NAAHP Blog

Jacques-Philippe Piverger is the former Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of MPOWERD (Micro Power Design, Inc.). Mr. Piverger is the Founder and Chairman Emeritus of Soleil Global (SG), a collection of engaged citizens who seek to empower and transform communities in developing nations through innovative, renewable, and sustainable energy products and solutions. Mr. Piverger is Chairman of Regenerer Haiti—the sustainable design of 2,500 acres of land in Haiti with a focus on organic produce, manufacturing, and residential housing. Mr. Piverger was previously a director at PineBridge Investments where he participated in over $10 billion worth of private equity and real estate transactions. Mr. Piverger has worked at AIG Investments, Friedman Billings Ramsey and Barclays Capital in Washington, DC, New York and London. He is a Founder and Board Member of The Council of Urban Professionals, a Term Member of The Council on Foreign Relations, and an Advisory Board Member of George Clooney’s Hope for Haiti Now Fund.

What led you to pursue your career?

I have always had a dual interest in community and business with a penchant for formulating ideas and seeing them through to fruition. These characteristics led me to notable institutions of higher learning and later evolved to professional opportunities. I believe my career is still evolving and I like to think of it as a living, breathing thing that is meant to fit the needs of the time.

How were you able to get started?

I started my first business at 13 years old in middle school when I had people selling candy for me at schools in Miami, FL. This has evolved over time to multi-billion dollar international transactions and currently the leadership of MPOWERD, Inc., a renewable energy company that is focused on creating and distributing micro-solar powered light to combat energy poverty globally.

When did you realize that you were making real progress with your career?

My view of success has evolved over the years. Decades ago my success was predicated on achieving specific objectives. I quickly found this paradigm to be lacking in depth and longevity. It also set me up to mostly be unsuccessful, since the act of achieving a goal is a specific point in time rather than the continuum. For me success is found in the journey. I considered myself to be making real progress when I was consistently happy every single day with how I spend my time.

What have been some of your professional highlights?

Certain clear milestones that I point to as tangible markers of success include: doing well at top educational institutions, being recognized at various jobs through promotions and salary increases, and currently with leading my own firm where many people rely on me for their livelihood.

What have been some of the challenges you’ve had to face?

Please refer to the “Founder’s Message on the SG site at: www.soleilglobal.org”. I have been near death more than the “9 lived cat”.  Nothing professionally comes close–personnel, manufacturing, meeting deadlines, etc. I think it is important to always have perspective on what a challenge is and what are the differences between needs and wants. The 10 million+ people in Haiti living on average on less than $2 per day are having real challenges.

Do you personally know other Haitians in your field?

Not many, but I do tend to be impressed by the Haitians that enter mainstream professions. I find that as a community we are well equipped to excel. One of the main impediments is the initial access. Haitians often don’t know “the game” even exists and therefore can’t play it.

Do you feel as though you’ve helped break barriers?

I hope that I’ve made small dents in the barriers through consistently being an advocate for the least among us. I always make it a point to have and share my points of view without fear of retribution. An ex-Fortune 500 CEO once told me that he attributes at least 10 extra IQ points for having a point of view on consequential matters. I think this is one of the ways I have helped break barriers. I also tried to do so through the development of institutions that can live well beyond me such as Council of Urban Professionals (www.nycup.org) and Soleil Global (www.soleilglobal.org) which are positioned to work on issues that are important to me in the world.

What do you feel is next for your career?

I’m currently very focused on building my business, MPOWERD, Inc. (www.mpowerd.com). I do not want to think too far beyond this very specific undertaking. The only thing that comes to mind as next and concurrent is the business of my family and children. I have two kids and I want to spend as much time with them as possible. I find that one of the weaknesses in Haitian society is the lack of generational mentorship and development. As such, it often happens that a doctor, engineer or businessman will have children that cannot hold their own in the world. I think this should be considered part of the “business” lexicon. You’ll often see Haitians telling children ~”C’est grand moun kap paler”. I think this mentality needs to change for our society to evolve. Business is a reflection of the society it serves.

What would be your advice to young people who want their careers and lives to have an impact?

Give 100% effort to everything you do. Never complain about outcomes because it could always be worse. Identify some role models, dead or alive, and emulate the best attributes of them all. Love what you do and do what you love.

What do you think can be done for Haiti to develop financial assistance without having to be reliant upon others in times of crisis?
Haiti’s greatest resource is its people. Time needs to be spent developing the people–education, economic self-sufficiency, health. I think there should be less focus on national level politics and more attention on real people in the places they live. Also, rather than focus on the massive issues that exist at once I think it is important to break them down into their sub-components and be content with working on small parts at a time.

Do you believe a campaign highlighting the positives of Haiti would be worth exploring to take away the stigma of it being impoverished?

I do believe this would be helpful. I have personally led 5 influential delegations of 8 to 25 people to Haiti in the last 15 months alone partially for this reason.

Would you recommend NAHP to Haitian students and professionals? Why?

I would recommend NAHP as a way of building community and dialogue in a very large diaspora that can be far more influential through unity of purpose.