Making people healthier

In the late 1990s, a small, disruptive medical aid in South Africa called Discovery hit upon a truly inspirational idea – instead of just treating their members when sick or injured, why not encourage and reward them for being healthy as well?

And so, Vitality was born – the world’s first commercial wellness programme. And this led to the development of Discovery’s core purpose: to make people healthier.

Ever since, this core purpose has guided every thought, word and action of both the company and the brand, created massive brand love, consumer demand and clear-cut differentiation, and has helped drive meaningful change in member behaviour.

Vitality is now available in 20 countries worldwide, and Discovery is currently the seventh most valuable South African brand.

Tim has spent the bulk of his working life in advertising and marketing. He finished up in advertising as CEO of Grey SA, before joining Discovery (Vitality in other markets) as Head of Brand Communication. All in all, Tim spent 17 years working at or with Discovery, and experienced first hand the power of a purpose-led organisation. He was primarily responsible for ensuring all communication was based on the core purpose and values platform introduced at Discovery in the early 2000s.

Since leaving Discovery, Tim has spent the bulk of his time consulting to marketing companies and individuals. More and more often, he works with organisations who want to embed purpose at the centre of their universe for obvious reasons. Tim started The Core Purpose Company in 2021 to service this market in South Africa and the UK.