Marc Ravalomanana (born 12 December 1949) is a
Malagasy politician who was the
President of
Madagascar from 2002 to 2009. Born into a farming
Merina family in Imerinkasinina, near the capital city of
Antananarivo, Ravalomanana first rose to prominence as the founder and CEO of the vast dairy conglomerate TIKO, later launching successful wholesaler MAGRO and several additional companies.