Extensive O&G experience at your serviceOil refining planning and operations, project management, legal advisory services, business development

Amilkar R. Mata, Ph.D.Manager and co-founder of Latin-Caribbean Consulting & Trading, LLC, with more than forty years of professional life devoted to the oil and gas industry. He holds a B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from the Universidad Central de Venezuela, a M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Chemical Engineering from the University of California, Davis, California.

His professional activities in O&G research, oil refining operations and project management span years of involvement in several management roles. He spent his early career in the oil production fields in Eastern Venezuela, then at PDVSA-Intevep (R&D arm of Petroleos de Venezuela S.A., PDVSA), he worked in areas of research such as, distillates hydrotreatment, heavy oil upgrading, hydrodesulphurization and hydrodemetallization of heavy hydrocarbons, and oxygenates production for fuels. Mata was lead technologist at the Cardon Refinery of Maraven (PDVSA affiliate) to develop the bunker-reactor concept for heavy oil upgrading jointly with Shell International. He was start up manager for a plant modernization at the Puerto La Cruz Refinery of PDVSA and also held several senior executive positions in refineries and joint ventures of PDVSA. These include PDVSA’s Corporate Refining Planning General Manager, Executive Director of Projects for New Refineries, Heavy Oil Upgraders and Terminals, and several positions as part of the Board of Directors of PDVSA’s joint ventures [Chalmette Refinery (Exxon Mobil-PDVSA) in Louisiana, Petrojam in Jamaica, VPHI Midwest, Inc., in Lemont, IL, PDVSA Panama and PDVSA Virgin Islands]. His teaching activities for more than 15 years have included the University of California in Davis, California, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Universidad Francisco de Miranda and Universidad Metropolitana in Venezuela where he has taught subjects in thermodynamics, applied mathematics, energy conversion and chemical reactors design.

Marianela Ortega OjedaManager and co-founder of Latin-Caribbean Consulting & Trading, LLC specialized in consulting services in the energy industry, aiming at identifying and targeting international business opportunities to cater clients' specific needs. She has more than 35 years of experience in the O&G industry, and holds a bachelor's degree as attorney at law from Universidad Catolica Andres Bello in Caracas, Venezuela and a  Certificate of Special Studies in Administration and Management from Harvard University, USA.