Cyril Lucius Duprey OBE (3 March 1897 – 1988) was a

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

businessman. He founded the Colonial Life Insurance Company (CLICO, now part of the

CL Financial CL Financial was the largest privately held conglomerate in Trinidad and Tobago and one of the largest privately held corporations in the entire Caribbean, before the company encountered a major liquidity crisis and subsequent bailout in 2009. ...

Group) in 1936, the first locally owned insurance company. The company was expanded into the CL Financial Group, which was run for many years by his nephew, Lawrence Duprey. In 1956, Duprey was awarded the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(OBE) and in 1977 he received Trinidad & Tobago's

Chaconia Medal The Chaconia Medal is the second highest state decoration of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Established in 1969, the medal honours long and meritorious service to promote national welfare or community spirit. It is awarded in three classes: ...

(Gold). His nephew is now the chairman of CL Financial. According to some sources, Dupey was known for his personal business mission statement "Give a man value, give a man service and he will support you." In the 1960s, Cyril Dupey became president of the Cooperative Bank of Trinidad and Tobago, president of the Building and Loan Association of Trinidad and Tobago, and a board member of E.B. Gibb, a trading company. In 1988, Duprey was awarded the

Trinity Cross The Trinity Cross (abbreviated T.C.) was the highest of the National Awards of Trinidad and Tobago, between the years 1969 and 2008. It was awarded for: "distinguished and outstanding service to Trinidad and Tobago. It was awarded for gallantry ...

, the highest national award of Trinidad and Tobago, for his contributions to local business and community development. His biography, ''Duprey: The success story of Cyril L. Duprey and the Colonial Life Insurance Company'' by Owen Baptiste, was published in 1986.

References

20th-century Trinidad and Tobago businesspeople Recipients of the Chaconia Medal 1897 births 1988 deaths {{Trinidad-bio-stub