Roberto Smith

Roberto Smith-Perera is a Venezuelan businessman and politician.^[1]

Early years & Education Activity

Roberto Smith-Perera was born in Barquisimeto in 1958. He attended Colegio La Salle and Instituto Escuela in Caracas. He received a Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics from Universidad Simón Bolívar in 1981. He obtained his Master's Degree and a Ph.D in Public Policy at Harvard University in Cambridge, MA between 1983 and 1987. With his wife Marina since 1983, they have raised three daughters.

Public activity

As a public servant, Smith-Perera was appointed coordinator of the Eight National Development Plan (1989-1990), Minister of Transport and Communications (1990-1992) and Ambassador of Venezuela to the European Union, Belgium and Luxembourg (1992-1995).

His public contributions include the granting of preferential tariffs in the EU for Venezuelan exports, and the opening of the EU market to Orimulsion, getting more than $50 million in grants from the EU, the construction of Line 4 of the Caracas Metro, the opening of telecommunications for private investment, the privatization of the national telephone company, which has created over 40 million new telephone lines since 1991, the creation of the National Council of Telecommunications (CONATEL) the creation of the Urban Transportation Fund (FONTUR) to promote the modernisation of public transport, the restructuring and regionalization of the National Ports System, the construction of two new international airports, the opening of competition in commercial aviation and the "Open Skies" policy at the Andean Community of Nations, the implementation of the National Roads Program and the National Railroad Plan, the foundation of the "National Rural Roads Service" and the National Roads Laboratory (LANAVIAL). He was chairman of the board and administrativa responsible of several public corporations, including CAMETRO, CANTV, Viasa, Aeropostal, INP, IPOSTEL, INC., CAVN and the State Railway Institute. He was member of the board of the Venezuelan Investment Fund (FIV)and C.A. Electrificación del Caroní Fund (EDELCA).

Smith-Perera founded the political party "Venezuela de Primera", which became "Voluntad Popular", and was a candidate in Vargas's gubernatorial election.

Academic activity

He has worked in teaching and research at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, the Center for Development Studies (CENDES) at Universidad Central de Venezuela, and Boston University in Brussels. He received academic scholarships from Harvard University and the National Science and Technology Research Council (CONICIT). He was member of the board at Metropolitan University Foundation, the National Institute of Engineering, and the Simón Bolivar University. He was president of the Student Center and student delegate to the Superior Council of Simon Bolivar University

Business activity

After finishing his Ph.D., Roberto Smith-Perera worked as a management consultant with McKinsey & Co's energy group between 1987 and 1989. in Washington D.C. He then moved back to Caracas to work as national coordinator of the Eight National Development Plan in the Presidential Office for Coordination and Planning.

He served as president of IMPSAT Telecommunications in Caracas and the Sistema Satelital Andino Simón Bolívar. He helped found microjuris.com, an internet legal service for lawyers available in several countries in Latin America. He helped to establish one of the largest Venezuelan cellular telephone companies, Digitel, in 1997. He served as its CEO and member of the board between 1997 and 2004. He also helped found Digicel, a cellular telephone company in El Salvador and Guatemala.

He is currently dedicated to fund, create and develop new businesses in health, hospitality and tourism in Venezuela.

Works

• "Venezuela, Visión o Caos" (Planeta:1995) ISBN 980-271-247-7

References