Reginald Boulos
Encyclopedia
Reginald Boulos is the President of the National Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Haiti
, a third generation Lebanese-Haitian, medical doctor, a entrepreneur and businessman, and philanthropist. Dr. Reginald Boulos is CEO of Boulos Investment Group, which includes Autoplaza S.A., the second largest car dealership; Delimart S.A., Haiti's largest supermarket chain; Pehacheve, a leading pharmaceutical distribution company; Multipresse S.A. radio station which he co-founded; Le Nouveau Matin, one of the two daily newspaper in Haiti and Fond de Parrainage National (FPN), an institution he founded in 1992 to finance schooling for poor elementary school children in Haiti.
for senior executives.
and the second coup d'état against President Jean-Bertrand Aristide
in 2004. Dr. Boulos has also been accused of association to the Front for the Advancement and Progress of Haïti
(FRAPH), the paramilitary "death squad" ushered into power by U.S. intelligence during the 1991 coup led by Lieutenant General Raoul Cédras
, though Boulos claims these accusations of his involvement to be "outright lies". He has also been tied to the controversial political coalition the Group of 184
.
presents new opportunities for Haiti, especially for business growth and sustainable development. Dr. Boulos proposed that donors allocate at least 50% of all funds and guarantees to formal Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) and micro-enterprise financing, encourage broad ownership of larger companies, and implement SME set-asides, especially in the housing and construction sectors. Behind his recommendations, Dr. Boulos' principles are those of accountability, equality, and "independence from international aid." Dr. Boulos is active in the reconstruction of Haiti, and is the Business Sector Representative for the HRIC - Haiti Reconstruction Commission, or also known as the CIRH - Commission Interimaire Pour La Reconstruction D'Haiti, which is co-chaired by former U.S. President Bill Clinton
and Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive
."But with foreign aid flowing and a sympathetic world watching, Boulos envisions a new Haiti: one focused on quickly creating jobs while purging its ruling class of the cronyism that helped make this one of the world's poorest countries."
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
, a third generation Lebanese-Haitian, medical doctor, a entrepreneur and businessman, and philanthropist. Dr. Reginald Boulos is CEO of Boulos Investment Group, which includes Autoplaza S.A., the second largest car dealership; Delimart S.A., Haiti's largest supermarket chain; Pehacheve, a leading pharmaceutical distribution company; Multipresse S.A. radio station which he co-founded; Le Nouveau Matin, one of the two daily newspaper in Haiti and Fond de Parrainage National (FPN), an institution he founded in 1992 to finance schooling for poor elementary school children in Haiti.
Early life and education
Reginald Boulos was born in 1956, son of Carlos and Aimee (née Abraham) Boulos. Dr Boulos earned a medical degree in 1981 from the Port-au-Prince School of Medicine in Haiti and in 1982 a Master of Public Health and Tropical Medicine at the Tulane University School of Public Health in New Orleans. Dr. Boulos is widely published on subjects pertaining to tropical medicine and HIV infection in children and adults. He conducted this research while an associate professor at Johns Hopkins University. He also holds certification from the MIT Sloan School of ManagementMIT Sloan School of Management
The MIT Sloan School of Management is the business school of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in Cambridge, Massachusetts....
for senior executives.
Business endeavors
In 1996, Dr. Boulos left the medical practice to start a new career in business development. While Chairman of Intercontinental Bank S.A. (1996–1998), he negotiated the merger with Sogebank, Haiti's largest bank. In 2003, Dr. Boulos orchestrated the re-engineering of one of the oldest daily newspapers in Haiti, Le Nouveau Matin. From 2000 to 2010, Dr. Boulos created and developed Delimart, a chain of supermarkets, Autoplaza, a leading car dealership and Megamart, a membership food discount store. Recently, he organized the takeover of a landmark Hotel in Haiti, El Rancho, currently under renovation. The hotel will reopen next year with 80 rooms and be expanded to 125 rooms later.Philanthropy
In addition to his business endeavors, Dr. Boulos is a longstanding champion of social improvement in Haiti. In 1992, he founded the Fond de Parrainage National (FPN), which today finances the education of close to 20,000 elementary school children in Haiti. He is still its Chairman. From 1982 to 1996, he was Chair and General Manager of the Centers for Development and Health, a Haitian non-governmental organization that provides services and integrated health care to the populations of disadvantaged areas of the country since 1974. Under his leadership, the Center developed and managed the most comprehensive health program in Haiti, providing health and social services to 550,000 people. He is also the founder of Haiti's Child Health Institute, a research institution and the Haitian Institute for Community Health, a training institution.Political ties and controversy
Dr. Boulos has been purportedly linked to the 1991 Haitian coup d'état1991 Haitian coup d'état
The 1991 Haitian coup d'état took place on 29 September 1991 when President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, elected 8 months earlier in the Haitian general election, 1990–1991, was deposed by the Haitian army. The coup was led by Army General Raoul Cédras, Army Chief of Staff Phillipe Biamby and Chief of...
and the second coup d'état against President Jean-Bertrand Aristide
Jean-Bertrand Aristide
Jean-Bertrand Aristide is a Haitian former Catholic priest and politician who served as Haiti's first democratically elected president. A proponent of liberation theology, Aristide was appointed to a parish in Port-au-Prince in 1982 after completing his studies...
in 2004. Dr. Boulos has also been accused of association to the Front for the Advancement and Progress of Haïti
Front for the Advancement and Progress of Haïti
The Front for the Advancement and Progress of Haiti was a far-rightparamilitary group organized in mid-1993. Its goal was to undermine support for the popular Catholic priest Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who served less than eight months as Haïti's president before being deposed, on 29 September 1991,...
(FRAPH), the paramilitary "death squad" ushered into power by U.S. intelligence during the 1991 coup led by Lieutenant General Raoul Cédras
Raoul Cédras
Raoul Cédras is a former military officer, and was de facto ruler of Haiti from 1991 to 1994.-Background:Cédras was educated in the United States and was a member of the US-trained Leopard Corps...
, though Boulos claims these accusations of his involvement to be "outright lies". He has also been tied to the controversial political coalition the Group of 184
Group of 184
The Group of 184 is a group of Haitian individuals and organizations in a variety of sectors, ranging from business and the economy to media and education, who are united in opposition to Jean-Bertrand Aristide and his Fanmi Lavalas party. The name springs from the number of organizations in this...
.
Reconstructing Haiti
Dr. Boulos believes the 2010 Haiti earthquake2010 Haiti earthquake
The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake, with an epicentre near the town of Léogâne, approximately west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital. The earthquake occurred at 16:53 local time on Tuesday, 12 January 2010.By 24 January, at least 52 aftershocks...
presents new opportunities for Haiti, especially for business growth and sustainable development. Dr. Boulos proposed that donors allocate at least 50% of all funds and guarantees to formal Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) and micro-enterprise financing, encourage broad ownership of larger companies, and implement SME set-asides, especially in the housing and construction sectors. Behind his recommendations, Dr. Boulos' principles are those of accountability, equality, and "independence from international aid." Dr. Boulos is active in the reconstruction of Haiti, and is the Business Sector Representative for the HRIC - Haiti Reconstruction Commission, or also known as the CIRH - Commission Interimaire Pour La Reconstruction D'Haiti, which is co-chaired by former U.S. President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
and Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive
Jean-Max Bellerive
Jean-Max Bellerive is a Haitian politician and outgoing Prime Minister of Haiti. He resigned on 14 May 2011.-Personal life:Bellerive was born in Port-au-Prince in 1958. As the son of a prominent doctor, he left Haiti at a very young age to study in Switzerland, France, and Belgium...
."But with foreign aid flowing and a sympathetic world watching, Boulos envisions a new Haiti: one focused on quickly creating jobs while purging its ruling class of the cronyism that helped make this one of the world's poorest countries."