Peter Riches, founder of Meta Group South Africa, and an IT and business veteran, died last month in Johannesburg. He was 84.
Riches qualified as a chartered accountant, but soon after graduating, left the profession, came to Johannesburg and joined Anglo American. Two years later, in 1962, he moved to IBM and remained at the group for 28 years.
After a two-year assignment in the personnel department at IBM headquarters in the US, he was appointed a director of IBM South Africa in 1985. He was responsible for personnel, communications and public affairs, and later for the affirmative action programme, which included implementation of the Sullivan Principles of non-segregation.
In 1991, Riches launched Meta Group in South Africa, with Eskom as its first client. Based in Connecticut, US, Meta Group was an IT market assessment and consulting firm, with sales and support offices throughout the US, as well as another 17 international locations.
Riches grew Meta SA from a pure reseller of its research, to a team of about 13 consultants and analysts. He was in talks with the US principal to acquire the SA operation when the $162 million merger deal between Gartner and Meta, both headquartered in Connecticut, was announced in January 2005.
In the early 2000s, a handshake between Riches and ITWeb CEO Jovan Regasek was the start of a fruitful collaboration, with ITWeb becoming a media partner for Meta Group SA’s initiatives and events, including the METAmorphosis Africa conference in 2004.
For several years, Riches and Regasek worked closely, judging the CSSA’s (now IITPSA) President’s Awards and jointly interviewing every finalist on the shortlist.
After the Gartner/Meta merger, Riches continued consulting to many local businesses through his other entrepreneurial initiative, Drake Beam Morin South Africa.
Described by his family and friends as “a man of extraordinary warmth and kindness, acceptance and humour, with time and curiosity for everyone”, Riches has taught, mentored and empowered many people in the local IT and business community. His thoughtful and gentle presence will be missed, and his wisdom, so generously shared, will be remembered by many.
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