Koos Bekker, whose full name is Jacobus Petrus “Koos” Bekker, is a South African businessman and the chairman of the media group Naspers. He remains a prominent figure in the media industry and a successful investor.
Koos Bekker’s Age
Koos Bekker was born on the 14th of December 1952 in Potchefstroom, North West, South Africa. He is currently 72 and usually celebrates his birthday every 14th of December.
Early Life and Education
Koos Bekker, whose full name is Jacobus Petrus “Koos” Bekker, was born in Potchefstroom and grew up there with his family.
He attended Hoër Volkskool Heidelberg and completed his degree at Stellenbosch University and Wits University.
He bagged a degree in law and literature from both universities. Koos Bekker holds an MBA from Columbia Business School in New York and an honorary doctorate from Stellenbosch.
Career
Koos Bekker spent years in advertising before earning an MBA from Columbia Business School in 1984.
Following a mini-project, he and some colleagues formed M-Net and Multichoice while expanding to over 40+ countries in Africa.
In the 1990s, Koos Bekker became the founding director of the mobile communications company MTN.
In 1997, he became the CEO of Naspers, a known investor in the M-net/Multichoice group. Naspers had a lot of shareholders, and its market capitalization grew from $1.2 billion to $45 billion during Koos’s tenure.
During his CEO reign, he earned no salary or bonus. Koos Bekker was mainly compensated from the stock option grants.
Naspers invested strongly in pay television, mobile telephony, and other internet services.
The group operated in Europe, Africa, China, India, and some smaller countries worldwide.
Family
Koos Bekker is married to Karen Roos, and together, they have two children.
Net Worth
Koos Bekker has an estimated net worth of $3.2 billion.