Our Team

Ricardo Colménter is the CEO of ENTRA Consulting. Previously, he served as Western Hemisphere general counsel for Weatherford International. He also was a member of the Halliburton law department, a partner at Johnson & Cato, and legal director of the Venezuelan Patent and Trademark Office. He holds a JD degree from the Universidad Católica Andrés Bello, along with an LLM degree in international intellectual property from Lund University in Sweden, and an LLM degree in intellectual property and information law from the University of Houston Law Center. Mr. Colménter is an adjunct professor and affiliate scholar for international energy programs at the Center for U.S. and Mexican Law, and for the Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Center at the University of Houston Law Center. He participates as lead chairman and program director for advanced training courses for national oil companies’ legal and business development departments (Pemex, Petrobras, Petroecuador and Ecopetrol) and for regulators (CNH, the Argentina Ministry of Energy and Mining, and the Secretaría de Hidrocarburos del Ecuador). In addition, he is the author of law books and law articles regarding international oil transactions, dispute resolutions, technology transfers in the oil industry, and the international oil and gas business. He also participates as a speaker at international seminars, symposiums and conferences, and as an expert at workshops organized for oil production countries by the U.S. Department of Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the U.S. Department of Commerce. His practice centers on transactional law with a strong business view, which involves structuring multimillion-dollar energy integral services contracts, mergers and acquisitions in the oil industry, sophisticated oil and gas projects, and dispute resolutions. He has more than 20 years of international oil and gas business experience, and has developed an extensive international network and strong negotiation skills, based on his experience as the Venezuela representative before the Andean Community and the Free Trade Area of the Americas. Mr. Colménter was included in an edition of The Legal 500 Latin America, which identifies an array of the most influential and innovative in-house counsel working in the region.

Sheraldine Pinto Oliveros is Vice President of International Transactions at ENTRA Consulting. She advises international oil companies, national oil companies, service companies and regulatory agencies on all types of oil and gas contracts, including agreements on joint operations; concessions; production sharing; professional and technical services; engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) management; payments; and confidentiality. She advises clients on Latin American oil and gas frameworks, liabilities for breach of contract, torts and guaranties. Dr. Pinto is a professor of contract law, tort law, contracts and guaranties at Universidad Central de Venezuela, and is also an associate professor at Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú and at Universidad Metropolitana in Venezuela, where she is professor of oil contracts and negotiations for advanced training programs in oil and gas law. Previously, she served as an assistant professor at Scuola Superiore di Studi Universitari e di Perfezionamento Sant’Anna (SSSUP) in Italy, where she directed the Transnational and European Contract Law area of Lider-Lab. Prior to joining SSSUP, she was a partner with Adrian & Adrian, a Venezuelan law firm, where she was responsible for contract and corporate law. She began her career as an attorney at law with Araque, Reyna, De Jesús, Sosa, Viso y Asociados, handling a variety of labor cases of public entities and state enterprises. Dr. Pinto is the author of legal articles and books regarding international and Latin American oil agreements, Venezuelan oil contracts, Venezuelan oil and gas legal frameworks, contract law, tort law and consumer protection. She is also a speaker at international congresses, seminars and symposiums, as well as for advanced training courses in Italy, Mexico and Venezuela on oil and gas subjects. Dr. Pinto holds a Juris Doctor (JD) degree from the Universidad Católica Andrés Bello in Venezuela, a Master of Law (LLM) degree in contract law from the Università degli Studi di Roma II, a postgraduate degree in consumer law and tort law from the Università degli Studi di Roma I, and a PhD in contract law from SSSUP.

David Issa is the North America Director for ENTRA Consulting. Before joining ENTRA, he previously served as Director of Commercial Operations for the Western Hemisphere at Weatherford International, and as counsel in Weatherford’s legal department. In both roles and over the last decade, he has focused on making contracts work for businesses while also complying with the legal framework to protect his clients’ interests. Mr. Issa has also organized, trained and mentored talented people so that the process adds value and efficiency, and maximizes profitability. He began his career in manufacturing and sales before going to law school to pursue a legal career. Along with his experience as a commercial attorney, he has combined his legal talents with his understanding of the challenges that businesses face. He has reviewed and successfully negotiated hundreds of contracts covering a wide range of engagements. Mr. Issa has also negotiated master service agreements, purchase agreements, non-disclosure agreements, development agreements, pipeline agreements, and a wide range of other contracts and legal instruments. This experience has included contracts successfully negotiated for work in excess of hundreds of millions of dollars, along with work engagements in countries on five continents.

Ricardo Rojas-Gaona is Vice President of ENTRA IP, and is also a Founding Partner of Rojas Gaona & Bandres. of Rojas Gaona & Bandres. He holds a JD degree from Universidad de los Andes, an LLM degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a diploma in international and comparative intellectual property from the Academy of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO Academy) and the Universitat Degli Studio Di Torino. He also has a postgraduate degree in IP from Universidad de los Andes. Mr. Rojas-Gaona has broad experience in the field of trademarks and patents. He has been the legal advisor of important domestic and international companies, providing consultancy services for the Latin America region. His legal experience also includes serving in the role of legal counsel at Vetra Group, as well as at PDVSA-INTEVEP, S.A., the Research and Development Center of Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA), Venezuela’s national oil company. For more than 20 years, Mr. Rojas-Gaona has been involved in the IP field, interacting with national and foreign companies and law firms. He has also been involved in important transfers of technology and IP projects with the U.S. and with Latin American countries, and also with offering strategic counseling on international distribution and market entry issues for companies operating in Latin America and the Caribbean or for U.S. companies entering those markets. Additionally, he has participated as a legal advisor with state and private companies in multimillion-dollar integrated power projects. Mr. Rojas-Gaona has been ranked several times by well-known institutions as an IP expert in Latin America, and has also obtained recognitions from WIPO, Servicio Autonómo de la Propiedad Intelectual (SAPI), and Universidad de Los Andes. He participates as a speaker in seminars, and as a university lecturer, in the U.S., Latin America and Europe.

Maurício Terciotti is Director of ENTRA Consulting in Brazil. He has over 15 years of experience in administrative and judicial tax litigation, consulting and tax planning, in both domestic and international operations, involving individuals and legal entities residing in Brazil and abroad. Before joining ENTRA, Mr. Terciotti worked with the International Fiscal Association, the Brazilian Association of Financial Law, the Disciplinary Commission of the Superior Court of Sports Justice of Tae Kwon Do, the Brazilian Bar Association in São Paulo, and the Brazilian Bar Association in Rio de Janeiro. He is also a professor of tax law, tax processes and tax planning in postgraduate courses at AVM Faculdades Integradas. Mr. Terciotti earned a law degree from the Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UERJ), and completed postgraduate and specialization studies in tax law at Universidade Cândido Mendes in Rio de Janeiro.

Ken Farnworth is the Vice President of ENTRA Business Solutions. He has over 20 years of consulting experience, working primarily for a Big 4 consulting firm before joining ENTRA Consulting. Mr. Farnworth has extensive experience in supporting clients through global finance strategies and transformation initiatives that are focused on driving value and cost savings through organizational and operational efficiencies. He has led engagements in the organizational design and service delivery model, shared services and outsourcing consulting, business and process optimization system selection, integration and consolidation, and M&A transaction support (through the finance and accounting process). His experience spans multiple industries, including energy, aerospace, transportation, automotive, consumer products, health care, industrial products, telecommunications, entertainment, and financial services. He received his master’s degree in business administration from the University of Texas at Austin.

Luis Guillermo García is Director of International Tax Planning for ENTRA Business Solutions, based in Miami, Florida. He is a lawyer with over 15 years of experience in the design and implementation of corporate legal structures in the U.S. and worldwide, as well as in the design and implementation of international tax planning alternatives for individuals and corporate clients. His experience also includes advising international clients on estate planning, along with implementing trusts and private foundations and asset-protection alternatives. Mr. García has a strong background within different legal areas, including corporate, tax, labor and intellectual property. He holds a JD degree from Universidad Católica Andrés Bello in Venezuela and a master’s degree in European Union (EU) law from Universidad Complutense de Madrid in Spain.

Suzanne Issa is Director of ENTRA’s Business Consulting Services. She has over 20 years of experience in the legal field, with more than 10 years of consulting experience, working primarily for a Big 4 consulting firm. She has a broad range of consulting and legal experience supporting clients through complex, cross-functional challenges spanning finance, legal and operations globally. Her experience covers multiple industries, including energy, automotive, consumer products, health care, industrial products, telecommunications, and financial services. Ms. Issa has led engagements in system selection, integration and consolidation, Lease ASC842 system implementation (multiple system solutions), M&A transaction support (through the finance and accounting process), human resource planning and development, business and process optimization, due diligence, case management and negotiation assessment. She received her JD degree from South Texas University of Law in Houston, Texas, and her Bachelor of Arts degree from Houston Baptist University.

María Teresa Asprino is the Legal Operations Manager at ENTRA IP. She holds a Juris Doctor (JD) degree from Universidad de Los Andes and an LLM in Financial Institutions from Universidad Católica Andrés Bello. She has a wide experience in financing, banking and business law.

She has played an important role in the banking sector, serving in credit departments in strategic positions. Over the years, María Teresa Asprino has provided professional services for banks and other well-known institutions in Venezuela, such as Crossborder Financial Services C.A., Banplus, Banesco, Bancaribe, Banco Mercantil, Del Sur Banco Universal and ING Bank. She has extensive knowledge of loans, credits, mortgage brokering, lending, and risk. She also has expertise managing teams and handling risk mitigation.

She is licensed in Venezuela, and speaks Spanish and English.

Rafael Uzcátegui Castro is Legal Coordinator at ENTRA – DPZ for the western part of Venezuela. His main areas of legal advice are tax, customs and commercial law, as well as the sanctioning and regulatory public law, and the law of companies, including the liquidation processes of business organizations. Likewise, it provides judicial and extrajudicial assistance, including before the organs of the National, State and/or Municipal Public Administration, among other activities. Since 2015, he has worked as a lawyer and later as legal coordinator of DPZ Corporate Lawyers.

He has been a business advisor to various economic groups and multinational companies, as well as a corporate advisor to oil service companies, and advisor to unions such as the Venezuelan Oil Chamber, Zulia Chapter, of which he is currently a member of the Legal Commission. He is a Coordinator of the Diploma in Business Law at the Dr. Rafael Belloso Chacín University (URBE), in which field, he is also Professor of the Intellectual Property module. Likewise, he is a facilitator of various subjects of the Diploma in Tax Administration, Customs Management and Foreign Trade at the same university.

He has been a speaker or lecturer in various conferences and discussions organized by URBE and by the Dr. José Gregorio Hernández University (UJGH). He is a lawyer from the Dr. Rafael Belloso Chacín University (URBE), with an honorable mention Cum Laude, and has also earned a master’s degree in tax management from URBE. Currently, he is pursuing a doctorate in political science at URBE.

Mauricio G. Rodríguez Yáñez is a lawyer graduated from the Central University of Venezuela (1992), with specializations in Commercial Law and Tax Law, both from the same institution, where he is currently pursuing a Ph.D. He has extensive experience in both the public and private sectors, having worked as a legal representative and advisor in the fields of Civil Law, Commercial Law, and Tax Law. Additionally, he has combined his advisory experience with important positions in the electrical sector, serving as an external advisor to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and various public and private entities in matters of Contracts and Bidding, as well as Tax Law and Tax Litigation. In addition to his professional activities.

Mauricio Rodríguez has been a professor since 1996, teaching courses on Contracts and Guarantees, Commercial Law I (including Principles of Commercial Law, Commercial Company Law, and Negotiable Instruments), Commercial Law II (Insurance Law and Bankruptcy Law), and Obligations at the Faculty of Legal and Political Sciences of the Central University of Venezuela. He has also worked as a Teaching Researcher (1995-1998) at the same institution. Similarly, he has been a professor of courses on Obligations Law, Legal Transactions, Civil Liability, Guarantees, and Tax Law at the Faculty of Legal and Political Sciences of the Metropolitan University, as well as in the postgraduate courses on Advanced Commercial Law I and Applied Taxation for Businesses in the Specialization in Commercial Law at the Center for Postgraduate Studies of the Faculty of Legal and Political Sciences of the Central University of Venezuela. He is also a founding member of the Venezuelan Society of Commercial Law.