Golden Square is a long way from Johannesburg, but Barry Sayer, Clear Channel Outdoor's UK president, says he feels right at home at his London headquarters.
Parachuted in last January to fill the gap left by Stevie Spring, Sayer was initially intended to be a care-taker who would return to his home country once a new managing director was in place.
But following the subsequent departure of nearly all the senior management, his English sojourn was extended and, 15 months later, the imposing South African has moved to London for good.
Although he retains his remit over Clear Channel's Africa territory, as well as Ireland, he has embraced life in England's capital with relish.
It was the dynamism of the UK market that lured him to make the move.
"I was getting to feel it hands-on and found it very stimulating and exciting," he says. "If you've gone through the UK school of advertising - what I'd call the finishing school of advertising - you're ready for anywhere."
It cannot have been an easy task taking over the company at a time of such enormous change, and now there is more uncertainty - with the UK's parent company in the US, Clear Channel Inc, in the throes of a private equity deal.
Shareholder offer
Sayer, however, is sanguine about the moves at the top. His position has been consolidated by global president Paul Meyer, "with the blessing of the private equity partners", and it is "business as usual" at home, he insists.
"There has been no discussion with regard to the outdoor business," he adds. "The focus has been on the offer to shareholders and the decision to sell non-performing radio assets and TV stations [in the US]."
In the UK, he is tasked with driving forward the company in a fiercely competitive marketplace; consolidation and media fragmentation mean that even though outdoor is stealing share, the industry is no easy ride.
Some argue that revenue growth has been driven by an increase in inventory rather than yield, but Sayer insists that despite the challenges, things are looking good.
"Last year saw a bit of a dip in spend on billboards, but we've seen that come back strongly," he claims.
For Clear Channel's part, it's been an interesting year. On the one hand, the outdoor giant boosted its substantial roadside portfolio with the acquisition of Van Wagner in May.
The purchase acted as a catalyst for its high-end Pinnacle portfolio, with the Piccadilly Spectacular LED screen as its jewel in the crown.
"It's gone really well for us. The industry has grasped the concept - it's a big-brand medium and adds creative prestige to advertisers," says Sayer, adding: "We have other plans for developing Pinnacle further, capitalising on the brand."
On the other hand, however, the business suffered a blow when it lost the BT contract that gave it a hefty footprint on the street through its phone boxes. But, while admitting it was "very disappointing", Sayer insists it was more a matter of hurt than a real business loss.
"When we took over, it was in a bit of a shambles and we turned it into a successful and funky medium. BT, and the industry at large, acknowledged we did a good job, but it worked against us, because we'd built a valuable product," he shrugs.
"You have to look at it in the context that we have more than 40,000 AdShel panels, so to lose the phone boxes wasn't significant to us in terms of coverage."
Talking point
Indeed the bus shelter business, in 350 borough councils across the UK, is something he is clearly very proud of. "We feel really good about that," he says. "It's the perfect ad platform - as digital could become."
Of course - digital. It's been the big talking point of the industry over the past 12 months. CBS Outdoor has stolen most of the thunder since winning the Tube contract, and JCDecaux and Titan have both been busy developing their own formats.
Clear Channel has perhaps been less obviously proactive, but not without good reason, says Sayer. The roadside nature of its portfolio means it has had to proceed slowly to win authorities' approval and act responsibly. But the Piccadilly screen and its 10 units using Magink technology have got it off the starting blocks and Sayer is optimistic that more will follow.
"We can now sell day parts - that's been a huge achievement for us," he reflects. "In the US, we have LED systems in a number of cities - we have access to that technology and skills, so it's literally plug-and-play for us in the UK, but it has to be a cautious and responsible process."
Cautious and responsible seems to sum up Sayer's approach.
If he can replicate the same success here that he had on home turf - making South Africa the company's best performing international operation - then those private equity partners should feel vindicated in giving him their blessing.
CV
2007: President, UK, Ireland and Africa, Clear Channel Outdoor
2006: Chief executive, Clear Channel Outdoor UK and Clear Channel Independent Africa
2001: Chief executive, Clear Channel Independent Africa (partnership between Clear Channel and Independent News & Media)
1997: Chief executive, CorpCom South Africa
1993: Co-founder and chief executive, Sayer & Associates
1982: Managing director, Advertising Displays
1975: Advertising and marketing manager, The Natal Mercury.