A central figure in corporate Jamaica, Clarke played a pivotal role in the establishment of the powerful Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) in 1976 and was later immortalised among its esteemed leadership over the years when he was inducted into the organisation’s Hall of Fame in 1996.
Clarke was among the leaders of corporate Jamaica at the time who perceived the economic policy of the Government as a threat to private enterprise.
A shrewd businessman and entrepreneur extraordinaire, Clarke and the late chairman of Radio Jamaica, J. Lester Spaulding, inked a deal in 2015 to merge the newspaper with the Radio Jamaica Communications Group, arguing that unfavourable local economic conditions were at the heart of the decision to amalgamate the media entities.
A strong proponent of transparency and accountability in both the public and private sectors, Clarke agitated for legislation to provide increased access to Government information in the late 1990s.
The American Foundation for the University of the West Indies recognised him as a Caribbean Luminary in 2004, and in April 2006, the American Friends of Jamaica awarded Clarke with its International Humanitarian Award.
