Jacobus Petrus 'Koos' Bekker is a renowned South African billionaire businessman and the influential chairman of Naspers, a global internet and entertainment group, and Prosus, its international internet assets division. He is widely celebrated for transforming Naspers from a traditional print media company into a global technology investment powerhouse. Bekker's visionary leadership led to Naspers' early and hugely successful investment in Chinese tech giant Tencent, which is considered one of the most profitable venture capital investments of all time. He also drove the expansion of Naspers into pay television (M-Net and MultiChoice) across Africa and numerous other internet ventures worldwide. His strategic foresight has had a profound impact on the global tech and media landscape. He served as CEO of Naspers from 1997 to 2014, and returned as chairman in 2015.
Koos Bekker's work history includes a series of influential roles in various companies. Here is a detailed list of his professional journey:
Under his leadership as CEO, Naspers evolved from a traditional South African newspaper publisher into a global internet and media conglomerate, with significant investments in e-commerce, social media, and fintech across emerging markets.
Spearheaded Naspers' $32 million investment in Chinese internet company Tencent in 2001. This stake grew to be worth hundreds of billions of dollars, representing one of the most successful venture capital investments in history and fundamentally reshaping Naspers' value.
Co-founded M-Net in 1985, which later evolved into MultiChoice, Africa's leading pay-television operator. This move revolutionized television broadcasting on the continent and established a significant revenue stream for Naspers.
As chairman, he oversaw the unbundling of Naspers' international internet assets into Prosus and its listing on Euronext Amsterdam in 2019, creating one of Europe's largest listed consumer internet companies and unlocking significant shareholder value.
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Naspers is a global consumer internet group and one of the world's largest technology investors. Headquartered in South Africa, it operates and invests in leading internet platforms in online classifieds, food delivery, payments and fintech, edtech, and social and internet platforms. Naspers is renowned for its early and highly successful investment in Tencent and has since expanded its portfolio across various high-growth markets, particularly through its international internet assets group, Prosus, which holds the majority of its international investments.
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