Carlos Pellas Chamorro
 |
Carlos Pellas Chamorro | |
|---|---|
| File:Carlos Pellas Chamorro.jpg | |
| Born | January 10, 1953 |
| Nationality |  Nicaragua |
| Alma mater | Stanford University |
| Occupation | CEO of Grupo Pellas |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Spouse | Vivian Pellas (1976–present) |
| Parent | Alfredo Pellas (father) Carmen Chamorro (mother) |
| Awards | Entrepreneur of the Year 2014 in El Economista magazine |
Carlos Pellas Chamorro is a Nicaraguan businessman. The controlling shareholder of Grupo Pellas, Chamorro is Nicaragua's first billionaire.[1][2]
Early life and education
Carlos Francisco Pellas Chamorro was born in Managua, Nicaragua, on January 10, 1953. He is the son of Alfredo Pellas Chamorro and Carmen Chamorro Benard. Pellas studied in Colegio Centro América. He is married to Vivian Fernández, with whom he has three children. He obtained his BA in economics and later an MBA from Stanford University.
Plane crash
On October 21, 1989, Pellas and his wife were on a plane crash in a Boeing 727 of the Honduran airline SAHSA. The plane traveling from Managua to Miami would stop in Tegucigalpa, but shortly before landing it crashed into Cerro de Hule. Only 10 people survived of 158 passengers; this accident is considered the greatest air disaster that has occurred in Central America. Vivian Pellas suffered serious burns on much of her body, suffered 62 fractures, and underwent more than 20 surgeries. Carlos Pellas lost the phalanges of four fingers from his left hand – he uses prosthesis - and he suffered several burns on his right hand and arm.
Civic involvement
Pellas is member of the Board of: INCAE Business School, a graduate business school in Central America, which has graduated more than 5000 students in its 50 years of history. He is Vice-President of this prestigious center. American Nicaraguan Foundation (ANF), chaired by his brother Alfredo Pellas, distributes approximately 120 million dollars a year in donations in favor of the most vulnerable population in Nicaragua. Asociación Pro-Niños Quemados de Nicaragua (APROQUEN), headed by his wife Vivian. In its 25 years of existence, APROQUEN has provided more than 500,000 health services, free of charges, including 34 thousand surgeries, to improve the lives of burned children in Nicaragua.
He is the President of Centro Empresarial Pellas (CEP), which promotes entrepreneurship through the strengthening of small and medium-sized enterprises. CEP has supported over 1000 SME’s, helping them increase sales by 37% and generate over two thousand new jobs, and of International Game Fish Association, a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection of game fish throughout the world. He is also a member of the President's Leadership Council of the Inter-American Dialogue.[3]
Awards
The Chambers of Commerce of Latin America in USA named Pellas Businessman of the Year in 2005. Top executives and entrepreneurs from Central America have chosen him in the last five years as one of the most admired businessmen in the region. He was distinguished in April 2008 by the President of Italy with the Order of the Stella Della Solidarietá Italiana in Grande Ufficiale.[4][5][6][7] In October 2008 he was named Honorary Consul of Italy in Granada, Nicaragua.[8] The American Nicaraguan Chamber of Commerce – AMCHAM - awarded him the Business Excellence Award in 2012.
The American Nicaraguan Chamber of Commerce – AMCHAM - awarded him the Business Excellence Award in 2012. In September 2013, the National Chamber of Tourism of Nicaragua (CANATUR) elected him "Entrepreneur of the year 2013", for his decision to create a world-class resort that would serve as the spark to turn Nicaragua into a Tourist Destination. In October 2013 he and his wife received the “Integral Entrepreneurs” award by the Business Council of Latin America (CEAL). In May 2014, the InterAmerican Institute for Democracy conferred him and his wife the award "Henri Dunant for Social Corporate Responsibility".
References
- ^ Schmidt, Blake (November 4, 2014). "Meet Carlos Pellas, Nicaragua's First Billionaire". Bloomberg. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
- ^ Bogan, Jesse (October 20, 2009). "Navigating Nicaragua". Forbes. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
- ^ "Inter-American Dialogue | Carlos Pellas Chamorro". www.thedialogue.org. Retrieved 2017-04-12.
- ^ ITALIA CONDECORA A CARLOS PELLAS Archived July 24, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ CARLOS PELLAS LLAMA A TRABAJAR UNIDOS Archived October 11, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ GOBIERNO ITALIANO CONDECORA A CARLOS PELLAS CHAMORRO
- ^ GOBIERNO ITALIANO CONDECORA A CARLOS PELLAS[permanent dead link]
- ^ CARLOS PELLAS CONSUL HONORARIO EN GRANADA Archived March 17, 2010, at the Wayback Machine