EXTERNAL ADVISORS

HERNAN ARIZMENDI POSADA - International Business Consultant, is an Attorney at Law and an Economist, specialized in Latin American matters with over 18 years of experience in Business Development, Economic Strategic Planning, International Trade and Relations,  Investment and Capital Raising, Aviation, Tourism, International Affairs, Marketing and Sales.  Mr. Arizmendi's high profile along with his ability to negotiate among Latin-American governments and private sectors is one of his outstanding attributes.

From March of 2003 until July 2005, Mr. Arizmendi was appointed by President Alvaro Uribe and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Colombia, as Consul

General of Colombia in Houston, TX (www.colhouston.org). As Consul General, he was responsible for the States of Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas, overseeing more than 160,000 Colombians currently living in these four states.

During his well-known mission as Consul General, Mr. Arizmendi showed leadership among the Consular Corps in Texas and the International Community. He was also recognized by the academic and business community in Houston as a leader in developing a strong relationship for his country and the United States.

In 2004, along with the Greater Houston Partnership, he organized a very successful seminar on Colombia's Energy Perspectives and Opportunities which brought into Colombia more than $300 million in new foreign investments.

As a follow up of this seminar, in 2005 Mr. Arizmendi also co-led the organization and coordination of the second conference on Energy in Cartagena, Colombia.  At this conference more than 450 representatives of oil and gas companies gathered from the Western Hemisphere and raised the profile of Colombia as a country for new investments in oil and gas.

Mr. Arizmendi has been invited as an international counselor and guest speaker in conferences and seminars in Latin America and the US and he is also a member of a special committee at the America's Project in the Baker Institute. The America's Project is a joint project between the James Baker III Institute for Public Policy (Rice University) and the Organization of American States.

From 1992 to 2003, Mr. Arizmendi was the General Director of Broker Consulting Group (www.brokerconsultinggroup.com), an international consulting firm, where he had the opportunity to develop and conduct business and marketing strategies in Latin America and Europe in support of the globalization in those regions for some Fortune and Forbes 500 companies.

Currently, Mr. Arizmendi is the Executive Director of LAGO Energy Consulting, a new division of the ARDIZ Group (www.ardiz.com), on the company's expansion of its oil and gas consulting services in Latin American and the Caribbean region.

TALBERT NAVIA- has a B.A., summa cum laude, from Iona College and a Law Degree from Harvard Law School, J.D.. Editor of the Harvard International Law Journal, 1979-1980. Is a partner of Chadbourne & Parke LLP in the corporate finance and Latin America practices, the head of the Private Equity group and the co- head of the Latin America practice.  Mr. Navia is also a founding partner of a private equity firm focusing on investments in the U.S. and Latin America.  In addition to advising and serving on the board of directors of several major groups in the U.S. and Latin America, he was honored among the “Legal Elite” in Latin America by Hispanic Business magazine throughout the ’90s and was featured as one of the top deal makers in the region by LatinFinance magazine. 

Mr. Navia has considerable experience in mergers and acquisitions, private equity  and strategic investments, joint ventures, corporate restructurings as well as Rule 144A and Regulation S offerings (Eurobonds, Euro-commercial paper, Medium Term Notes and American Depositary Receipts (ADRs), ADR public offerings and listings on U.S. stock exchanges, privatizations, financings (including World Bank financings), and licensing in such industries as telecommunications, hotels, financial services, construction, oil and gas, energy, real estate and consumer products.  He has handled transactions not only in the U.S., but also in Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Venezuela, Colombia, Paraguay, Peru, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, Spain and England.

Mr. Navia has spoken at conferences on capital markets, foreign investments, privatizations and related financings to U.S. and Latin American groups and has written in the areas of Latin American civil law, Mexican antitrust law, securities offerings in Latin America and U.S. investment in Latin America.

MARIANA PACHECO – has a B.A. from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah; has done post-graduate studies on Economics at Hanyang University in Seoul, Korea.  She also studied Economic Theory and Trade Policy at Harvard University and Comparative Law at Javeriana University and Universidad de los Andes, Colombia, and American University.

She is currently Director of International Trade at Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, and P.A. (STR) in Washington, DC. Prior to joining the firm, she served as a Deputy Director at the Colombian Trade Bureau in Washington, DC. While working at the Embassy, she held the rank of Counselor for four years and was the director in charge for over 10 months.

Prior to working at the Colombian Trade Bureau, Ms. Pacheco worked at the Ministry of Foreign Trade of Colombia as an advisor to the minister in charge of bilateral trade relations with the United States and Asia-Pacific. Earlier, she had worked as a United Nations Development Project consultant at the ministry. In this role, between 1993 and 1998 she served as an advisor to the minister on Asia-Pacific issues and as Director of the Colombian Pacific Economic Cooperation Council. From 1989 to 1992, Ms. Pacheco worked at the Office of the Economic Advisor to the President of Colombia dealing with international economic issues and trade relations, as well as at the Ministry of Economic Development as an assistant to the minister. She also taught classes on international economics and international relations theory at the Universidad Externado de Colombia and lectured at other Colombian universities on these issues.

RODRIGO VILLAMIZAR ALVARGONZALEZ, Ph.D. Former Colombian Minister of Energy and a former Ambassador to Japan, is an engineer from The University of Valle, Colombia, and received a B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. from The University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Villamizar served as Research Assistant to The Texas State Senate Economic Development Committee and worked under Senator Barbara Jordan of Texas. He was President of The Industrial Bank of Colombia (IFI).

While Minister of Energy of Colombia, Dr. Villamizar used his experience as Director of Rate Analysis at The Texas Public Utility Commission to structure The Energy and Gas Regulatory Commission of Colombia; where He also undertook the Largest Privatization Program in Colombia history (Over $9.0 billion between 1995-1997).

He created the Electricity Pool and promoted the former legislation on Oil Association Contracts, the Mining Code, and Electricity Generation. With the help of the U.S. Secretary of Energy, he led the effort to consolidate the Energy Chapter of The G-3 Group (Mexico, Colombia, and Venezuela). Currently, Dr. Villamizar works as an International Consultant.  He is also a professor of Energy Economics at Florida Atlantic University as well as teaching at some universities in Spain as an honorary professor. 

LUIS ENRIQUE CUERVO - Mr. Cuervo offers expertise in providing legal counsel to multi-national companies doing business in Latin America. He received his law degree from Universidad Javeriana, in Bogotá, Colombia. As a Fulbright scholar, he received an LL.M. from Tulane Law School in 1990. Mr. Cuervo began his career with Fowler, Rodriguez & Chalos in its New Orleans office in 1991. Later that year after returning to Colombia, he was appointed advisor to the Colombian Ministry of Justice. In that capacity, he defended before Colombia's Congress the bill for the approval of the Code of Criminal Procedure, and is the author of the 1991 Annotated Code of Criminal Procedure. Mr. Cuervo's primary areas of expertise include oil and gas, commercial, maritime, and insurance matters. Actually, He serves as legal representative for several oil and gas companies in Colombia and assists them in their contractual relationships with the Colombian oil and gas company (Ecopetrol).

Mr. Cuervo is and has been a law professor of different subjects such as Roman Law (Universidad de la Sabana), Criminal Procedure (Externado de Colombia), and Oil and Gas Law (Universidad Javeriana). Mr. Cuervo writes and lectures frequently on oil and gas matters: Oil and Gas in Colombia: Lessons of the Past, Conditions in the Present and Prospects for the Future (1996); Algunos Temas del Derecho de Petróleos en Colombia (1997); Cambios Recientes a la Politica Petrolera Colombiana (1998); Colombia: An Option to be Considered? New Oil and Gas Policies (2000); La Importancia del Bloque Samoré para la Industria Petrolera Colombiana (2000).

RAUL CUERO, PhD – A scientist and a Distinguished Professor of The University of Texas A & M at Prairie View. He is a Member of The Texas A&M University System. An Inventor who has four Inventions - 1 Patent – 3 Patents Pending: In Microbiology, Biogenesis–Life Extraterrestrial Under NASA Grant- Dr. Cuero is an International Consultant in Science and Technology. He is also an author of more than 90 scientific publications, including chapters for Scientific Texts. He has received numerous Awards and Honors and has frequently been an International Guest Lecturer.

TANYA BERRY – Oil, Gas and Energy Engineering Advisor with more than 23 years of combined Experience in Drilling Operations, Technology and Training within The Petroleum Industry. Ms. Berry has extensive experience in the areas of Managerial, Developmental Projects, Data Acquisition, Monitoring Operations and International Sales and Marketing.  She has also served in communications and Negotiations in Special Projects for Major Corporation such as CHEVRON USA, AMOCO, and HALLIBURTON.

ARMANDO-JOSE DIAZ – Is Senior Partner and President of ARDIZ, Euroamerican Business Network based in Weston, Florida. Mr. Díaz’s experience encompasses a wide range of disciplines and activities.  His business commitments take him to Latin America on a regular basis, maintaining widespread interest and contacts in the region. 

His entrepreneurial activities are underpinned by strong marketing background.  Graduated in Marketing from the Business School of New York University, as well as in Business Administration from Universidad del Valle, in Cali (Colombia), with a specialization in Marketing for Latin America, AMA/MBA. Other professional qualifications cover areas of planning and production, computer and systems integration, and business management.

Mr. Díaz’s career path includes appointments as Managing Director for Latin America and the Caribbean and Director Southeast United States for International Telecommunications Services (ITS), wholly owned subsidiary of Societe Internationale de Telecomunications Aeronautiques (S.I.T.A.).  Mr. Díaz has been a leader in state-of-the-art applications relating to Telecommunications and Telematics.

Other positions have included Chief Marketing Officer with Ecuatoriana Airlines headquarters in Quito (Ecuador).  Earlier appointments included multinational corporations such as Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) and Pan-American Grace Airways (Panagra).

He has been head representative to worldwide organizations such as:  Secretaría Económica Latino Americana (S.E.L.A.), World Tourism Organization (O.M.T.), International Air Transport Association (I.A.T.A.), and Societe Internationale de Telecommunications Aeronautiques (S.I.T.A.).

FERNANDO JARAMILLO – A Business Administrator with 21 years of experience working with information and Security Systems Projects, which He developed for various Multinational Companies.  Mr. Jaramillo is a member of The Electronic Commerce Committee that belongs to The ICC, International Chamber of Commerce, and  serves as a Consultant Professor for The Colombian Government’s Technical Education Agency. For the past seven years, He has been Professor of Electronic Commerce and Systems Information for The Pontificia Universidad Javeriana and a frequent guest speaker for the Universidad Tecnologica de Bolivar, Colombia. Universidad San Martin de Porras, Peru and Universidad Central, Venezuela.

KURT BAYER – Petroleum Geologist and Geophysicist with 30 years of experience and success in hydrocarbon exploration. Has degrees in Management of Energy Systems (1988) from the Universidad de los Andes, MSC Technology Management (1994) from the Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana and Finances Diploma (1998) from the Universidad Autonoma de Bucaramanga.

Joined Ecopetrol in 1974 as geophysicist, worked in acquisition, processing and interpretation of seismic data. Chief of the Department of Regional Studies in 1986. In 1988 was named Manager of the Exploration and Production Division of Ecopetrol's Research Center -ICP- in Bucaramanga until 1998 when he left Ecopetrol. Since 1999 worked as a consultant for oil, gas and services companies and universities. Currently he serves as thee Advisor of the Alliance TSP – Technology and Solutions for Petroleum.

Well versed with applied research projects, Mr. Bayer  is an expert in financial and economic evaluation and promotion of exploration and production investments.

CARLO DI COLLOREDO-MELS – A Systems Administrator with more than 17 years of experience in the Computer Technology Sector with an excellent understanding of the Commercial Computer Business in Latin America. Mr. Dicolloredo-Mels managed for more than nine years, the Commercial Desktop Business in Latin America for Hewlett-Packard Corporation. Currently, He is the Regional OEM Marketing Manager for AMD Latin America.

ALVARO VILLAMIZAR - Mr. Villamizar is a Certified Petroleum Geologist with over 25 years of international experience in exploration and production activities, combined with a broad based business background. Upstream work includes evaluation of new venture opportunities, basin analysis, prospect generation, reservoir characterization, and geological operations carried out mainly in South America and North Africa.

He has been affiliated with several international exploration and production companies including Elf Aquitaine, Occidental Petroleum and Conoco.  Mr. Villamizar has conducted geological evaluations of sedimentary basins in Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, Bolivia, Brazil, Algeria, Spain, France, Morocco, and Egypt.  Throughout his career, he has contributed to identifying oil reserves estimated at over 300 MMBO.

From 1994 to 1999, Mr. Villamizar held international positions with Conoco Inc. He was appointed as Vice President of Exploration of Conoco Mexico LTD, in Mexico City, responsible for the identification and development of business opportunities in the challenging Mexican environment.

In 1998, Mr. Villamizar became Director Exploration for Conoco Overseas Oil Co. in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In this capacity, he was responsible for the launching of company’s first exploration and business development effort in Brazil.

In the last fiver years, he was Senior Geologist with Platte River Associates, Inc., responsible for consulting, marketing and training of the company’s Basin Modeling software, BasinMod, for Latin America and Africa.

In January 2005, Mr. Villamizar created PetroAndes International, LLC, and is currently actively promoting international oil and gas investment in Latin America.

Mr. Villamizar holds a B.Sc. in Geology from the National University of Colombia, and a M.Sc. in Petroleum Geology from the French Petroleum Institute in Paris.  He is affiliated with numerous professional associations in both the US and abroad.  He is fluent in Spanish, French and Portuguese.

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