Raul Masvidal is a Cuban-American banker and real estate

Real estate

In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...

 developer. He is one of the three original founders of the Cuban American National Foundation.

Cuban activism

In 1961, he participated in the Central Intelligence Agency

Central Intelligence Agency

The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...

-sponsored Bay of Pigs invasion

Bay of Pigs Invasion

The Bay of Pigs Invasion was an unsuccessful action by a CIA-trained force of Cuban exiles to invade southern Cuba, with support and encouragement from the US government, in an attempt to overthrow the Cuban government of Fidel Castro. The invasion was launched in April 1961, less than three months...

 as an intelligence officer with Brigade 2506

Brigade 2506

Brigade 2506 was the name given to a CIA-sponsored group of Cuban exiles formed in 1960 to attempt the military overthrow of the Cuban government headed by Fidel Castro...

. In 1962, he was deployed with the U.S. Army during the Cuban Missile Crisis

Cuban Missile Crisis

The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation among the Soviet Union, Cuba and the United States in October 1962, during the Cold War...

.

In 1981, he was one of the three original founders of the Cuban American National Foundation.

Career

He is a graduate of the University of Miami

University of Miami

The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...

 and The Thunderbird School of Global Management

Thunderbird School of Global Management

Thunderbird School of Global Management is a private business school whose main campus is located in Glendale, Arizona. Founded in 1946 by retired U.S...

. He also completed the Advanced Management Development Program in Real Estate at Harvard University Graduate School of Design.

He was Resident Vice President/Country Head of Citibank

Citibank

Citibank, a major international bank, is the consumer banking arm of financial services giant Citigroup. Citibank was founded in 1812 as the City Bank of New York, later First National City Bank of New York...

 in Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...

 and Madrid, Spain. He later moved to Miami, Florida

Miami, Florida

Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...

 to serve as President of the Royal Trust Bank of Canada, Miami, Florida. In 1977, he became Chairman and principal stockholder of Biscayne Bank now Espirito Santo Bank

Espírito Santo Financial Group

The Espírito Santo Financial Group is a portuguese holding company with headquarters in Luxembourg, founded in 1984. The group represents the interests of the Portuguese Espirito Santo Group, which has major investments in Portugal and Europe, Americas, Africa and Asia.The company is listed on the...

 of Florida. In 1983 became Chairman of the Board and controlling stockholder of Miami Savings Bank and CEO of Miami Savings Investment Corporation.

Other

In 1983, he was appointed by Governor Bob Graham

Bob Graham

Daniel Robert "Bob" Graham is an American politician. He was the 38th Governor of Florida from 1979 to 1987 and a United States Senator from that state from 1987 to 2005...

 as a Regent

Florida Board of Regents

The Florida Board of Regents was from 1965 to 2001 the governing body for the State University System of Florida, which includes all public universities in the state of Florida, United States. It was created to replace a predecessor body called the Florida Board of Control, which had existed from...

 of the State University System of Florida

State University System of Florida

The State University System of Florida is a system of eleven public universities in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2011, over 320,000 students were enrolled in Florida's state universities...

. In 1985, he was a candidate for Mayor of Miami and lost in the run off election. He has served as Chairman of United Way of Dade County and of the Urban Land Institute

Urban Land Institute

The Urban Land Institute, or ULI, is a non-profit research and education organization with offices in Washington, D.C., Hong Kong, and London...

 (ULI), South Florida/Caribbean District. He was also co-owner of the Miami Marlins

Fort Myers Miracle

The Fort Myers Miracle is the Class A Advanced minor league baseball affiliate of the Minnesota Twins Major League Baseball club, currently managed by Jake Mauer. Home games are played at the Lee County Sports Complex in Hammond Stadium, which has a capacity of 7,500, and opened in...

 Triple A and Double A Baseball franchise. In 1998, he was the principal negotiator between Miami-Dade County Mayor Alex Penelas

Alex Penelas

Alexander "Alex" Penelas is the former mayor of Miami-Dade County, Florida.-Schooling and personal life:Penelas, an American of Cuban descent, attended college at St. Thomas University...

 and Micky Arison

Micky Arison

Micky Arison is an Israeli-American businessman of Romanian Jewish ancestry, and Chief Executive Officer of Carnival Corporation, the world's largest cruise operator, and owner of the NBA's Miami Heat....

 owner of the Miami Heat

Miami Heat

The Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami...

 for the creation of the American Airlines Arena.

His son, Paul Masvidal

Paul Masvidal

Paul Albert Masvidal is the guitarist, singer and a founding member of the progressive band Cynic and previously led the alternative rock band Æon Spoke. Born in Puerto Rico, Masvidal grew up in Miami, Florida and currently resides in Los Angeles...

, is a progressive metal

Progressive metal

Progressive metal is a subgenre of heavy metal originating in the United Kingdom and North America in the late 1980s...

 guitarist and singer, most noted for being the leader of the band Cynic

Cynic (band)

Cynic is an American progressive rock band, incorporating experimental music, alternative, metal and jazz fusion elements, founded in Miami, Florida and currently based in Los Angeles, California. Their first album, Focus, released on September 14, 1993, is widely regarded as a landmark release of...

.