Business
Profile: Mathias Pierre – Haiti millionaire determined to build back better
Mathias Pierre. PHOTO/File
For a millionaire, Mathias Pierre’s, origins were humble.
The son of an illiterate mother and carpenter father, Pierre grew up in poverty in Haiti. But after winning a rare scholarship to study engineering at university, he went on to become an award-winning entrepreneur, a best-selling writer, and the owner of a computer business worth US$3.5 million in annual revenue.
Now the 45-year-old is using his entrepreneurship to benefit communities uprooted by the devastating 2010 quake.
“There is a huge opportunity in Haiti to help people get a safe and affordable home,” Pierre said, looking dapper in a suit and tie.
“Everyone talks about the need for foreign investment and that’s all good,” Pierre said over the din of builders busy putting the finishing touches to the spacious factory.
