted in outflows from a number of large clients across both local and offshore 
platforms, coupled with lower treasury advisory inflows. In Personal Finance, net client cash flow 
improved by R1 804 million due to strong single premium inflows which were partially offset 
by increased levels of disinvestments from savings and investments. 

Results from operations for the segment of R3 710 million increased by 10% from the prior year. 
In Wealth Management, higher annuity revenue was supported by higher average asset levels. 
Non-annuity revenue significantly increased due to improved market valuations of seed capital 
investments and a weaker rand against the US dollar exchange rate on offshore client portfolios.

90

Integrated Report 2023 Old Mutual Investments
Old Mutual Investments is one of South Africa’s leading investment 
managers, offering investment solutions to institutional and retail customers.

Old Mutual Investments operates through five affiliates across three investment business lines, namely:
 » Asset management, which comprises the following affiliate businesses:

 → Old Mutual Investment Group: listed equity, multi-asset and liability-driven investments
 → Futuregrowth Asset Management: fixed income and credit investments 
 → Marriott Investment Managers: income solutions investments

 » Old Mutual Alternative Investments: unlisted alternative investments

 » Old Mutual Specialised Finance: shareholder credit and asset liability management

Affiliates focus on their niche strategies to deliver on the customer propositions and improve competitiveness.

Our investment solutions are accessible to other Old Mutual segments, linked investment service providers, multi-managers, and 
asset consultants.

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Largest specialised fixed income and credit manager in South Africa

Offer active, passive and Sharia investment management capabilities

Largest infrastructure and renewables investment manager in Africa

Market leader in integrating ESG in investment decisions

Old Mutual Investment Group and Futuregrowth are majority black owned

Operating context
The global asset management industry has been set back due to volatile markets, high inflation 
and interest rates, all resulting in a weaker global economy. Locally we continue to grapple with 
the energy crisis, slow policy reform, high unemployment and low business confidence, but we 
remain focused on sustainable delivery of excellent investment outcomes for our clients. Our 
affiliates are making successful inroads in delivering on their strategic objectives despite the 
significant headwinds. Old Mutual Investments, continues to see the benefit of having diverse 
businesses in its portfolio.

Material matters: 

The outlook for 2024 and beyond sees a notably tougher macroeconomic environment and a 
commensurately more difficult time for our local client base. Growing institutional and retail 
market share with the support of our Old Mutual Wealth partners, strengthening our investment 
platform and recruiting and retaining top talent will continue to be top priorities across the 
ecosystem. The most significant risk factor within our industry remains the increase in offshore 
allowance for local institutional asset owners, from 30% to 45%. This implies a tipping point has 
been reached and emphasises our pivot to a more diversified global product offering, building on 
a strong existing suite of global equity products, while seeking further local growth opportunities.

Operational 
metrics

75%

funds above 
benchmark over 
three years
20221: 81%

388

institutional 
customers
2022: 357

689

employees
2022: 661

R839

billion 
assets under 
management
2022: R774 billion

1   The percentage of funds above 
benchmark over a three-year 
period in 2022 has restated 
because the benchmark on 
Balance Composition changed 
to be strategic rather than a peer 
benchmark for the numbers to 
be consistent

91

Integrated Report 2023 Value creation

Awards

Old Mutual Investments continued
Strategic focus areas

Holistic coverage of customer needs
New revenue lines are critical for all our affiliates and are a part of the key performance indicators. We 
completed our private markets initiative and launched infrastructure debt and hybrid equity funds, active ESG, 
structured fixed bond, overnight lending, shareholder protected equity and bond scrip lending offering, 
improving competitiveness in the third-party institutional market. We made good progress, with Old Mutual 
Alternative Investments delivering on its deal pipeline with deal flow totalling R16.5 billion for the year to date, 
of which R4.8 billion is in respect of green investments. The Global ESG Active Fund was launched on the retail 
platform in the third quarter of 2023 and is available to retail clients through Old Mutual Wealth and Old Mutual 
Unit Trusts. Old Mutual Investment Group commenced tracking against its Net Zero Asset Manager Initiative 
commitments and building decarbonisation scenarios and pathways for their portfolios.

Distribution and digital engagement
Old Mutual Specialised Finance, Futuregrowth and Old Mutual Investment Group are collaborating with Old 
Mutual Wealth, with new product development opportunities under discussion to maximise the business’s 
potential and to grow its assets under management over time. We made significant progress on information 
technology refresh projects across the business, for example, CompatibL’s Trade Order Management module, 
which highlights our desire to stay agile and responsive to evolving internal and external requirements. 
Old Mutual Alternative Investments had another strong year of capital being raised with a strong increase 
in third-party assets under management for the year and strong deployment activity.

Operational efficiencies 
We are upgrading and investing in operating platforms and continue to invest in data warehousing and AI. 
Futuregrowth and Old Mutual Investment Group completed their respective CRM cloud migrations and 
a successful go-live of the Charles River Investment Management Solution.

Specialised Finance delivered on its capital optimisation objectives, resulting in a capital release to the 
Group, which improved return on capital for Old Mutual Investments and assisted the Group with its capital 
optimisation focus. 

Agile delivery driven by engaged employees
We manage culture change and diversity across affiliates to retain and attract top talent. For the first time, Old 
Mutual Investment Group was included in the 27Four BEE survey, the purpose of which is to map the progress 
of transformation in the South African asset management sector and to showcase the universe of majority 
black owned, managed and controlled asset managers across public and private markets. The benefit of having 
a black majority shareholding is that it gives us access to new client opportunities and helps client retention.

In our continuous pursuit of cultural excellence, we acknowledge the significant role that culture plays in driving 
our business. Reflecting on the outcomes of our Pulse Culture Survey conducted in May 2023, we achieved 
a commendable response rate of 83%. However, our Index score experienced a slight dip, moving from 
4.6 to 4.5. Each affiliate Executive committee communicated its results and developed comprehensive action 
plans based on these insights.

The integration of the active investment teams and capabilities under the Old Mutual Investment Group Chief 
Investment Officer was concluded and has been well received, as it provides clearer focus on our investment 
proposition for clients through pooling talent. We made good progress with filling key vacancies to bolster 
investment teams with top talent. The Old Mutual Investment Group’s talent transformation plan continues 
to focus on black and female talent. Furthermore, we invested in and supported employee growth through 
leadership development programmes and establishing a talent forum.

 Customers

 » 75% (20221: 81%) of funds performed 

above the benchmark over a 
three-year investment period

 » Several of our alternative 

investment strategies, in particular 
our infrastructure and hybrid equity 
funds, performed well ahead 
of their benchmarks over the last 
year

   Communities

 » Our effective black shareholding 
in both Futuregrowth and Old 
Mutual Investment Group is at 
56.3% and 55.0%, respectively

 » The Green Hands Trust allocated 

over R1.1 million towards 
education initiatives

» Continued focus on ESG strategy
» Donated funds to the Warriors 

of Hope organisation

» Participated in 100 women 

in finance to empower women 
at every stage of their career

Trade-off
Investment in key capabilities and 
information technology refresh strategies 
may reduce shareholder returns in the short 
term but lead to increased profitability and 
reduce operational risk in the longer term.

1  The percentage of funds above benchmark over a three-year period in 2022 has restated because the benchmark on Balance Composition changed to be strategic rather than a peer benchmark for the numbers to be consistent

 » Old Mutual Investment Group won Best 

Sustainable African Investment Manager 
2023 for the second year running at the 
European Global Business Awards

 » Old Mutual Investment Group won the 

Capital Finance International Responsible 
Investing Award for Best ESG Responsible 
Investor (Africa) 2023 for the third 
consecutive year, underlining our 
credentials as a leader in responsible 
investment

 » Old Mutual Global Islamic Equity Fund was 
recognised for its outstanding performance 
at the Citywire South Africa Awards in the 
global equity category

 »  Investment Manager of the Year at MENA 

2023 by PAN Finance 

 » Best Fund Manager: Global Equity in the 

CityWire South Africa Fund Manager 
Awards

 » Old Mutual Investment Group won 

Most Watched Company (Overall) at the 
inaugural Asset TV Audience Choice Awards 

 » Old Mutual Wealth was part of the group 

that won the Most Watched DFM Sessions 
at the inaugural Asset TV Audience Choice 
Awards

 Key activities 2024

 » Maintain black ownership above 50%, 

with a transformed and inclusive senior 
investment team with a large female 
representation

 » Raise the profile of Old Mutual Investment 
Group as a locally based manager with 
excellent global capabilities

 » Increase collaboration with Old Mutual 
Wealth and Old Mutual Multi-Manager 
in building a retail ‘investment shop window’

 » Develop an alternative balance sheet for 

Old Mutual Specialised Finance to leverage 
existing capability to drive additional 
revenue growth

 » Continue embedding culture and 

development initiatives in each affiliate

92

Integrated Report 2023 Old Mutual Investments continued

Financial performance overview
Rm (unless otherwise stated)

FY 2023

FY 2022

Change

Results from operations

Gross flows

Net client cash flow 
Assets under management  (Rbn)1

Funds under management 

Intergroup assets

Total revenue

Annuity 

Non-annuity

1 227

32 815

(11 976)

839.1

258.1

581.0

3 374

2 945

429

1 240

31 952

(7 723)

774.0

240.2

533.8

3 302

2 787

515

(1%)

3%

(55%)

8%

7%

9%

2%

6%

(17%)

1  Assets	under	management	comprise	of	funds	under	management	as	defined	for	the	Group	and	funds	managed	on	behalf	of	other	entities	

in	the	Group,	which	are	reported	as	funds	under	management	of	these	respective	segments

Our results benefited from substantial new capital being raised, which supported the solid growth 
in annuity revenue. Assets under management grew by 8% from December 2022 due to resilient local 
equity markets, favourable valuations on portfolio assets and growth in offshore asset values that were 
supported by a weaker local currency.

Annuity revenue, in the form of management fees, commitment fees and catch-up fees, benefited 
from exceptional levels of capital raised in our Alternatives business over the past few years, as well 
as exchange rate gains on our offshore assets under management.

Non-annuity revenue is a major differentiator from our peer group. This revenue is more volatile but 
provides significant economic value through the investment cycle. The components include carried 
interest, revaluation of fund co-investments, performance fees and mark to market impacts from 
changes to credit spreads and equity exposures. Non-annuity revenue declined by 17% from the prior 
year, mainly due to negative market movements on the credit portfolio and equity exposures in our 
Specialised Finance business, partly offset by strong performance fees and investment returns in our 
Alternatives business.

Gross flows improved by 3% to R32 815 million due to higher inflows across our money market, fixed 
income and alternative products. Negative net client cash flow of R11 976 million was mainly driven 
by low margin indexation outflows from a large offshore investor that implemented a change 
in investment strategy from the existing mandate resulting in outflows of R7.8 billion. Furthermore, 
client liquidity requirements in challenging economic conditions resulted in outflows from low margin 
money market funds, structural outflows given the ongoing strain in the South African pension fund 
market, as well as contractual benefit payments. Net client cash flow excluding the termination 
associated with client restructures and the contractual benefit payments was marginally positive and 
R2 billion higher than the prior year on a like-for-like basis. 

Results from operations marginally declined from the prior year. Higher annuity revenue was offset 
by the decrease in non-annuity revenue and higher expenses. Expenses were up as a result 
of vacancies filled, investment in revenue-generating initiatives, technology and increased travel costs.

Asset Management
Results from operations were slightly down, largely due to the decrease in non-annuity revenue from 
reduced performance fees and lower than inflation expense growth. Gross flows were higher than the 
prior year due to strong flows into money market, fixed income and property products. However, 
expected Liability Driven Investments benefit payments of R4.4 billion, continued client liquidity 
requirements and terminations related to client restructures contributed to the negative net client 
cash flow of R13.1 billion.

Alternatives
Capital raising continued strongly into 2023, with R14.7 billion of capital raised including a substantial 
portion from third-party investors. This highlights the benefits of our Private Markets initiative and the 
strategy to compete in the third-party institutional market. Similarly, deal flow remains strong, and 
we concluded new deals of R16.5 billion during the year. Annuity revenue was higher due to growth 
in our assets under management benefiting from capital raised in recent years, exchange rate gains 
and increased fees due to higher valuations. Non-annuity revenue was significantly higher due 
to strong performance fees and higher investment returns. This resulted in a 78% increase in results 
from operations.

Specialised Finance
The business delivered well against its asset and liability management mandate in a challenging 
environment. Specialised Finance continues to deliver stable hedging positions to reduce volatility for 
the shareholder.

Balance sheet growth from deal volume originated was partly offset by active risk management that 
successfully reduced exposures to state owned enterprises, resulting in the committed term credit 
balance sheet growing by 3% to R36.4 billion. Results from operations declined to R153 million due 
to mark to market losses in the equity and credit portfolios and a mark to market accounting reversal 
on the settlement of three unlisted preference share instruments. This was partly offset by higher 
portfolio margins and lower expenses.

93

Integrated Report 2023 Old Mutual Corporate
Old Mutual Corporate is a leading player in the employee benefits industry with diversified revenue 
streams, including pre-retirement and post-retirement propositions, employee benefits administration 
and specialised solutions for small, medium and large enterprises.
Old Mutual Corporate provides employee benefits and consulting services, including pre-retirement and post-retirement investments, group risk cover, administration, consulting services and specialised 
solutions. Our business-to-business-to-customer model spans small, medium and large enterprises. Our customers include employers, retirement funds, as well as other benefit funds and their members 
and employees. 
Our member-focused propositions help members maximise their personal asset accumulation and achieve a stable retirement income. We offer solutions to protect them against health and financial 
risks that could arise over their working lifetime and impede their asset accumulation goals. 
Our holistic suite of offerings comprises:
» Superfund, one of the largest commercial umbrella funds in South Africa with pricing competitiveness through our economies of scale 
» Smoothed bonus funds that provide market-leading investment strategy solutions to ensure employees can have downside risk protection for their retirement savings against the different economic 

cycles while holding growth assets with different options for guarantees of the total savings at retirement or exit

» Group risk offerings with a wide range of risk protection benefits for death and disability
» Advisory capabilities through Old Mutual Corporate consultants that cover employee benefits, investment and actuarial consulting; we added remuneration consulting, including reward surveys, 

benchmarking and a reward management platform through our Remchannel

» Health and wellness solutions that provide access to primary health care and wellness offerings that address mental, physical, and financial wellbeing
» Small and medium-sized enterprise offerings, such as lending and operations support services through SMEgo, our digital platform, which aims to grow and mature SMEs so that they drive employment 

and strengthen the market for employee benefits in the long term

The segment has a multi-channel strategy that is largely face-to-face in the employee benefits market. Our distribution network includes a direct sales team, business development teams and digital 
channels, complemented by employee benefits specialist intermediaries and industry consultants. Our direct sales team provides services to clients directly and we have an advice-led corporate consulting 
team. The employee benefits market is highly intermediated, and we go to market via tied and third-party intermediaries, largely comprising employee benefits specialist intermediaries.

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Integrated employer and employee-focused propositions and services

Strong brand and established track record

Expertise in management and governance of umbrella funds

Capital strength mostly valued by large corporate clients

Operating context
The challenging macroeconomic conditions and unemployment levels continued to impact Old 
Mutual Corporate and the employee benefits industry in 2023 by suppressing business confidence 
and employment growth, and constraining businesses to provide employee benefits and 
consumers to save. The regulatory landscape continues to evolve, and we actively participate in 
industry engagements, which included providing thought leadership on the two-pot retirement 
system implementation. We invested in technological and system capabilities to enable us to 
provide the services required, and we intensified member education and engagements.

Material matters: 

We responded to this environment by evolving our strategic focus to strengthen our core 
employee benefits retirement proposition and servicing capability, especially reducing the 
claims backlog created during the COVID-19 pandemic. We continued to extend and diversify 
our core business by growing our remuneration consulting business and launching new health 
solutions. Our small and medium-sized enterprise strategic focus was to increase our lending 
book by extending funding to small businesses and expanding the features of SMEgo, our digital 
capability, to support them operationally.

Operational 
metrics

1.8

million 
customers
2022: 1.8 million

1 296

independent
intermediaries
2022: 1 224

320

employees
2022: 308

94

Integrated Report 2023 Old Mutual Corporate continued
Strategic focus areas

Holistic coverage of customer needs
The focus on improving the quality of our employee benefits propositions and relationships has seen large deals won and 
strong pipelines secured for our SuperFund Umbrella and Group risk businesses. The Old Mutual SuperFund emphasises 
sustainability, stewardship and responsible investment practices as essential long-term value driver levers and an integral 
aspect of our commitment to customers as a responsible business. 

The Remchannel acquisition yielded results that surpassed expectations. We further strengthened this remuneration 
consulting capability by adding an industry-leading executive remuneration advisory team. 

Through product innovation, we have made progress on strengthening our post-retirement proposition, while expanding 
the value-for-money options members can get in the fund. Our member-focused new solutions include earned wage 
access and debt management solutions. Earned wage access affords customers early access to their earned salary instead 
of accumulating debt. Debt management solutions include access to debt counsellors to improve members’ cash flow and 
address indebtedness. We fleshed out our wellness proposition with partnerships in physical and financial wellness. Aligned 
to this, we meet members' needs for affordable primary health care with a corporate health insurance solution for clients, 
in partnership with Old Mutual Insure through Genric. 

We are preparing to implement the two-pot retirement system despite the technical complexity, regulatory uncertainty 
and shifting timelines. The related data and digital implementations, coupled with robust change management, will also 
benefit the quality of our servicing and customer engagement.

Distribution and digital engagement
Our journey to improve the omni-channel experience is progressing well due to back-end enhancements through 
digitisation and ongoing automation of claims processing. We continually improve our front-end functionality through 
multiple self-service digital channels such as WhatsApp, the MyOldMutual app, dedicated websites and our call centres 
in collaboration with our strong member and customer support teams.

SMEgo is our website and app digital channel through which SMEs can register and access lending options and capabilities 
that assist with efficiently managing their operations, such as invoicing, automated payments and an e-market that 
connects SMEs with each other and customers. Since the launch of SMEgo in August 2022, the platform has grown from 
2 283 users at the end of 2022 to 6 754 at the end of 2023, and gross funding application increased to R1.3 billion. We are 
accelerating the build of additional features in SMEgo 3.0 to drive scale and profitability.

Operational efficiencies
We gained traction on addressing the servicing issues, specifically around section 37c death claims backlog arising 
during the COVID-19 pandemic. We expect to meet the backlog commitment to the Financial Sector Conduct Authority 
for May 2024 and are tracking ahead against the agreed targets. 

There has been a strong improvement in the withdrawal and retirement claims process as a result of the funeral claims 
process re-engineering. This was reflected in the feedback from our annual client satisfaction survey, with an overall 
improvement in satisfaction and experience from intermediaries and employers. 

The two-pot retirement system requires a focus on readiness for its implementation. We are preparing the relevant 
technology and processes to ensure efficient servicing, given the anticipated claims volumes, and a positive experience 
for members. A key aspect of achieving this experience is the accuracy of members' contact details to support member 
engagement and digital claims servicing. Our focused data remediation efforts have seen significant improvement 
in this regard.

Agile delivery driven by engaged employees
We organised and enabled our business units to deliver effectively through agile teams, practices and governances across 
the corporate value chain, supported by cohesive culture building with employee interventions that address  employee 
needs in a post pandemic and hybrid work environment.

Our segment’s Pulse Culture Survey results had a 90% response rate, and our Culture Index Score was above the Old Mutual 
Limited Group average. We scored well on inclusive leadership, trust and accountability, and diversity and inclusion. We have 
action plans to improve the scoring on execution and delivery, employee engagement and service culture. 

Value creation

 Customers

 » R37.2 billion (2022: R41.5 billion) in claims and benefits paid
 » 72% customer satisfaction score
 » SMEgo gross funding application grew by R2 billion

   Intermediaries

 » R274 669 (2022: R1.7 million) spent on intermediary training and development

Trade-off
With almost 250 000 members potentially claiming from their savings pot, the focus on 
two-pot retirement system readiness means people, technology and funding resources were 
diverted to and focused on meeting the requirements for the initially expected effective date 
of 1 September 2024. The two-pot retirement system digital, data and process re-
engineering deliveries will benefit the customer experience and operational efficiencies 
in the longer run. Other major deliverables in product enhancements and servicing 
infrastructure were re-phased to accommodate this priority.

In the SME business, we re-prioritised deliveries by accelerating the build of additional 
features in SMEgo that will drive further growth, usage, and revenue generation over 
focusing on market development upfront. This was based on customer feedback on the 
platform. The trade-off was delaying extensive digital marketing campaigns and attaining 
planned traction in client take-up, which is now a key focus for 2024.

Awards

 » Old Mutual received Impact Asset Owner of the Year in Southern Africa at the 

inaugural Krutham Africa Impact Investment Awards 2023

 Key activities 2024

The key activities in 2024 are a continuation of our existing strategy while incorporating 
learnings from 2023: 
 »  Gain traction and drive growth and scale, particularly in the solutions introduced in 2023 
 » Continue to strengthen the core employee benefits business through investing in our pre- 

and post-retirement solutions, group risk, advisory and administration and servicing capabilities 

 » Complete the preparations for the two-pot system implementation 
 » Continue to expand our core employee benefits business by leveraging our enhanced 

remuneration consulting capability and scaling our member-centred health and wellness 
propositions

 » Grow the SME proposition with non-employee benefits offerings, focusing on lending 
through our partner, Preference Capital, and scaling our operations and market access 
services via the SMEgo digital platform

95

Integrated Report 2023 Old Mutual Corporate continued

Financial performance overview
Rm (unless otherwise stated)

Results from operations

Gross flows

Life APE sales

Net client cash flow  

Funds under management (Rbn)

Value of new business

Value of new business margin (%)

FY 2023

FY 2022

Change

1 718

37 744

3 190

(3 587)

282.9

272

1.0%

1 449

27 883

1 900

(11 709)

261.3

147

1.0%

19%

35%

68%

69%

8%

85%

–

Gross flows increased by 35% to R37 744 million due to improved recurring premium flows attributed 
to increased contributions from customers in Old Mutual SuperFund and strong single premium flows 
in our investment portfolio. The positive persistency also contributed to the growth in gross flows.

Life APE sales increased by 68% to R3 190 million. This was driven by single and recurring premium 
savings book growth. Large corporate sales are lumpy by nature with long and sometimes 
unpredictable lead times. We are also pleased with the good risk new business secured over the year, 
given the competitive market.  

The value of new business increased by 85% to R272 million, with a corresponding value of new 
business margin of 1.0%, which was sustained from the prior year and remains a competitive margin 
within the employee benefits market. The value of new business and value of new business margin 
were driven by the new business secured over the period and a favourable product mix within our 
annuity and risk offerings. 

Net client cash flow improved by 69% from the prior year, bolstered by higher gross flows and lower 
outflows. Termination outflows improved from R6.5 billion in 2022 to R6.4 billion in the current year 
as a result of management interventions. The terminations in the current year included a R1.8 billion 
outflow from the closure of a bespoke product in the Old Mutual Multi-manager platform.

Total funds under management improved by 8% to R282.9 billion, driven by strong flows, improved 
retention and strong investment performance over the period. A component of the funds under 
management relates to our flagship smoothed bonus funds which performed well in an incredibly 
volatile market environment. This smoothing allowed our customers to experience reduced volatility 
in a tough market while building their retirement savings through consistent real returns. 

Results from operations increased by 19% to R1 718 million. This performance was driven by higher 
returns on the contractual service margin and better mortality underwriting experience, with prudent 
expense management contributing positively to profits. 

96

Integrated Report 2023 Old Mutual Insure
Old Mutual Insure offers a comprehensive range of short-term insurance products to the 
personal, commercial and corporate markets that help customers manage and mitigate 
their risks, enabling them to protect their financial wellbeing.
Through multi-channel distribution networks and partnerships, we offer a wide range of policies that protect against property damage, personal accident, 
agriculture, engineering, liability, marine, motor, accident and health, travel, credit protection and trade credit risks.

We deliver our solutions through the following businesses that provide tailored products that meet our customers’ needs: 
 » Retail offers a multi-product and multi-channel distribution portfolio and includes the commercial business portfolios catering to small to large-sized 

businesses, and personal business portfolios that serve individuals 
 » iWYZE offers direct short-term, gap cover and business insurance 
 » Specialty provides insurance for large and complex risks in niche market segments, particularly property, engineering, marine, agricultural assets and 

corporate property insurance

 » OMART Insure offers first and third-party cell captive and alternative risk solutions
 » Blue Sky is the strategic acquisitions division of non-life insurance providers, including Genric, specialising in accident and health insurance, and ONE 

Financial Services, operating as a cell owner within the cell captive environment 

 » Credit Guarantee Insurance Corporation provides insurance for trade credit, bonds and surety

Old Mutual Insure uses multiple distribution channels that include intermediaries, direct channels, strategic partnerships and digital channels. Intermediaries 
include independent brokers who are equipped to deliver personal advice and service to new and existing customers. We have a physical branch network and 
call centres where our tied advisers provide advice and customer servicing. Digital channels include the digital broker portal, MyOMinsure, which enables brokers 
to service customers digitally. Through our strategic partnerships, we underwrite new business to new customer demographics.

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A recognisable and dependable brand

Diversified short-term insurer with a broad range of insurance solutions

Specialist insurance skills and experience that support and bring innovation to 
corporate and niche markets

Credit Guarantee Insurance Corporation is a market leader in trade credit with an 
experienced management team and a strong brand

Operating context
The business faces threats, including increased broker market consolidation, direct competitors 
with aggressive marketing strategies and non-traditional businesses diversifying into insurance. 
Challenging socio-economic conditions, such as high inflation, continue to put pressure on our 
claims costs and place consumers under strain, adversely impacting our ability to retain existing 
customers and attract new business. The increased severity of weather-related events continue to 
put pressure on our profitability due to the high value of claims pay-outs and higher reinsurance 
pricing. 

Our strategic objectives provide direction, creating a buffer to help us weather the challenging 
operating context. Topline growth was driven by diversifying our products, strengthening of our 

Material matters: 

broker market, strong strategic partnerships and new business acquisitions. We strive to leverage 
off existing technology and data capabilities to help us manage our expenses and claims processes. 
We continually monitor weather events, stress test our catastrophe models and rely on advanced 
analytics and technology to understand and assess the impact on pricing and reserving.

We anticipate that the ongoing socio-economic challenges will remain. The increased frequency 
and severity of extreme weather events are particularly challenging for the industry. However, our 
business remains strong and agile to face these challenges. We are working to improve our claims 
process, refine policy wording, upgrade our IT infrastructure to enhance our customer and broker 
experience, and review product and reinsurance pricing. 

Operational 
metrics

483 913

policies
2022: 471 877

5 148

tied advisers
2022: 4 750

2 958

independent
brokers
2022: 1 843

2 725

employees
2022: 2 590

97

Integrated Report 2023 Old Mutual Insure continued
Strategic focus areas

Holistic coverage of customer needs
We are committed to growing coverage of customer needs by diversifying our product offerings and channels, while strengthening and 
growing our existing businesses. We furthered the expansion of our alternative channel within the retail business, establishing customer 
centric engagement models. This initiative is designed to foster the growth and fortification of our tied distribution network, ensuring 
direct and personalised access to our customers. The channel reported growth compared to the prior period, a result of the efforts of our 
sales teams. We fully integrated the ONE Financial Services and Genric Insurance businesses, growing our specialised/niche businesses 
and increasing our share of the credit protection, transport, engineering, marine and liability markets. Specialty launched a renewable 
energy product that provides project cover for transporting renewable energy equipment, the construction phase of the project, and 
losses due to business interruption and liability exposures. 

Distribution and digital engagement
To grow our distribution and digital engagement, we focused on leveraging existing technology capabilities, using the Old Mutual 
Group ecosystem, consolidating our broker market share and building new partnerships while enhancing existing ones to drive growth. 
We continued to refine and enhance our MyOMinsure platform, ensuring that it remains easy to use and convenient for our brokers.,

Genric partnered with Old Mutual Corporate to underwrite and administer the recently launched Old Mutual Health Solutions. This 
employee benefit offering is designed for low-income workers, and provides access to affordable health insurance that includes access 
to healthcare practitioners, private hospitals and gap cover. We are growing our share of the broker market by partnering with a black-
owned intermediary group in commercial short-term insurance, further building on our BEE enterprise development strategy. 

We maintained our partnership with Pineapple, an independent insurance agency that offers instant, affordable and online insurance. 
We continued to improve iWYZE hub’s usability, a digital self-service platform that enables customers to manage their policies, update 
their details, download policy documents, confirm insurance cover and perform vehicle inspections.

Operational efficiencies
To improve operational efficiencies, we leverage data and technology by enhancing expense management, and automating and digitising 
the claims process. Our overall cost saving initiatives have been strained due to increased investment in IT infrastructure, cloud migration, 
of our core platforms and the implementation of new technology platforms, which included a customer relationship management 
platform. While these investments reduced our savings capability, we expect increased benefits in our financial reporting, customer 
servicing and reinsurance processes that rely on these IT systems.

We migrated our core platforms to the cloud, which will help us optimise costs and efficiencies. We enhanced our use of advanced analytics 
to analyse customer activities and preferences, which is expected to create cross-sell opportunities and improve our relevance to customers 
and retention levels.

Value creation

 Customers

 » R7.5 billion (2022: R5.1 billion) in claims paid
 » Established a customer experience academy that upskills 

client-facing roles to improve service levels

   Intermediaries

 » R1.1 million (2022: R238 740) spent on intermediary training 

and development

Communities
 » Implemented initiatives to improve our B-BBEE scorecard
» Through our Mutual and Federal Community Trust, we invested 
in a community food garden and water management system
» Our Mutual and Federal Community Trust and the Mutual and 

Federal Development Trust sponsored a SETA accredited 
programme that offers art, entrepreneurship and robotics, and 
Internet of Things skills development

» Partnered with World Wide Fund for Nature to focus on biodiversity 

restoration in Ceres

Regulatory
 » We maintained our B-BBEE level 1 rating

Trade-off
In response to external factors such as prolonged load shedding, power 
surges and the potential national grid failure, we reviewed and updated 
insurance policy wording in some of our portfolios. We believe our response 
is appropriate to the risk environment where claims related to the 
electricity crisis have increased. These updates are expected to have some 
negative impact as some customers might elect to move to competitors. 

We continued to focus on enhancing the synergies between our businesses, aligning our insurance licences to unlock reinsurance and 
other opportunities that benefit more than one business within our Group.

Key activities 2024

We enhanced our claims complaints process using our technology platforms to capture and resolve lower-level claims complaints at first 
point of contact in the business, thereby creating process efficiencies and expanding our employee capacity which will improve customer 
experience. We focus on catastrophe modelling, refining our data analytics outputs, and stress testing our models to better understand the 
impact of weather-related events and creating customised responses.

Agile delivery driven by engaged employees
We implemented a new junior management development programme to further upskill our employees. 58 employees joined the 
programme, of which 53 were black. We delivered bespoke women’s development programmes to improve our leadership succession 
initiatives. During the year, 46 female employees attended the SheThrives and SheAspires development programmes. We hosted the 
Insuring Happiness Conference with wellness programmes supporting mental, emotional, financial, social, physical, and spiritual wellbeing. 
We implemented a comprehensive action plan addressing five Pulse Culture Survey focus areas with a key focus on improving employee 
engagement.

We launched the actuarial apprenticeship programme to support black students pursuing actuarial qualifications. We furthered our 
investment in employee education by increasing employee study bursaries by 39% to R5.9 million. Employees predominantly chose studies 
that enhanced their insurance expertise and future-fit skill sets. We established the iWYZE unemployed youth call centre in Hazyview, 
Mpumalanga. This initiative contributes to rural development and provides job opportunities for the youth. 

» Maintain focus on strategic pillars to remediate underperforming areas 

and drive growth across our businesses

»  Continue to leverage technology to automate the claims process, improve 

customer experience and reduce the cost of claims 

» Embed our climate change strategy and climate short-term weather 
forecasting models to improve our understanding of and response 
to weather patterns and events

»  Continue to focus on unlocking capital and ongoing balance sheet 

optimisation initiatives

»  Deliver the first iteration of a people centric employee value proposition, 

designed in partnership with The Performance Agency

»  Finalise our information technology plan to focus on realising efficiencies 

from new technology investments

»  Focus on additional pipeline development and key opportunities, which 

include growing our offering and market share in under indexed 
insurance classes

98

Integrated Report 2023 Old Mutual Insure continued

Financial performance overview
Rm (unless otherwise stated)

FY 2023

FY 2022

Change

Gross written premiums

Insurance revenue

Net insurance revenue

Net underwriting result

Results from operations

Net underwriting margin (%)

Insurance margin (%) 

Rm
Retail1
iWYZE
Specialty1
Credit Guarantee Insurance Corporation
Blue Sky2

Insurance service result  

Non-attributable expenses

Net underwriting result

Investment return on insurance funds

Finance income and expenses from insurance and 
reinsurance contracts

Other income and expenses 

Results from operations

20 196

19 846

16 098

46

524

0.3%

3.3%

17 190

17 314

14 213

602

678

4.2%

4.8%

FY 2023

FY 2022

(63)

(3)

21

354

266

575

(529)

46

525

(102)

55

524

92

148

258

550

19

1 067

(465)

602

300

(57)

(167)

678

17%

15%

13%

(92%)

(23%)

(390 bps)

(150 bps)

Change

(>100%)

(>100%)

(92%)

(36%)

>100%

(46%)

(14%)

(92%)

75%

(79%)

>100%

(23%)

1	 Premier	was	transferred	from	Retail	to	Specialty,	to	better	align	with	how	the	portfolio	is	managed	which	resulted	in	a	re-presentation	of	

comparative	numbers

2	 Blue	Sky	is	the	investment	portfolio	that	includes	Genric	Insurance	Company,	ONE	Financial	Services,	Primak	Insurance	Brokers	and	

Versma	Management	Services

Excluding Genric Insurance Company, which contributed R823 million, gross written premiums 
increased by 13% to R19 373 million due to strong new business growth, renewals and average 
premium increases.

Insurance service result decreased by 46% to R575 million, largely due to the significant increase in the 
net cost of reinsurance, higher insurance service expenses and a once-off impairment of irrecoverable 
assets in iWYZE. Our businesses experienced an increase in reinsurance costs and lower reinsurance 
claims recoveries compared to the large business interruption and weather-related catastrophe claims 
recovered in 2022. The increase in insurance service expenses was largely driven by high claims 
inflation, adverse weather and corporate property damage claims as well as an increase 
in commissions paid to our intermediaries which was mainly attributed to strong new business flows.

Net underwriting result significantly decreased by 92% to R46 million due to an overall decline 
in insurance results and an increase in non-attributable expenses. Expense growth was mainly due 
to the inclusion of Genric Insurance Company for the first time, an increase in project costs incurred 
to enhance our existing IT infrastructure and the implementation of new technology platforms across 
several of our business units. This led to a net underwriting margin of 0.3%, below the long term target 
range of 4% to 6%.

Results from operations decreased by 23% to R524 million, mainly driven by lower net underwriting 
result. This was partially offset by strong growth in investment returns on insurance funds given the 
high interest rate environment and fair value gains driven by positive performance of equity markets 
as well as income from our non-underwriting activities.

Retail
Retail includes the Commercial and Personal business portfolios. The Commercial business portfolio 
serves small to large sized enterprises by providing commercial insurance solutions tailored to the 
needs of entrepreneurs and businesses. The Personal business portfolio offers a multi-product and 
multichannel distribution portfolio that provides private individuals with cover through a wide range 
of products.

The Retail business reported 8% growth in gross written premiums. This was mainly driven 
by premium increases in personal product lines to keep pace with inflationary trends and the risk 
environment as well as strong sales to the high net worth market segment in the Elite portfolio. 

Insurance service result decreased from a profit of R92 million in 2022 to a loss of R63 million. The 
business was impacted by large weather-related claims from the Western Cape floods and Gauteng 
hailstorms. Furthermore, higher claims inflation on spare parts, labour and building costs as well 
as higher IT infrastructure costs were reported, contributing to the negative insurance service result.

Various initiatives were implemented to improve underwriting performance and return to profitability. 
This included refining  of policy wording, appropriate excess structures and enhancement of the motor 
assessment model and recoveries.

iWYZE
The iWYZE business offers short-term, gap cover and business insurance through a direct distribution 
model.

iWYZE reported 9% growth in gross written premiums, benefiting from strong policy renewals and 
an increase in average premium rates. Insurance service result deteriorated to a R3 million loss 
compared to R148 million profit in the prior year. This was mainly due to a balance sheet review 
conducted that resulted in the once-off write off of certain items deemed irrecoverable. iWYZE’s results 
were further impacted by the increase in technology costs and lead generating expenses, coupled with 
a higher loss ratio compared to the prior year.

99

Integrated Report 2023 Old Mutual Insure continued

Specialty
The Specialty business portfolio focuses on the insurance of large and complex risks in niche market 
segments, particularly corporate property, engineering and marine. It also offers first and third-party 
cell captive as well as alternative risk solutions. Premier delivers tailor-made products for the 
commercial market segment and complements the type of technical underwriting and improved risk 
management used in the Specialty business for complex and bespoke customer needs.

In Specialty, gross written premiums increased by 21%, supported by strong new business and higher 
renewal rates in the corporate property, engineering, marine and public sector portfolios.

Insurance service result declined by 92% to R21 million, largely driven by the decrease in reinsurance 
claims recoveries compared to the prior year. We plan on reviewing and redesigning the Specialty 
reinsurance programme during the year, to better manage risk retention and net underwriting results. 
The business was also not immune to weather-related claims particularly from the Western Cape 
flooding and Gauteng hailstorms, coupled with large corporate property damage claims. Higher 
IT-related expenses and an increase in commission paid to intermediaries contributed to the decrease 
in insurance service result.

Various initiatives implemented to improve underwriting performance include the launch 
of a renewable energy product, building strategic relationships, seeking opportunities to diversify our 
product lines particularly in the marine and engineering portfolios, as well as utilising digital tools and 
technology platforms to improve the reinsurance, agency management and claims processes.

Credit Guarantee Insurance Corporation
Credit Guarantee Insurance Corporation’s main business is trade credit insurance in the domestic and 
export trade credit insurance market. The business reported a 5% increase in gross written premiums 
reflecting some slowdown on the prior year inflationary trends in the business environment following 
the central bank interventions.

Insurance service result decreased by 36% to R354 million, mainly due to an increase in claims paid 
as challenging economic conditions continued to directly impact our policyholders and their insured 
turnover levels. Credit Guarantee Corporation’s loss ratios continue to rise to normalised levels with the 
economy now fully reopened. Results were further impacted by higher project and operating expenses 
incurred to improve business processes and efficiencies through the investment in IT infrastructure.

Blue Sky
Blue Sky is the strategic acquisitions division in which we report the results of our acquired subsidiaries. 
This includes Genric Insurance Company, a diversified non-life insurer that focuses mainly on accident 
and health insurance together with other niche classes of insurance, as well as ONE Financial Services 
Holdings Proprietary Limited, a South African non-life insurance service provider and a cell owner 
within the cell captive environment. Primak Insurance Brokers provides intermediary services in the 
non-life insurance space. Versma Management Services provides customisable, end-to-end business 
processing services that are tailored to insurance brokers.

Insurance service result significantly increased to R266 million, mainly due to the R86 million 
contribution from Genric Insurance Company and the strong recovery in ONE Financial Services’ heavy 
commercial vehicle book, supported by various remediation actions taken to improve the business 
performance.

100

Integrated Report 2023 Old Mutual Africa Regions
Old Mutual Africa Regions has a presence in 12 countries 
spanning across Southern, East and West Africa.

We hold leading market share positions in most of our markets in Southern Africa. To further strengthen our 
presence in East and West Africa, we are actively pursuing strategic partnerships and capitalising on our product 
capabilities to penetrate our target markets.

Our comprehensive range of services includes Life and Savings, Asset Management, Banking and Lending 
(including micro-lending) and Property and Casualty (including medical insurance). We cater to the needs of 
retail customers, small and medium-sized enterprises and, corporate and institutional customers. Our extensive 
distribution network encompasses physical branches, independent agents, brokers, digital channels, strategic 
partnerships with banks and limited digital and telesales distribution capabilities to maximise our accessibility 
to our customers.

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Strong brand recognition in Namibia, Malawi, Zimbabwe 
and Kenya

Leading Life and Savings offerings across Southern Africa

Leading medical solutions in East Africa

Strong distribution capabilities

Operating context
Despite facing challenges such as high inflation, increasing unemployment and exchange rate 
fluctuations, the operating environment remained robust, as indicated by the resilient growth 
observed in most of our markets. Except for South Sudan, all countries in our region recorded 
a positive GDP growth in 2023, with an average growth rate of 4.79%.

We anticipate persisting inflation in some markets, attributed to external factors such as 
escalating energy prices and global conflicts impacting supply chains. However, markets in 
East Africa are expected to stabilise. Despite tight monetary policy, future rate hikes are not 
expected from most central banks. Southern and West Africa are projected to experience modest 
economic growth despite prevailing headwinds. We expect East Africa to outperform other 
regions, primarily due to growth in the services sectors, including tourism and entertainment. 
Nevertheless, growing public debt becomes a concern due to the reliance on costly market 

Material matters: 

based financing and the reduced allocation of aid budgets in the long run. This poses a risk to 
economic growth as governments turn to domestic funding methods, which might involve tax 
hikes. With eight of our 12 markets scheduled to hold national general elections within the next 
three years, there is potential for heightened anxiety among our customer base, which could 
impact the business operating environment.

Our focus is to maintain our impressive track record of achieving outstanding results. We 
are committed to capitalising on growth opportunities by expanding our product range and 
improving our distribution strategy. This will enable us to reach a larger customer base faster 
and more efficiently.

Operational 
metrics

5.9

million 
customers
2022: 5.3 million

2 175

tied advisers
2022: 3 124

5 068

employees
2022: 4 836

175

Old Mutual  
branded branches
2022: 202

101

Integrated Report 2023 Old Mutual Africa Regions continued
Strategic focus areas

Holistic coverage of customer needs
We are driving an integrated financial services approach with a focus on cross-selling through integrated offerings 
in markets where we have a broad offering including Zimbabwe, Namibia, Malawi and Kenya. We successfully 
launched Old Mutual Rewards in Namibia on the website and the mobile app and United States dollar unit trust 
funds in Uganda and Kenya. In Zimbabwe, we launched an innovative fintech solution called O’mari, which has 
delivered strong customer growth and higher-than-anticipated average revenue per user. The O’mari platform 
offers mobile money services, insurtech, investech, digital lending, e-commence, payments and digital products 
and services for the retail mass market. Our alternative investment’s funds under management have experienced 
noticeable growth.

Value creation

 Customers

 » Introduced US dollar based options in some products to protect value from 

customers

 » R6.3 billion (2022: R5.6 billion) in claims and benefits paid
 » R3 billion (2022: R3.5 billion) in responsible lending to customers

   Intermediaries

 » R3.7 million (2022: R2.4 million) spent on intermediary training  

and development

Distribution and digital engagement
We are expanding our digital engagement with customers by rolling out mobile, secure web and WhatsApp 
platforms across our markets. We are seeking strategic and innovative partnerships to strengthen our market 
position by enhancing our offerings and introducing new distribution models to reach new customers. In Malawi, 
we forged a significant partnership with Airtel to launch the Phuka Digital Savings platform, offering a user-friendly 
mobile solution that simplifies the savings process.

Operational efficiencies
In East Africa, we successfully reduced the business debt, providing the business with a greater opportunity 
to allocate resources towards growth investments. Following the implementation of management actions, 
we achieved strong margin improvements in our Property and Casualty line of business driven by improved 
revenue growth, pricing, credit control, reinsurance governance and claims recoveries.

Strategic growth markets 
Old Mutual Ghana marked its 10th anniversary this year, underscoring our dedication to the market and optimism 
about its potential, even amid challenging conditions. Life APE sales are performing well, driven by corporate sales 
in East and West Africa in line with the pivot to corporate strategy. Gross written premiums and digital sales showed 
strong growth. Growth in loans and advances was muted, mostly due to tighter credit risk management in a tough 
operating environment. 

We made progress in fixing and turning around underperforming entities and are on track to deliver 90% profitable 
entities by the end of 2024. In West Africa, we are driving growth by broadening our offering and pursuing 
innovative distribution approaches to deliver our offering to more customers timeously.

Agile delivery driven by engaged employees
The key human capital focus was on strengthening our talent pools and leadership succession. We ensured adequate 
capacity for key functions, accelerated the development, acquisition and retention of critical talent and skills. We also 
leveraged diversity across the portfolio, including increasing the representation of women in leadership roles. 

Underpinning this were efforts to shape and nurture a healthy culture as a key enabler for optimising employee 
engagement and morale. We maintained our Pulse Culture Survey results, which closely aligned to the previous 
survey, with small improvements or dips in certain markets seen intermittently. Efforts to improve and address 
specific areas arising from the surveys and debriefing continued during 2023. The relative stability of the results 
is a positive sign, given the challenges relating to business operations turnaround efforts and high levels of economic 
turbulence in many of our markets. We designed and piloted specific development programmes aimed at 
strengthening the competence of our people and leaders, and improved the quality of engagement with employees. 

Our annual talent review ensured robust identification of high-value talent, with corresponding actions to grow, 
engage and reward these individuals. Over 2023, we made significant investments in talent development 
programmes, coaching and mentoring for our high-value talent cohort, and retained more than 90% of this cohort. 
We improved the succession coverage slate for our senior leadership roles across the portfolio, resulting in promotions 
and leveraging cross-country assignments for this group. We reviewed the market competitiveness of pay and 
benefits to realign compensation and other elements of the employee value proposition.

Trade-off
We are investing in strengthening controls and improving the financial reporting 
capabilities, including compliance with IFRS 17, which do not directly lead to the 
growth of the business but provides greater visibility and a strong foundation for 
increased predictability of delivery.

Awards

 » Best company offering sustainable financial education by the Reserve Bank 

of Malawi

 » Old Mutual Namibia’s Sustainable Economic and Empowerment Drive 
bestowed Corporate Social Investment of the Year by Namibia Premier 
Business Awards

 » Best Transformation and Change Strategy of the Year by Institute of Human 

Resources Management 2023 in East Africa

 » Responsible investment Award obtained by Old Mutual Ghana from the 

Sustainability and Social Investment Awards

 » Customer Service Excellence Award winner in the Life Insurance sector from 

the Chartered Institute of Customer Management in Botswana

 » Overall Insurance Company of the Year winner by The Zimbabwe Independent 

Insurance Awards

 Key activities 2024

 » Broaden life, banking and alternative investment offerings in various markets 
 » Drive profitable growth across all markets and lines of business
 » Improve distribution efficiencies and increase productivity

102

Integrated Report 2023 Old Mutual Africa Regions continued

Financial performance overview
Rm (unless otherwise stated)
Results from operations1
Gross flows
Life APE sales
Net client cash flow 
Funds under management (Rbn)
Value of new business
Value of new business margin (%)
Banking and Lending
Loans and advances
Net lending margin (%)
Credit loss ratio (%)
Property and Casualty
Gross written premiums
Insurance revenue
Net underwriting margin (%)
1  Old	Mutual	Africa	Regions	results	from	operations	include	central	regional	expenses	of	R146	million	(FY	2022:	R189	million)

FY 2023
 1 116
33 713
1 548
8 351
112.4
157
2.8%

FY 2022
535
25 109
1 215
3 840
110.0
133
2.2%

5 317
5 358
(0.4%)

5 154
4 768
(9.1%)

3 020
13.8%
0.5%

3 497
12.9%
0.7%

Southern Africa

Rm (unless otherwise stated)
Results from operations
Gross flows
Life APE sales  
Net client cash flow 
Funds under management  (Rbn)
Value of new business
Value of new business margin (%)
Banking and Lending
Loans and advances
Net lending margin (%)
Credit loss ratio (%)
Property and Casualty
Gross written premiums
Insurance revenue
Net underwriting margin (%)

FY 2023
1 212
16 284
865
2 878
72.2
127
3.4%

1 300
22.0%
0.4%

1 224
1 271
6.9%

FY 2022
968
13 618
838
738
66.4
163
3.6%

1 281
18.2%
2.0%

1 087
1 016
0.8%

Change
>100%
34%
27%
>100%
2%
18%
60 bps

(14%)
90 bps
(20 bps)

3%
12%
870 bps

Change
25%
20%
3%
>100%
9%
(22%)
(20 bps)

1%
380 bps
160 bps

13%
25%
610 bps

Gross flows of R16 284 million grew by 20%, largely driven by high demand for offshore investments 
in Namibia. The strong gross flows resulted in significant improvements to net client cash flow. This 
was despite Malawi experiencing higher withdrawals due to the amendment of the Pensions Act, 
which enabled members to access their pension funds five years before retirement as well as increased 
claims following the liquidation and restructuring of a large scheme. 

Life APE sales increased by 3% to R865 million due to good corporate and retail sales in Namibia. The 
value of new business margin declined by 20 bps due to the retail product mix being weighted 
towards lower margin savings business. This was partially offset by improved retail protection margins 
due to profitable policies sold at lower acquisition costs.

The roll out of the debit order product and momentum from sales initiatives in Namibia resulted 
in loans and advances marginally increasing to R1 300 million, which was partially offset by lower 
disbursements of personal loans due to the continued tightening of credit granting criteria. As a result, 
net lending margin increased by 380 bps to 22.0% as the quality of the loan book improved.

Gross written premiums of R1 224 million increased by 13% driven by new business growth and strong 
renewals following a re-pricing of commercial and personal lines as well as good volumes sold in the 
specialised risk sector. The net underwriting margin increased by 610 bps to 6.9% driven by strong top 
line growth coupled with sound underwriting discipline. 

Results from operations increased by 25% to R1 212 million mainly due to the Life and Savings business 
in Malawi and good turnaround in Property and Casualty business in Namibia. Malawi’s performance 
was driven by increased fees earned on policyholder funds as a result of the rally in the local equity 
market, reflecting increased volatility which may result in returns reversing in future. Malawi’s group 
assurance business recorded good top line growth and improved claims experience.

Property and Casualty results from operations increased due to good top line growth and better claims 
experience. In Banking and Lending, the increase in non-interest revenue and lower impairments 
following improved collections resulted in higher results from operations than the prior year. Asset 
Management results from operations increased due to higher fees earned from listed equity 
investments in Malawi.

East Africa
Rm (unless otherwise stated)
Results from operations
Gross flows
Life APE sales
Net client cash flow 
Funds under management (Rbn)
Value of new business
Value of new business margin (%)
Banking and Lending
Loans and advances
Net lending margin (%)
Credit loss ratio (%)
Property and Casualty
Gross written premiums
Insurance revenue
Net underwriting margin (%)

FY 2023
66
16 772
502
5 190
38.6
29
1.9%

1 720
7.6%
0.5%

3 853
3 884
(3.2%)

FY 2022
(141)
10 943
214
2 845
42.0
(8)
(0.9%)

2 216
10.0%
–%

3 822
3 510
(10.6%)

Change
>100%
53%
>100%
82%
(8%)
>100%
280 bps

(22%)
(240 bps)
50 bps

1%
11%
740 bps

Gross flows of R16 772 million were 53% higher than the prior year driven by new asset management 
mandates secured and asset transfers from large clients in Kenya. Furthermore, Uganda onboarded 
a large pension fund and recorded an increase in unit trust sales. The strong gross flows resulted 
in a significant increase of 82% in net client cash flow.

103

Integrated Report 2023 Old Mutual Africa Regions continued

Life APE sales of R502 million were significantly higher than the prior year. This was driven by increased 
new business and renewals in Uganda’s corporate book coupled with growth of both the retail and 
corporate book in Kenya following recruitment of additional personnel and improved productivity. The 
value of new business and value of new business margin improved significantly due to a higher 
proportion of more profitable corporate sales.

Loans and advances of R1 720 million were 22% lower than prior year due to the continued slowdown 
in disbursements resulting from the tightening of credit granting criteria to de-risk the portfolio away 
from poor performing segments, unfavourable economic conditions and continued buyoffs of the 
good loan book by competitors. The depreciation of the Kenyan shilling against the South African rand 
also contributed to the decrease in loans and advances.

Gross written premiums of R3 853 million were marginally up due to improved sales in health and 
general insurance portfolios in Kenya as well as better underwriting practices across the region, despite 
the impacts of the depreciation of the Kenyan shilling. Insurance revenue grew by 11% to R3 884 million 
mainly due to higher corporate sales and high scheme retention. 

The significant turnaround in results from operations from a loss in the prior year to a profit of R66 
million was mainly due to better underwriting results from the Property and Casualty business as well 
as improvements in the Life and Savings business. In our Life and Savings business, better mortality 
experience contributed positively to profits.

In Property and Casualty business, better claims experience resulted in improved results from 
operations. In the health portfolio, improvements were largely driven by repricing and enhanced risk 
selection in Uganda and South Sudan, while the general insurance portfolio reported lower motor 
claims due to better claims management across the portfolio as well as repricing of the motor book 
in Kenya. As a result, net underwriting margin improved by 740 bps.

The Asset Management business performed well due to increased unit trust fees as a result of strong 
inflows and higher brokerage commissions from fixed income trades in Uganda. The Banking and 
Lending business loss increased from the prior year due to decreased net interest income earned 
on a lower average loan book and the increased cost of funding leading to margin compression. 

West Africa
Rm (unless otherwise stated)
Results from operations
Gross flows
Life APE sales
Net client cash flow 
Funds under management  (Rbn)
Value of new business
Value of new business margin (%)
Property and Casualty
Gross written premiums
Insurance revenue
Net underwriting margin (%)

FY 2023
(16)
657
181
283
1.6
1
0.3%

240
203
(33.9%)

FY 2022
(103)
548
163
257
1.6
(22)
(5.3%)

245
242
(28.5%)

Change
84%
20%
11%
10%
–
>100%
560 bps

(2%)
(16%)
(540 bps)

Gross flows of R657 million were 20% higher than the prior year largely due to improved flows in Ghana 
driven by renewals and new business growth. Strong gross flows resulted in net client cash flow 
increasing by 10% to R283 million, partially offset by higher pension fund withdrawals in Ghana given 
the decline in the macroeconomic conditions. 

Life APE sales increased by 11% to R181 million due to high retail and corporate sales in Ghana as well 
as improved renewals, high conversion rate of new business and growth in retail in Nigeria. The value 
of new business margin improved by 560 bps due to higher proportion of more profitable corporate 
sales in Ghana.

Gross written premiums of R240 million decreased by 2% due to the depreciation of the Ghanaian cedi 
and Nigerian naira against the South African rand. However, in local currency, gross written premiums 
were higher due to more business written as a result of an improved broker value proposition and the 
regulator increasing the minimum prescribed premium rates for the motor portfolio. The net 
underwriting margin was negatively impacted by the poor claims experience in the engineering and 
motor portfolios due to the increase in the cost of motor spare parts driven by the depreciation of the 
Nigerian naira against the US dollar. This was partially offset by the lower frequency of claims in the 
energy portfolio.

Results from operations loss improved by 84% to R16 million. The Life and Savings business in Ghana 
recorded higher revenue from the corporate book, better mortality experience and lower expenses. 
The Property and Casualty business was profitable due to higher investment returns on United States 
dollar assets backing liabilities in Nigeria due to foreign exchange gains.

104

Integrated Report 2023 www.oldmutual.com