Netcare has confirmed a high-profile leadership handover that will reshape the top team at one of South Africa’s biggest private healthcare groups. The JSE-listed company has appointed long-serving executive Melanie Da Costa as its next chief executive officer, with a phased transition that runs through 2026 and into 2027.
Da Costa is currently Executive Director for Strategy and Health Policy. She will step into the role of CEO-designate on 1 June 2026. She will then work alongside the current CEO and Netcare co-founder, Dr Richard Friedland, for six months. The formal changeover is set for 1 January 2027.
Friedland will retire from the Netcare board on 31 December 2026. The board has also asked him to remain available as a strategic adviser to the board and the incoming CEO, on a consultancy basis, from 1 January to 30 June 2027.
Netcare CEO Transition Timetable And Board Continuity
The company has positioned the plan as a structured transfer of executive authority. It also updates earlier market guidance on the succession timeline.
For investors and healthcare partners, this matters. Continuity reduces execution risk at a time when hospital groups face pressure on funding models, regulation, and operational costs. It also signals that Netcare intends to keep its strategy tightly linked to policy and payer dynamics.
Netcare CEO Transition Puts Policy Expertise In The Spotlight
Netcare chair Alex Maditsi said Da Costa has the leadership capacity to deliver operational excellence and disciplined capital allocation. He also highlighted her strategic mindset and her focus on health technology and innovation as drivers of differentiation and sustainable growth.
Da Costa joined Netcare in 2006 to establish its Health Policy Unit. Over time, her remit expanded into funder relations and contracting. This included preferred provider networks, alternative reimbursement models, and value-based contracting.
She also led Netcare’s acquisition of its mental health division, Akeso, and later served as its Managing Director.
What The Leadership Change Means For Private Healthcare Strategy
The appointment lands as private providers prepare for significant policy shifts, including the implementation pathway for South Africa’s National Health Insurance Act. At the same time, boards are weighing how digital health, data, and AI can improve quality, productivity, and patient experience.
In that context, the Netcare CEO Transition is more than a personnel change. It is a signal about the skills the group wants at the top. Da Costa’s background blends health policy, payer negotiations, and capital markets. That mix may help Netcare steer through regulatory uncertainty while still pursuing growth and innovation.