OFC a mischievous, wicked wit

For decades, Oliver straddled the Jamaican business community like a colossus. ... He may very well be lionised for the monumental role he played in moving The Gleaner Company into one of the most powerful newspapers in the English-speaking Caribbean ... .

For those who knew him, Oliver was more than a media giant. His role in shaping the development of the nation as a leader of the local private sector can never be discounted.

– Andrew Holness, prime minister

He was willing to use what he had to reshape the nation for the better. It was this passion for change in the culture of violence which led to his creation of the Peace and Love in Schools initiative. He believed in application of critical thinking in problem-solving. This led to the establishment of many think tanks that elevated important ideas on crime, national debt, and other matters that were of national and international concern.

– Dr Peter Phillips, opposition leader

I was glad to have met Mr Clarke along my journey. He did a lot to help the people with whom he came into contact and a lot for Jamaica. His heart was always in the right place.

– Karin Cooper, former business development and marketing manager

Oliver, while at the helm of The Gleaner, nurtured those under his wings to be meaningful contributors to the development of not only this nation, but also to be torch-bearers of truth and justice. He jealously guarded the gains made by our forefathers in the democratic dispensation of our society.

I got a university education from being under the tutelage of Oliver – the kind you don’t get in traditional studies. He was tough, but fair, all in service to this nation, which he deeply cared about.

– Garfield Grandison, general manager, GCML

A patriotic Jamaican, he had a strong sense of history and a solid sense of service to Jamaica and Jamaicans. He saw The Gleaner as an institution in the service of our country. Oliver challenged all of us to build and maintain a resilient institution that was constantly in support of our democracy.

– Carl Domville, chairman, GCML

Oliver Clarke was a titanic figure and one of the first to recognise that there was another world outside of the Corporate Area. He had a big say in the attention given to the region by The Gleaner as his fingerprints are everywhere to be seen by all and sundry. As the coordinator for Hospitality Jamaica, which focuses on the tourism and hospitality sector, I can personally attest to Mr Clarke’s belief that the entire Jamaica should get its fair share of coverage and especially an industry as important as tourism.

Rural Jamaica was never short on coverage, and it also gave many budding writers an opportunity to display their writing skills and to see their bylines in the newspaper.

– Janet Silvera, president, Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry

“Under his chairmanship, Jamaica National has become firmly established as a multinational business, including banking and other financial entities, technology, insurance, property management, and automotive services. Today it is recognised as one of the top 10 companies from the Caribbean to the world. He maintained JN Group’s ownership structure as a mutual organisation, owned by its members and customers.”

– Earl Jarrett, CEO, JN Group

Any tribute to Oliver Clarke should not depart from his renowned trademark: the sharp, critical mind, spiced with a mischievous, wicked wit and gentle charm of character.

In recent years, he batted brilliantly for The University of The West Indies. There were several invitations to his famed Gleaner breakfast meetings to share and discuss UWI’s strategies and resource needs with stakeholders.

A high point in proof of our partnering came in 2018. His commitment was tested. He rose beyond the parameters of our request and offered us the opportunity for the university to showcase its enormous legacy during its 70th anniversary. The university was offered full editorial freedom over a Gleaner supplement that enabled it to tell its story and to project its thinking about the future.

Oliver didn’t suffer foolishness in his rush to support and promote good works. In this regard, he was an effective adviser and a reliable ally.

– Prof Hilary Beckles, vice-chancellor, UWI

Steeped in tourism as we are, we, every day, celebrate the many iconic monuments that make Jamaica one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations. We count a select number of persons as icons, too, and Oliver Clarke stands tall among them.

We remember his fierce, fearless support for his country, his sense of humour, wit, and verve.

Oliver stood out in Jamaica and the region as the quintessential news media owner/operator, presiding over an enterprise blending old-school journalism with modern professionalism. He was a force for truth, which stretched far beyond journalism and business.

– Omar Robinson, president, Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association

Oliver Clarke was one of the first to see that the industry was being completely disrupted by social media, streaming services, and shifts in consumer behaviour and that swift and decisive action was needed in order to ensure that real journalism could remain economically viable.

He fought for the media to remain free so that they could fearlessly serve the public interest by exposing corruption and wrongdoing, by speaking truth to power and by providing citizens with the facts so they could make better-informed decisions ... . He also had a superb sense of wry humour. He could gently insult the powerful and pompous with such wit and style that even they would laugh.

– Cordel Green, executive director, Broadcasting Commission of Jamaica

He was meticulous about preserving the Gleaner archives, which is today a treasure trove of information about Jamaica’s heritage.

Oliver was fun to be around. He had a great sense of humour. I recall on one occasion he invited me to lunch. I arrived expecting the usual spread only to be told by him, “Today, it is just the two of us and two patties.”

– Olivia Grange, minister of culture, gender, entertainment and sport

After reading of the passing of Oliver Clarke, JN Group chairman, I would like to offer my condolences to his surviving family, friends, staff, and colleagues at the JN Group.

Whenever I met Mr Clarke, he would greet me with, “So how are you, cuz?” This was because we share the same family name.

I must thank him for supporting my football projects over the years involving the Jamaica national team.

I trust his legacy as a true leader and a business genius will live on. May he rest in peace.

– Winston Clarke, General Manager, International Sporting Connections

On one occasion, Oliver Clarke addressed the Rotary Club of St Andrew at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel. He told us that The Gleaner’s editorials had to be sent to a Government Review Board before publication.

The Government of the day removed The Gleaner from the publications to receive state advertisements. Mr Clarke invited Gleaner subscribers to purchase shares in the company to help to keep the newspaper. That was successful. It was a great pleasure to serve on one of Mr Clarke’s boards from 1993-2001. May the many businesses in which Mr Clarke was involved and led continue and may his contribution be forever remembered.

– Alvaro Casserly

The Jamaica National Group is one of our largest clients, and we worked closely with Oliver Clarke from his time in the Westmoreland Building Society, JN’s predecessor, so many years ago. The Gleaner Company, too, is one of our two oldest clients, and as such, we had a very close relationship with Mr Clarke.

Over the years, he was a mentor to many of our young people, and his recommendation counted as several became leaders of the firm. He was a fair man and an astute business leader and served Jamaica well on so many fronts. Our experience with him was that he got to the bottom of a situation very fast, took a considered decision, and did not waste anybody’s time.

He valued loyalty and the fact that a relationship was beyond a mere mistake. He personified the humanity that makes Jamaica great and the leader of its Caribbean and Latin American peers. The institutional memory of KPMG in Jamaica is that Oliver was one of our most visionary clients.

– R. Tarun Handa, managing partner, KPMG, Jamaica

Oliver Clarke was a magnanimous private-sector leader and a true Jamaican patriot. He was fearless, yet remained humble and affable, endearing many from all walks of life with his wit and sense of humour.

He has been a powerful influence in the shaping of Jamaica’s modern history. His legacy will be inextricably linked to his unrelenting pursuit of freedom of the press locally and internationally as well as his leadership and development of two Jamaican institutions, the JN Group and RJRGleaner Communications Group.

– Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica