From Montpellier to Madrid, passing by Abu Dhabi. Entrepreneur, high-level athlete, or professor. Raoul Henry’s journey is as rich as it is varied. How has a businessman been able to reinvent himself so many times? A look back at an unusual life, punctuated by travel, passions, and encounters.
Raoul Henry is a bit like a chameleon that has shed its skin several times over the course of its life. From a successful businessman to a passionate professor, passing by journalism and high-level sports, he has explored numerous fields.
Born of French parents, Raoul Henry nevertheless grew up primarily abroad. His father’s work in the petroleum industry led him to move several times. For 15 years, he lived in the Middle East, notably in Egypt, but also in Gabon and Montpellier.
Passionate about travel, he would do most of his studies in other countries. During high school in Abu Dhabi, he « sucked at English ». Yet he went on to study journalism for two years in the United States. There, he first worked as an intern at the Sullivan Daily Times, where he was then hired and became the main reporter after only six months.
It is in the business world that Raoul Henry first evolved. As a financial advisor, he founded his first company, Privaxys, in 2017. In parallel, passionate about languages, he wanted to teach English. Luckily for him, one of his finance clients was the president of Intercountry, a professional language training organization, « so I called her ». And she offered him a chance. He became an independent English teacher. A short time later, he was hired by the company and even became the full-time French team leader. In business, things got complicated, and his firm encountered difficulties in 2020 with the arrival of Covid. In November 2024, he went bankrupt and closed permanently, « it was difficult, I had to fire people. »
But beyond a fulfilling career, Raoul Henry also has a passion: roller hockey. He started at 12, in Belgium, where this sport was little known at the time, « There weren’t many of us ». The position of goalie followed him throughout his schooling until Bordeaux in 2006. There, he joined the USC Roller Hockey team, of which he became president in 2009. He still practices this sport today with a few more responsibilities, « I’m the link between all the administration and the team, but I also have to sheer up my partners! »
The 45-year-old goalie, whose life is already full, does not lose sight of his goals. He hopes to try again and open a new financial advisory firm. And he has learned from his mistakes, « I know what not to do anymore. The first thing I will not do is have an associate. » His dreams of travel do not leave him either, next destination « when my children are older, » New Zealand. « France is nice, but I’m tired of people being so negative”.