NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Olivier Barrau, the CEO of Alternative Insurance Company, is an entrepreneur committed to promoting innovative tools for economic growth in developing countries, especially Haiti. After graduating from the College of Insurance in New York, Olivier took over his family owned Insurance Brokerage firm as the General Manager. Quickly realizing, and understanding the growth and development of his country needed to go through investments and added values, he developed a business plan to transform the family owned agency into a corporation in order to satisfy the insurance needs of the country.

In December 2001, Olivier Barrau in cooperation with strategic investors, reinsurance partners, and a dynamic staff introduced a multiline insurance company in Haiti; Alternative Insurance Company S.A (AIC). Olivier has not only worked toward implementing and educating the general public about insurance, but together with investors, colleagues and staff, he spends a considerable amount of time in research and development of insurance products that can fit the social structure, culture and cash flow of low income populations. He continues to build enterprises facilitating creation of jobs in a country experiencing a very high unemployment rate. Olivier currently sits on the board of two other companies operating in different fields in Haiti such as water treatment and bottling (CBC) and food and agribusiness production (REBO).