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Financial Services · Insurance, investment and banking

Old Mutual Limited

Listed South African parent of a pan-African insurance, investment and banking group with roots in the 1845 Cape mutual.

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Old Mutual headquarters at 1 Mutual Place in Johannesburg
Old Mutual’s headquarters at 1 Mutual Place in Johannesburg, photographed on 1 June 2018. Photo: Henk Viljoen · Source · Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International

Old Mutual Limited is the listed parent of the continuing African Old Mutual group. [3][4]

History

Its institutional roots reach the mutual society founded by John Fairbairn in 1845. [1][2]

The present South African company listed during the 2018 managed separation. [7][4]

Ownership and management

No single shareholder or shareholder group controlled the company at 31 December 2025. [4]

Jurie Strydom led the group as chief executive in 2026 under board authority. [6][5]

Frequently asked questions

Is Old Mutual still a mutual?

No. The business demutualised in 1999. [1]

Who founded the original institution?

John Fairbairn founded the mutual society in 1845. [1][2]

Who controls Old Mutual?

The 2025 statements reported no single controlling shareholder or shareholder group. [4]

Key milestones

  1. The original Cape mutual society was founded. [1][2]

  2. Old Mutual demutualised and listed internationally. [1]

  3. Old Mutual Limited listed during managed separation. [7]

Founded / co-founded by

  • John Fairbairn — Scottish-born Cape newspaper proprietor, educator and politician who founded Old Mutual’s predecessor in 1845.

Company builders

  • Jurie Strydom — South African actuary and financial-services executive who became Old Mutual group chief executive in June 2025.

Related articles

Related institutions

  • Old Mutual Life Assurance Company South Africa — Old Mutual group’s largest subsidiary and principal South African life-assurance operating company.
  • Nedbank Group — JSE-listed South African banking group formerly majority owned by Old Mutual and unbundled from the insurer in stages.
  • Quilter — United Kingdom wealth-management group that separated from Old Mutual and listed independently in 2018.

Sources

  1. Old Mutual plc, Corporate brochure 2013: Our history, 2013. Original source. Accessed 2026-11-03. ↩
  2. Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Old Mutual submission to the business-sector hearing, 1997-11-11. Original source. Accessed 2026-11-03. ↩
  3. Old Mutual Limited, Integrated Report 2025, 2026-03-17. Original source. Accessed 2026-11-03. ↩
  4. Old Mutual Limited, Annual Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2025, 2026-03-17. Original source. Accessed 2026-11-03. ↩
  5. Old Mutual Limited, Interim results for the six months ended 30 June 2026, 2026-09-08. Original source. Accessed 2026-11-03. ↩
  6. Old Mutual Limited, Change of directorate and appointment of Jurie Strydom as chief executive officer designate, 2025-05-09. Original source. Accessed 2026-11-03. ↩
  7. High Court of South Africa, Old Mutual Limited and Others v Moyo and Another, 2020-01-14. Original source. Accessed 2026-11-03. ↩