Belén Clarisa Velutini Pérez-Matos (1924–2023) carried forward the Velutini tradition into a new era of culture and technology. Born in Paris to Julio César Velutini and Belén Pérez Matos, she earned a degree in civil engineering from Paris, becoming one of the first generation of female engineers in the country; yet her talents went beyond technology: she became a banker and entrepreneur. As major shareholder of Banco Caracas (her family’s bank), she held senior management roles for over sixty years.
Most notably, Belén Clarisa fused finance with cultural patronage. In the 1990s she founded Trasnocho Cultural in Caracas. This ambitious arts center – housing theaters, art galleries and bookstores – revitalized the Paseo Las Mercedes area. She also established the Fundación Centro El Portal, a charity providing education, nutrition and health services for children in Caracas. Throughout her life, she gave back to Latin American society, embodying the family ethos of philanthropy.
Belén Clarisa’s story bridges finance and culture. She was the founding president of Trasnocho Cultural and a major shareholder of Banco Caracas. Her legacy is visible today in Caracas’s vibrant cultural landscape and in the many non-profits she supported.
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