Carlos Pellas Chamorro

Carlos Pellas
Residence	Nicaragua Managua, Nicaragua
Nationality	Nicaragua Nicaraguan
Alma mater	Stanford University
Occupation	CEO of Grupo Pellas
Religion	Catholic
Spouse(s)	Vivian Pellas (1976-present)
Parent(s)	Alfredo Pellas (father) Carmen Chamorro (mother)
Awards	Entrepreneur of the Year 2014 in El Economista magazine

Carlos Pellas Chamorro (Managua, Nicaragua, January 10, 1953), known as Carlos Pellas, is a nicaraguan entrepreneur and philanthropist, Founder and CEO of Grupo Pellas.^[1] Pellas and his wife Vivian donate millions of dollars to charity through their foundation for burned children Aproquen.^[2] He is also an active investor since he is the owner of luxury hotels in Nicaragua (Mukul Beach, Golf & Spa) and Costa Rica (Dreams Las Mareas Resort & Spa).

He is the most powerful man in Central America; According to Forbes magazine, his wealth exceeds more than 1.5 billions.^[3]

Carlos Pellas (born January 10, 1953 in Managua, Nicaragua, is an American businessman. He has an Italian background, his family came to Granada from the north of Italy.

Carlos Pellas Chamorro

Chairman of the Board

Mr. Pellas is Chairman and major shareholder of Grupo Pellas, a corporate identity with more than 25 companies and presence in the United States, the Caribbean, Central America and Panama, positioned in different sectors: financial, agroenergy, tourism, technology, automotive marketing, production and sale of liquor, health, telecommunications, entertainment, real estate, insurance and related activities under the regime of free trade zones. Grupo Pellas generates thousands of direct and indirect employments in the countries where it operates.

Mr. Pellas is Chairman of the Board of the following companies: BAC Florida Bank; The SER Holding, owner of four refineries, two distilleries, including Companía Licorera de Nicaragua (maker of Flor de Caña^[4]^[5] and other rums, with sales of more than 3 million cases worldwide), and a biofuel plant in Central America; GBM Corporation, an IBM alliance company with exclusive distribution rights in Central America; and Pellas Development Group with real estate investments of over $300M in the region.^[6]^[7]^[8] Mr. Pellas is also director and partner of Casa Pellas, which distributes Toyota, Hino, Suzuki, and Yamaha in Nicaragua, and of FRUTAN, one of the six largest orange plantations in the world.

He founded BAC Credomatic Network in 1985, and sold it in 2010 in what is recognized as the largest financial transaction ever in Central America.

He served as director of the Nicaraguan Chamber of Industries for more than 20 years, Visa International-Latin America and IBM Latin America for more than 5 years. In 2012 he was elected Vice President of the Board of Directors of INCAE, an appointment made for the first time in the history of this institution.

Plane Crash

On October 21, 1989, Carlos 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. Ms. Vivian Pellas suffered burns on much of his body, with important consequences: it was necessary to rebuild her face; she suffered 62 fractures; underwent more than 20 surgeries and nearly two years of recovery were necessary. Mr. Carlos Pellas lost the phalanges of four fingers from his left hand – he uses prosthesis - and he suffered several burns on his hand and right arm.

Philanthropy

Mr. Pellas is involved in many philanthropic and non-profit initiatives. He is Vice-President of INCAE Business School, the best Graduate Business School in Latin America. He provides scholarships to 35% of all MBA candidates in the Nicaraguan Campus.

Mr. Pellas is also member of the Board of:

American Nicaraguan Foundation (ANF), chaired by his brother Alfredo. ANF distributes approximately 120 million dollars a year in donations to contribute substantially and sustainably to reduce the impact of poverty in the lives of the most vulnerable population in Nicaragua.

Asociación Pro-Niños Quemados de Nicaragua (APROQUEN) headed by his wife Vivian. In its 22 years of existence APROQUEN has provided more than 400,000 health services, free of charges, 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.

International Game Fish Association (IGFA, a non for profit organization dedicated to the protection of game fish throughout the world).

Awards and recognitions

Carlos Pellas has been the recipient of many awards. The Chambers of Commerce of Latin America in USA named him 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.^[9]^[10]^[11]^[12] In October 2008 he was named Honorary Consul of Italy in Granada, Nicaragua.^[13] 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".

Background

Carlos Pellas holds a B.A. in Economics, an M.A. in Food Research and an MBA, all from Stanford University. Mr. Pellas and his wife Vivian reside in Managua, Nicaragua. They are the parents of three children.

References

External links

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