Richard Friedland

Chief Executive Officer, Netcare

Richard Friedland is Chief Executive Officer of Netcare, in the role since 2005.

Netcare is one of South Africa's largest private hospital groups, and Friedland is a co-founder who helped found it in 1996. He postponed his retirement twice while the board searched for a successor, and Melanie da Costa was named in May 2026 to take over from 1 January 2027.

In the job

  1. Netcare extended Friedland's contract to September 2026 after its chosen successor withdrew at the last minute. Source

  2. Netcare named executive director Melanie da Costa as its next CEO from 1 January 2027, with Friedland retiring from the board on 31 December 2026. Source

  3. Netcare reported a 21.9 percent rise in adjusted headline earnings per share for the half-year, crediting its digitisation and AI strategy. Source

Career before

  1. 1996Co-founder, Netcare

Sources

  1. businessday.co.za
  2. moneyweb.co.za
  3. moneyweb.co.za
  4. businessday.co.za
  5. iol.co.za

Facts last checked 3 November 2026. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.

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