Liberty Holdings Limited
 | |
| Company type | Public company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Life insurance, Asset management |
| Founded | 10 September 1957 in Johannesburg, South Africa |
| Founder | Sir Donald Gordon |
Key people | David Munro (Group Chief Executive), appointed 2017 |
| Website | http://www.libertyholdings.co.za |
Liberty Holdings Limited (JSE: LBH) is a pan-African financial services company with headquarters situated in Johannesburg, South Africa. Founded in South Africa as the Liberty Life Association of Africa Ltd by entrepreneur and philanthropist Sir Donald Gordon in 1957, the company's Assets Under Management have grown to ZAR 676 billion (as at 31 December 2016 and excluding inter-group Life Funds).
Development
The company's expansion occurred through the introduction of innovative retirement annuities (since 1960), the development and management of major shopping malls, luxury hotels and high-grade office complexes commencing in 1975 with the Sandton City precinct in Johannesburg, [1] universal life products (since 1983), fully underwritten medical insurance (since 1991) and pay-on-delivery investment products (since 2012). Liberty Holdings Limited's predecessor was the first life assurer to list on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) in 1962.[2] During the 1980's, the company's founder established long-term insurance and property management and development ventures in the United Kingdom. Consequent to the firm's unbundling from its British (Liberty International) and South African (including Liberty Life Strategic Investments Ltd) affiliates on the retirement of Sir Donald Gordon, Liberty Group Limited (also associated with Liberty Holdings Limited) listed on the JSE in 1999—the same year that Standard Bank acquired 53.6% of the company. [3] Standard Bank has retained a majority equity stake in Liberty Holdings Limited since then. In January 2007, the firm acquired a 62.6% stake in asset manager STANLIB from Standard Bank and Quantum Leap Investments, ensuring full ownership of STANLIB. In 2009, Liberty Holdings Ltd became the sole listed entry-point for investors when Liberty Group Ltd delisted from the JSE. Since December 2016, the company effectively owns a majority stake in JSE-listed Liberty Two Degrees (JSE: L2D) - a diversified South African Real Estate Investment Trust which owns some of the African continent's most valuable commercial real estate.
African Operations outside South Africa (Liberty Africa Insurance)
In 2011, the group acquired Liberty Kenya Holdings, consisting of CfC Life (long-term insurance) and Heritage Insurance (short–term insurance) in Kenya, which have subsequently been re-branded as Liberty Life Assurance Kenya Limited.
References
- ^ name="Dream of the past book">Dreams of the past become realities of the future—Sandton City. Wisdom Keys Group. ISBN 978-0-620-51612-9.
- ^ Romain, Ken (1989). Larger Than Life, Donald Gordon and the Liberty Life Story. Jonathan Ball publishers.
- ^ Leadership Magazine, Special entrepreneur edition (2012). Sir Strenue, The (Liberty) life and times of Donald Gordon. p. 326.
External links
1. http://www.libertyholdings.co.za 2. http://www.liberty.co.za 3. http://www.liberty2degrees.co.za/ 4. http://www.stanlib.com