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Financial Services · Insurance and investment holding company

Sanlam Limited

JSE-listed financial-services group formed through Sanlam’s 1998 demutualisation, with institutional roots in the 1918 life insurer.

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Sanlam head office in Bellville, Cape Town
Sanlam’s head office in Bellville, Cape Town. Photo: Misha Jordaan / Gallo Images · Source

Sanlam Limited is the listed parent of the Sanlam financial-services group. [4]

History

The group’s operating history began with Sanlam’s registration as a life insurer in June 1918. [1]

Demutualisation in 1998 created the present shareholder-owned group structure. [2][4]

Ownership and management

The PIC held 15.17% and Ubuntu-Botho held 13.81% at 31 December 2025. [4]

Paul Hanratty was group chief executive at 30 June 2026. [5]

Frequently asked questions

Is Sanlam a mutual?

No. Sanlam demutualised in 1998 and now has a listed shareholder-owned parent. [2][4]

Who are Sanlam’s largest reported shareholders?

The 2025 audited table listed the PIC at 15.17% and Ubuntu-Botho at 13.81%. [4]

Who manages Sanlam?

Paul Hanratty was group chief executive at the 2026 interim reporting date. [5]

Key milestones

  1. Sanlam was registered as the separate life-assurance company. [1]

  2. The demutualised group listed in Johannesburg and Namibia. [2]

  3. The Ubuntu-Botho empowerment partnership began. [3][6]

  4. The Santam scheme circular was distributed. [7]

Founded / co-founded by

  • Willie Hofmeyr — South African lawyer and business organiser who became the first chair of Santam and Sanlam in 1918.

Company builders

  • Paul Hanratty — Irish actuary and insurance executive who became Sanlam group chief executive in July 2020.

Related people

Related articles

Related institutions

  • Sanlam Life Insurance — Regulated life-insurance company descended from the 1918 Sanlam mutual and wholly owned within the listed Sanlam group.
  • Santam — South African general insurer founded in 1918 and subject to Sanlam’s proposed 2026 scheme to acquire its remaining eligible shares.
  • Ubuntu-Botho Investments — Broad-based Black-controlled investment company formed in 2004 as Sanlam’s empowerment partner and a material Sanlam shareholder.

Sources

  1. Grietjie Verhoef, The Power of Your Life: The Sanlam Century of Insurance Empowerment, 1918–2018 (Oxford University Press), 2018. Original source. Accessed 2026-11-04. ↩
  2. Sanlam Limited, Annual Report 2007: history and corporate citizenship, 2008. Original source. Accessed 2026-11-04. ↩
  3. Sanlam Limited, Integrated Report 2018, 2019-03-07. Original source. Accessed 2026-11-04. ↩
  4. Sanlam Limited, Annual Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2025, 2026-03-12. Original source. Accessed 2026-11-04. ↩
  5. Sanlam Limited, Interim results for the six months ended 30 June 2026, 2026-09-10. Original source. Accessed 2026-11-04. ↩
  6. African Rainbow Capital, Our origins. Original source. Accessed 2026-11-04. ↩
  7. Sanlam Limited and Santam Limited, Posting of the joint scheme circular and notice of the general meeting, 2026-11-03. Original source. Accessed 2026-11-04. ↩