Last Updated on May 18, 2020, 7:17 AM AST by Anthony Morris
Oliver Frederick Clarke, the Chairman and managing director of The Gleaner for over four decades, has died.
Clarke passed away on Saturday at 9:45 p.m at his home in St Andrew, which ended his battle with cancer at the age of 75.
Months before his death, Clarke had stepped down as the Chairman of the RJRGLEANER Group and paved the way for Joseph M. Matalon to take over the reins.
Clarke had remained Chairman of 1834 Investments, up until his death, the investment spin-off of The Gleaner Company Limited, which started a process of merger with the RJR Group in 2015.
Real estate makes for forty-five per cent of 1834 Investments’ assets.
The company has property at 7 North Street, Kingston, which is the home to The Gleaner Company Limited.
Clarke was born in Kingston in 1944, and he rose to prominence in the Jamaican private sector after he completed his education at the London School of Economics and Sherborne School.
Clarke joined The Gleaner back in 1976 at the invitation of the then Chairman of The Gleaner, Leslie Ashenheim and has been credited with leading the turnaround of The Gleaner.
The turnaround of The Gleaner’s finances at the time bought the entity in a strong position to defend its independence.
He was then appointed as the Chairman of the newly launched subsidiary, the JN Bank in 2017, as well as The Jamaica National Group, the restructured mutual holding company, also the JN Financial Holding Company.
He has left behind his widow, Monica and daughter, Maria Alexandra.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
