Ricardo Colmenter is the CEO of ENTRA Consulting. Previously, he served as general counsel for the Western Hemisphere at Weatherford International. He was also a member of the legal department at Halliburton, a partner at Johnson & Cato, and legal director of the Venezuelan Patent and Trademark Office. He holds a law degree from Andrés Bello Catholic University, a master's degree in international intellectual property from Lund University (Sweden), and another master's degree in intellectual property and information law from the University of Houston Law Center. Mr. Colmenter is an adjunct professor and affiliated researcher for international energy programs at the Center for American and Mexican Law and the Center for Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources a tthe University of Houston Law Center.
He participates as senior chair and program director in advanced training courses for the legal and business development departments of national oil companies (Pemex, Petrobras, Petroecuador, and Ecopetrol) and for regulatory agencies (CNH, Argentina's Ministry of Energy and Mining, and Ecuador's Secretariat of Hydrocarbons). Heis also the author of books and legal articles on international oil transactions, dispute resolution, 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 in workshops organized for oil-producing countries by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) of the U.S. Department of the Interior and the U.S. Department of Commerce. His practice focuses on transactional law with a strong business perspective, involving the structuring of multi-million dollar comprehensive energy service contracts, mergers and acquisitions in the oil industry, sophisticated oil and gas projects, and dispute resolution. He has more than 20 years of experience in the international oil and gas business and has developed an extensive international network and strong negotiation skills, based on his experience as Venezuela's representative to the Andean Community and the Free Trade Area of the Americas. Mr. Colmenter was included in an edition of The Legal 500 Latin America, which identifies a number of the most influential and innovative in-house lawyers working in the region.