Move over PayPal–there is a new player in the online banking and electric money game, and it’s Optimal Payments! More importantly, anyone hoping to endeavor in this line of work needs to keep their eye on this team’s CEO—the 2014 recipient of the UK Stock Market CEO of the Year Award. After reading several raving reviews regarding the wildly success Optimal Payments, it should come to no surprise that Joel Leonoff was bestowed with the 2014 UK Stock Market Award for CEO of the Year. The UK Stock Market Awards, which is run by MSM Media Group (the owner of Shares Magazine), claims that the CEO of the Year Award is a person that:
…will reflect not only delivery of strong fiscal results, the highest level of financial controls and corporate governance and expert communication with the market but also the successful development and implementation of a company’s strategy. All of these factors should have resulted in healthy share price increases and likely outperformance of both the peer sector and the FTSE All-Share.
After reviewing the finalist for this award—all of whom were worthy—Joel Leonoff’s record over the last year made him a surefire victor. He served as Co-Chief Executive Officer from February 1, 2011 to July 31, 2011, but what has been most impressive is what he has achieved since August 1st, while holding the reigns himself. Under Leonoff’s tenure, Optimal Payments has performed better than most of its competitors and, additionally, continues to outperform the FTSE All-Share Index. In the last year, Optimal Payments’ share price has risen by 150%.
Allowing a business, like Optimal Payments, to succeed as it has requires a leader with vision. His vast knowledge of the online gaming industry is not enough, its foresight and innovation that has allowed Leonoff to take Optimal Payments the distance. In a time when the world is becoming more and more technologically-dependent, and when money is worth less than the paper it’s printed on, it’s time to move into the realm of online payment solutions and electronic money/e-wallet stored-value services.
While investment options are numerous, especially when it comes to digital options, I’d say that Optimal Payments is a horse worth backing. As Leonoff noted in his acceptance speech, Optimal Payments provided 2013 investors with “strong growth revenue and profits, [while] at the same time as delivering real and sustainable value for shareholders.”
We all know that the investors love Joel Leonoff, but a CEO who gives all the credit to his team is a CEO that anyone would desire to work under. In Leonoff’s closing comments, he let it be known that it was the employees of Optimal Payments that has led to the company’s success; that “this could not have been achieved without the dedication of our management team and employees worldwide. This is an accolade for the Optimal family, well done, I graciously accept this award on behalf of everyone at Optimal who made this possible and look forward to our continued success in the future.”