He directs the Programs for Competitiveness and Corporate Governance Support in Latin America. He is Ph.D. from Columbia University, New York, specialized on political economy, institutional development and competitiveness. He is Associate Professor at the Instituto de Estudios Superiores en Administración (IESA). Penfold has been a consultant with extensive international experience in local development issues and competitiveness. He has published several books and papers imn international academic journals such as Journal of Democracy, Harvard Business Review Latin America, Journal of Latin American Politics and Society, Americas Quarterly, among others. He has been visiting professor at the School of International Studies and Public Administration at Columbia, Universidad de los Andes and in Sciences Po Paris. He is a promoter of the Harvard Competitiveness Network in Latin America. He has served as Managing Director of the Boards of Santa Teresa Ron, Torcar, Banco de Comercio Exterior and Bancamiga. He has been senior advisor for FarmaTodo and other companies such as Banco Venezolano de Crédito.