Peter Tshiguvho is the Group Executive responsible for Momentum Retail and CEO of Metropolitan Life, part of Momentum Metropolitan Holdings. He is widely respected in South Africa’s financial services industry for turning around Metropolitan and making insurance simple and accessible to millions of ordinary people.
Born in a small village in Venda, Limpopo, Peter once walked 20 kilometres every day to attend high school. Today, he leads a company that serves more than 5 million clients and manages billions of rands in assets. His story shows that hard work, education, and strong values can change a life and help change a nation.
Early Life
Peter Tshiguvho grew up in rural Venda during the 1970s and 1980s. Life was simple and money was scarce. There was no electricity or running water in many homes, including his own.
Every school day, Peter and his siblings walked 10 kilometres to Denga High School and another 10 kilometres back home. Rain or shine, they kept going. This long daily walk taught him discipline and determination from a very young age.
He has said in interviews that seeing his mother work hard every day also shaped him. She showed him that effort and honesty always matter, no matter where you start in life.
Education
Peter completed his matric at Denga High School in Venda. In 1989, he earned a BA degree in Psychology from the University of Venda for Science and Technology (now University of Venda).
He continued studying while working:
- Postgraduate Diploma in Financial Planning – University of the Free State
- MBA focused on Strategic Planning and Leadership – Potchefstroom University (now North-West University)
- Executive leadership programmes at Harvard Business School in the United States
Peter often says his psychology degree helps him understand people and build strong teams. He believes knowing how people think and feel is just as important as knowing numbers in business.
Career
Peter started his career in the insurance and funeral services industry:
- Early 2000s – Assistant General Manager for Sales and Marketing at AVBOB
- Later – General Manager for Insurance Agency at Absa in Gauteng
- Provincial General Manager at Absa, managing insurance growth across several regions
- Head of Life Distribution at MMI Holdings, working closely with Absa Financial Services
- 2015 – Joined Old Mutual as Head of Corporate and Public Sector distribution
- 2018 – Appointed CEO of Metropolitan Life (now called Metropolitan Retail) within Momentum Metropolitan Holdings
Each role helped him learn how to sell insurance, manage large teams, and serve customers from all income levels.
Leadership at Old Mutual (2015–2018)
When Peter joined Old Mutual in 2015, he was responsible for sales and distribution across many African countries outside South Africa. His team worked in markets such as Kenya, Namibia, Botswana, Ghana, and Nigeria.
His main goals were:
- Grow the number of financial advisers in each country
- Train advisers to serve both low-income and high-income clients
- Make sure products were suitable for local needs (for example, funeral cover in Ghana or retirement savings in Namibia)
During this time, Old Mutual’s business in the rest of Africa grew steadily. Peter learned how to lead teams across different cultures and languages. He also saw firsthand how many families on the continent still had no insurance or savings. This experience made him even more passionate about financial inclusion when he later moved to Metropolitan.
Personal Life
Peter is married and has children, but he keeps his family life private. He often visits his home village in Venda and stays connected to his roots.
In March 2025, he donated 50 laptops to Denga High School, the same school he walked 20 km to attend. The handover ceremony was attended by the Limpopo MEC for Education, Mavhungu Lerule-Ramakhanya. Peter said he wanted today’s learners to have better tools than he had.
Achievements
Here are some of Peter Tshiguvho’s most important achievements in business and community:
- Turned Metropolitan from a struggling traditional brand into a fast-growing, client-focused business since 2018
- Introduced simple digital services, such as submitting claims on WhatsApp
- Led Metropolitan to win the Orange Index Award for best funeral insurance provider in South Africa in 2024 and 2025
- Grew the client base by hundreds of thousands of new policyholders, mostly from lower and middle-income households
- Completed executive training at Harvard Business School, one of the first black South Africans from a rural background to do so in his field
- Started and completed the “Reset and Grow” strategy that modernised Metropolitan after many difficult years
- Personally donated educational resources to his former school in 2025
Legacy
Peter’s legacy is already clear: he has shown that a child from a rural village can reach the very top of corporate South Africa through education and hard work.
More importantly, he has changed how insurance works for ordinary people. Under his leadership, Metropolitan now offers affordable funeral cover, hospital plans, life insurance, and savings products, and retirement annuities that millions of South Africans can actually use.
He continues to speak about the importance of authenticity, giving honest feedback, and using “fear of failure” as motivation to keep improving every day.
Conclusion
Peter Tshiguvho’s journey from walking 20 km to school in Venda to leading one of South Africa’s largest insurance companies is an inspiration. His life proves that background does not decide your future; effort, learning, and caring about people do.
Today, millions of families sleep better at night knowing they have insurance because of the changes Peter and his teams have made. His story encourages every young South African, especially those from rural areas, to dream big and work hard.
FAQs
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Who is Peter Tshiguvho?
- He is the CEO of Metropolitan (Momentum Retail) and a senior executive at Momentum Metropolitan Holdings.
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Where was Peter Tshiguvho born?
- He was born and raised in a village in Venda, Limpopo Province.
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What did Peter study?
- BA Psychology (University of Venda), Postgraduate Diploma in Financial Planning, MBA, and executive programmes at Harvard Business School.
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How did Peter become CEO of Metropolitan?
- He joined Momentum Metropolitan in 2018 after successful leadership roles at AVBOB, Absa, MMI, and Old Mutual.
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What is Peter Tshiguvho most famous for?
- Turning around Metropolitan Life and making insurance simple and affordable for ordinary South Africans.
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Does Peter Tshiguvho help his community?
- Yes. In 2025 he donated 50 laptops to Denga High School in Venda.
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What is Peter’s leadership style?
- Authentic, direct, team-focused, and driven by a healthy fear of failure that pushes constant improvement.
