My experience in government emphasised the importance of financing sovereignty.
Laurent Lamothe 2019
Introduction
Laurent Lamothe is a global thought leader, technology entrepreneur and known as Haiti’s longest-serving Prime Minister. A visionary leader who is driven by a deep sense of global social responsibility, and is a thought leader in social entrepreneurship, impact programs, technology and innovative finance. Lamothe is a successful entrepreneur who leverages his business and management expertise to develop critical infrastructure in emerging nations.
In 1998, at the age of 26, he founded Global Voice Group, which over the last two decades has grown to become one of Africa’s foremost technology companies. Resigning as Prime Minister in 2014 Lamothe went on to found LSL World Initiative. The organisation is a global enterprise that provides solutions for governments of emerging countries to overcome debt and achieve sustainable development. In December of the same year, Lamothe founded the Dr Louis G Lamothe Foundation in honour and memory of his late father. In 2019, Lamothe was inducted into ‘Power Brand LIFE: Hall of Fame’, for his outstanding achievements in the struggle for equality and human rights in Haiti through his work with the Foundation.
Early Life and Career
Laurent Lamothe was born on August 14, 1972, in Port Au Prince Haïti. His father, Louis G Lamothe was a PHD, writer, diplomat, university professor and his mother Gizou is a renowned artist with exhibits around the world.
Being exposed to sports at a very young age, Lamothe enjoyed playing soccer, volleyball and excelled at tennis. A natural athlete, Laurent represented Haiti in several junior tennis competition, even competed in Davis Cup in 1995. Went in to become ranked amongst the best collegiate players in the United States, inducted into the “wall of honour” from his alma mater Barry University.
Lamothe is the proud father of two girls, Linka 13 and Lara 11.
Laurent Lamothe successfully served his country as Foreign Minister, Prime Minister from 2011-2014, and contributed to unprecedented improvement to the fight on poverty and innovative financing mechanism for a developing economy.
Lamothe obtained a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Barry University in Miami and, in 1996, earned his MBA with honours from the University of St. Thomas. In 1998, Lamothe founded Global Voice Group SA (GVG), which today is considered a world-leading provider of ICT solutions for telecoms and fiscal authorities. He served as CEO of GVG until he stepped down to assume his public sector duties with the government of Haiti.
Having grown up in a country affected by poverty and a lack of resources at all levels, this astute businessman has developed a deep sense of social responsibility throughout his life, as well as a strong tendency to assist those in need. Lamothe is a pragmatist who, throughout his role in the public sector, emphasized practical solutions over partisan politics to address the urgent needs of Haiti.
Lamothe was named as the Ernst & Young’s “Entrepreneur of the Year” title in May 2008. Lamothe brought to the office of Prime Minister an entrepreneurial spirit and dynamism that earned him recognition in November 2014, from the Latin Trade magazine for his innovative skills, naming him the year’s Innovative Leader of the Americas. Latin Trade noted that Lamothe “helped establish a paradigm shift for Haiti as a destination for investment, rather than simply for humanitarian aid”. Lamothe also received the National Alliance for the Advancement of Haitian Professionals (NAAHP) Golden Honors Award for his outstanding work, integrity and commitment to Haiti and its Diaspora in 2015, as well as the Social Media Person of the Year award in 2015 by the Social Media Association of Haiti.
In July 2015, Lamothe established LSL World Initiative (LSL), a global organization specializing in innovative financing for development and dedicated to the socio-economic empowerment of developing and emerging countries. LSL focuses on a specific kind of transformational financing which is controlled by the respective government and can be applied as a direct response to its national priority development needs. This form of development finance does not rely on donor funding or incur any additional debt.
In December 2015, Lamothe founded the Louis G. Lamothe Foundation in honour and memory of his father Louis G. Lamothe. The Foundation focuses on inclusive social entrepreneurship. As a think tank, the Foundation focuses on the strategies that will lead Haiti towards emerging country status by 2041.
Micro-contributions make a mega difference, helping governments fast-track development.
Forbes Interview 2019
Having grown up in a country affected by poverty and a lack of resources at all levels, this astute businessman has developed a deep sense of social responsibility throughout his life, as well as a strong tendency to assist those in need. Lamothe is a pragmatist who, throughout his role in the public sector, emphasized practical solutions over partisan politics to address the urgent needs of Haiti.
Lamothe was named as the Ernst & Young’s “Entrepreneur of the Year” title in May 2008. Lamothe brought to the office of Prime Minister an entrepreneurial spirit and dynamism that earned him recognition in November 2014, from the Latin Trade magazine for his innovative skills, naming him the year’s Innovative Leader of the Americas. Latin Trade noted that Lamothe “helped establish a paradigm shift for Haiti as a destination for investment, rather than simply for humanitarian aid”. Lamothe also received the National Alliance for the Advancement of Haitian Professionals (NAAHP) Golden Honors Award for his outstanding work, integrity and commitment to Haiti and its Diaspora in 2015, as well as the Social Media Person of the Year award in 2015 by the Social Media Association of Haiti.
In July 2015, Lamothe established LSL World Initiative (LSL), a global organization specializing in innovative financing for development and dedicated to the socio-economic empowerment of developing and emerging countries. LSL focuses on a specific kind of transformational financing which is controlled by the respective government and can be applied as a direct response to its national priority development needs. This form of development finance does not rely on donor funding or incur any additional debt.
In December 2015, Lamothe founded the Louis G. Lamothe Foundation in honour and memory of his father Louis G. Lamothe. The Foundation focuses on inclusive social entrepreneurship. As a think tank, the Foundation focuses on the strategies that will lead Haiti towards emerging country status by 2041.
In March 2016, Lamothe was inducted to the Sunshine State Conference Hall of Fame 2016. Laurent Lamothe received the ABiCC Award for Leadership in Global Trade 2016 from the forty Bi-National Chambers of Commerce in Florida in November 2016, for his outstanding work as an entrepreneur, assisting the governments of developing countries in the regulation and globalization of their telecommunications and IT sectors, which helped improve these countries’ competitiveness and economic sustainability. In December 2016, Lamothe was awarded the 9th MEDays Grand Prize of Solidarity with the Haitian people, for his work with the Dr Louis G. Lamothe Foundation in Haiti.
In January 2017, Lamothe was honoured with an award at the Haitian Music Awards Association for his outstanding community service. Lamothe was also a guest of honour at the Transform Africa Summit, and shared his vision about the “Internet of Value: Blockchain and the Internet of Things”.
At the 2018 World Economic Forum in Davos, Lamothe spoke about Blockchain and how the technology can enhance government continuity and resilience.
During 2019 Lamothe participated in several events. At Angotic, Angola’s most reputable innovation forum, Lamothe participated as a panellist sharing his expertise in using innovative finance and private sector innovation as the “key” driving force for the development of smart cities in Africa. Speaking at the Smart Climate Day event hosted by the Monaco Better World Forum (MBWF) a side event to the United Nations Climate Action Summit, Lamothe, stressed the importance of “Climate-Smart Zones” to mitigate the impact of natural disasters.
As a guest at the 12th edition of the MEDays Forum, in Morocco, Lamothe discussed the rise of digital economies and start-up nations, as well as Africa and the Caribbean’s readiness for this kind of digital revolution.
