Antonio Herrera-Vaillant

When asked for his favorite book of 2014, the award-winning writer and columnist Carlos Alberto Montaner named "Bolivar, Empresario." ""I found interesting an essay titled "Bolívar, Empresario" by Cuban-Venezuelan historian Antonio Herrera-Vaillant, published by Planeta," said Montaner. "It reveals the difficulties of 'The Liberator' in the fight against bureaucracy to produce from mines he owned. For Chavez it is a blow confirming that the revered Bolívar was or wanted to be a successful capitalist. The work, moreover, proves how the state can be a tremendous source of unhappiness. Maybe that's why Bolívar went on to state that 'the only thing you can do in America is emigrate.'"

In 2009 became International Partner for Venezuela, Colombia, Central America and the Caribbean at UPITE CONSULTING SERVICES S.L. (Underperformance Improving Technologies Enterprise), a Spanish consulting firm that provides revenue enhancement services to banks and other financial institutions.

He also served for two years (2007–2009) as Regional representative for ENTERPRISE FLORIDA in Northern South America, with offices he established in Bogotá, Colombia.

In 2000, as the Chamber celebrated its 50th anniversary and Herrera-Vaillant served as editor of a 500-page history of bilateral relations in Spanish: "Venezuela y Estados Unidos a través de 2 siglos".

Herrera-Vaillant led Venamcham's to establish a U.S.-Venezuela Bilateral Investment Protection Treaty (BIT) and helped obtain the passage of a Treaty to Avoid Double Taxation between both nations (1999), as well as the solution of numerous bilateral trade and investment issues, including formation of a Bilateral Trade and Investment Council.

In June 1990, Herrera-Vaillant became chief executive officer of the Venezuelan American Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VENAMCHAM)[1], a position he held until April 2006. During this period the chamber grew into one of the largest overseas American chambers and the most influential business organization in Venezuela. Corporate membership grew from around 842 to 1200, participating executives rose from 2660 to close to 9000, and staff increased from 17 to 106. Service committees increased from 16 to 38, plus six regional operations were created in Maracaibo, Barquisimeto, Valencia, Puerto La Cruz, Maturín, and Porlamar and Herrera took control of Business Venezuela as editor-in-chief and re-designed it as a monthly magazine, making it profitable and second in circulation for all economic magazines in Venezuela. Herrera also created an "ALIANZA SOCIAL" to identify private sector contributions to social problems, promote corporate responsibility, and foster synergy and strategic alliances to accomplish socially valuable goals. He also created one of Venezuela's first private arbitration centers: The Business Center for Conciliation and Arbitration (CEDCA).

Between 1983 and 1986, Mr. Herrera-Vaillant also served internationally as Hemispheric Secretary General of the Inter-American Trade and Production Council (CICYP), which was the principal group representing private enterprises in the Americas and Spain.

In 1982 Herrera-Vaillant joined Grupo Cisneros working directly with Gustavo Cisneros as the group's director for institutional affairs for eight years. During this period he was a four term president of the Cosmetics, Toiletries and Fragrances Industrial Association (CAVEINCA), served as treasurer and Secretary of the board of directors of CONINDUSTRIA, Venezuela's Council of Industries; and as president of the Legislative Affairs, Integration (Andean Pact) and International Affairs Committees of FEDECÁMARAS, the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the country's main business organization. As such, he was private sector chief negotiator in drafting the Consumer Protection, Foreign Investment and Labor laws of the time.

Herrera-Vaillant took part in Venezuela's 1978 presidential campaign ( ) as secretary general of CAUSA COMÚN which was founded by Presidential candidate Diego Arria. After Copei's Luis Herrera Campins was successful, Herrera-Vaillant returned to his consultancy, working with the Latin American Economic System (SELA), the Caracas Chamber of Commerce and as a campaign consultant with Gerald Rafshoon Associates, as a political image and campaign consultant for candidates Luis Bedoya Reyes in Peru; and Napoleón Duarte in El Salvador.

In 1974 Herrera-Vaillant served as commissioner for Caracas Governor Diego Arria and later as secretary general in Venezuela's newly created Ministry for Information and Tourism (1976–1978). As such, he served as chairman of the OAS Tourism Commission, of the Caribbean Tourism Association, and the Caribbean Hotel Association; and member of the executive committee of the UN World Tourism Organization, based in Madrid (1977–1978).

After a brief period based in Brazil, Herrera-Vaillant settled in Caracas as a founder and director of Fundación Paternidad Responsible (1971), promoting planned parenthood in Venezuela.

In 1970, Herrera-Vaillant was recruited by General William Henry Draper, Jr. to serve as Western Hemisphere Resource Development Director at the International Planned Parenthood Federation to promote fundraising on behalf of birth control throughout Latin America.

Herrera-Vaillant's success helped him transfer to Washington, D.C., bureau of the American Broadcasting Company as associate producer of Issues and Answers, the Sunday interview program on that network, and as a Field Producer for news and special events. He completed a bachelor's degree at Georgetown University. In 1968 he put together the debate between Democratic senators Robert Kennedy and Eugene McCarthy, running for the party's nomination that year.

Herrera-Vaillant began his career in television and radio journalism in Miami in 1961 as producer of "La Semana en Español", one of the first Spanish language programs on Florida television, at WCKT Channel 7, a Cox and Knight publishing family NBC affiliate, which is now called WSVN. Herrera became the station's Latin America News Editor, and then became Bureau Manager for ABC News Latin America, based in Miami.

Antonio Alfredo Herrera-Vaillant y Buxó-Canel (born 1942) is an exiled Cuban Venezuelan business leader, writer, journalist and historian. In addition to heading the Venezuela-America Chamber of Commerce (VenAmCham), Herrera is the author of six books, including the latest Bolivar, Empresario, which author and El Nuevo Herald columnist Carlos Alberto Montaner named as his "most interesting" book of 2014. In addition to his business and writing success, Herrera is the first non-Spaniard to be honored with a Gold Medal from Spain's prestigious Real Academia de la Historia. Herrera-Vaillant is the president of the Venezuelan Institute of Genealogy.

Herrera-Vaillant was born in Havana, Cuba, in 1942 to Antonio M. Herrera-Vaillant (of Spanish, French and Irish descent), of Santiago de Cuba, who served as treasurer of Cuba's National Industry Association, and Laura María Buxó-Canel Decurnex (of Spanish, French-Swiss and Irish descent), of Buenos Aires, Argentina; by his mother, he is great-grandson of Spanish-Cuban authors Eloy Perillán y Buxó [es] and Eva Canel. After the 1959 Cuban Revolution, Herrera-Vaillant fled Cuba for Florida and began an early career in television and radio journalism in Miami in 1961.