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Olivier Barrau
Fonkoze Financial Services Board Member
In 1992, Olivier Barrau graduated from the College of Insurance In New York. After working for a year at the United Nations, he returned to Haiti, his birth country, to take over as the General Manager of the family-owned insurance brokerage firm. In doing so, Mr. Barrau inherited 75 years of experience, passed on from grandfather to grandson. He soon realized that the insurance products available through the family business did not meet the population's needs. He developed a business plan to convert and transform the business and to create a multi-line insurance company. In December 2001, Alternative Insurance Company (AIC) was born.
AIC has a growth rate of 30%, and is ranked first in its field. AIC is one the top 35 taxpaying Haitian companies, and also one of the top four insurance companies operating in the country. Mr. Barrau is motivated by success, but also by social vision. He offers products that meet the needs of every social level of the Haitian market. His firm was the first to offer a micro insurance product in Haiti.
In July 2009, Mr. Barrau was named a “Pioneer of Prosperity” at an award ceremony convened by the Inter American Development Bank, the Social Equity Venture Fund, and the John Templeton Fund recognizing dynamic business people throughout the Caribbean. Mr. Barrau serves on numerous Boards in Haiti, including REBO, S.A., Internegoce S.A., Société Caraïbéenne de Développement et d’Investissement, and Caribbean Bottling Company, S.A.