One Africa Media (OAM) chief executive officer (CEO) Justin Clarke has won the emerging category award in the Southern African chapter of EY World Entrepreneur 2014, which recognises CEOs for their contribution to the region’s economy.
The award specifically commended the role Clarke has played in founding the Private Property real estate portal.
OAM owns businesses in the real estate, jobs, cars and travel online classified sectors in Africa, including Jobberman.com, and employs more than 600 people in South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya as well as satellite offices in Ghana, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Uganda.
The company last year secured a US$25 million round of investment for the expansion of its operations across Africa.
Clarke said the award provides OAM with a platform on which to consolidate a marketing and education strategy.
“This is an honour, particularly given the number of entrepreneurs across Southern Africa, but it also affords the opportunity to showcase the holding company, namely OAM, as, while people know about the individual brands, few realise they fall under the same umbrella – or that we are even a South African company,” he said.
Clarke said he has already received investment enquiries from institutional investors, which he said will assist OAM in moving towards its goal of becoming a US$1 billion company within six years and listing on the US stock market NASDAQ.
