Teaching areas
Economics
Ronald is Costa Rican and has more than 20 years of work experience, the last twelve of which he has worked as a researcher for CLACDS, leading research and development projects in different areas and countries in Latin America. Previously, he was an economic analyst for the Foreign Trade Promoter of Costa Rica (PROCOMER) and has consulted for different organizations. He holds a Master's degree in Economics from the University of Costa Rica, and has received training on development strategies and international trade in different countries such as Israel, South Korea, Spain and China.
He led the area of statistical analysis of the Costa Rican external sector and collaborated with more than a hundred investigations related to issues of competitiveness, trade policy and trade opportunities for exporting companies. He has been a consultant and collaborated with various teams in consultancies for the World Bank, ECLAC, Pan American Health Organization, German cooperation institutions, Costa Rican Chamber of Exporters, among other organizations.
Place of work: INCAE Business School
From: January 2023 To: Present
Position: Director CLACDS/INCAE
Place of work: INCAE Business School
From: 2010 Until: 2022
Position: Researcher
Description: Responsible for the coordination of research developed by the center on issues related to international trade, foreign direct investment, regional integration, competitiveness and economic development. Coordinator of the executive opinion survey for the World Economic Forum.
Place of work: PROCOMER
Since: 1999 Until: 2009
Position: Economic Analyst
Description: Responsible for the analysis and publication of Costa Rica's international trade figures. He conducted market research in various countries such as the United States, Germany, China, Ecuador, among others.
Financial Administrative Director of CLACDS and the Center for Faculty Research and Development.
She is in charge of the administration of CLACDS, the Research and Development Center, the René Morales Chair, Strachan Chair, Steve Aronson Chair and the Entrepreneurship Center. She graduated with honors from the University of Costa Rica with a Master's Degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in International Business, and a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Banking and Finance.
Place of work: INCAE Business School
Since: September 2007 To: Present
Position: Administrative and Financial Director of the Research and Development Center.
Description: Administration of the Latin American Center for Competitiveness and Sustainable Development (CLACDS), the Research Center, the Center for Entrepreneurship, the Women's Leadership Center, the CALI Program, Research Chairs and Fundraising support from INCAE.
Place of work: INCAE Business School
From: January 2006 To: September 2007
Position: Administrative and Financial Manager of CLACDS
Description: Elaboration of the accounting, financial, budgetary and administrative control of CLACDS, as well as the events related to the center and support with the Fundraising performed by the Dean of Innovation, Associate Director, Associate Professor, Executive Direction, in order to comply with the policies, objectives and goals established for the Center. Administrative control of approximately 50 projects with a total annual execution of $2,500,000.
Place of work: INCAE Business School
From: 2000 To: 2006
Position: CLACDS Administrative and Financial Coordinator.
Description: Administration of CLACDS projects for five consecutive years, in the areas of Competitiveness, Sustainable Development, Corporate Social Responsibility and Public Policies. Control of project execution, ensuring compliance with the commitments made in the agreements and applying the procedures of INCAE. Preparation of narrative and financial reports for the different agreements, in order to comply with the requirement of the contracts with the donors to provide periodic information on the projects and keep the Dean of Innovation informed of the financial status of the center.
Place of work: Geoengineering
From: June 1998 To: August 2000
Position: Administrative and Financial Manager
Description: Management administration of the company, as well as the different projects of the company. Elaboration, together with a work team, of logical frameworks for the different project bids to banking entities, public and foreign companies. Preparation, together with a work team, of different feasibility analyses of hydroelectric projects.
Place of work: Accountant's Office
Since: 1994 Until: 2003
Position: Private Accountant
Description: Accounting advising for the following companies and individuals:
- Dental Clinic: Sandra Meza Da' llanéese
- Orthodontics Clinic: Sandra Benavides
- Depósito San Juan S.A.
- LUDHEC S.A.
Luis Figueroa is Senior Researcher and Project Manager at the Latin American Center for Competitiveness and Sustainable Development (CLACDS) of the INCAE Business School in Costa Rica, with extensive experience leading projects and consultancies for international cooperation, business chambers and public sector entities in several countries. His main areas of interest include business strategy and competitiveness; and the design, evaluation and launching of new projects and companies. His work has focused on key value chains in Latin America, such as agribusiness, tourism, textiles/apparel and health services, among others. Luis is an Economist, with a PhD in Entrepreneurship from the Essex Business School of the University of Essex in the UK and an MBA from INCAE Business School.
CLACDS Researcher
INCAE Business School. August 2018 to date.
Conducting research and economic evaluations on technology and labor market policy projects.
TEAM-NT Project Director (COP) (USAID / INCAE)
INCAE Business School. October 2021 - September 2024
Visiting professor and consultant
INCAE Business School. January 2016 - August 2018
Teaching MBA entrepreneurship courses at INCAE in Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Conducting research and technical studies. Facilitation of strategic planning processes with guilds and associations, private companies and government institutions in Costa Rica and other countries.
Dean of the School of Business Sciences
ULACIT, Costa Rica. August 2016 - March 2017
Direction of the processes of innovation and continuous improvement of the academic programs of the FCE at all levels (undergraduate and graduate). Coordination of activities and external relations with universities in the United States and other strategic allies.
Executive Director
Central American Healthcare Initiative, Central America Regional. October 2013 - January 2016
General management, procedure design, strategy formulation, budgeting and financial management, fundraising, recruitment. Academic design of programs and evaluations. Instructor in training seminars in Costa Rica and Nicaragua.
Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) and Research Assistant
University of Essex, Essex Business School, UK. October 2011 - July 2013
Teaching economics to undergraduate business administration majors.
Project Manager and Researcher
INCAE Business School, Costa Rica. September 1996 - October 2010
Project management in initiatives of competitiveness agendas and clusters (business clusters) in Colombia, Ecuador, Costa Rica and the rest of Central America. Multi-sector agreements to improve competitive advantages at international level. Instructor in training seminars on strategy and competitiveness of the CLACDS of INCAE in Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia and other countries.
RESEARCH AND FACILITATION
Digital Divide and Labor Market in Central America. August 2018 - December 2019. Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
Public Investment Portfolio in Belize. January-March 2018. Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)
Promotion of Geothermal Energy in Central America. German GIZ Cooperation, Guatemala, Honduras and Panama, 2017.
Construction of a Proposal for Competitiveness and Sustainable Development for Ecuador. Chamber of Industry, Production and Employment of Cuenca, Cuenca, Ecuador. 2016.
Bogota Fashion Cluster, Mayor's Office of Bogota, Bogota, Colombia, 2009-2010.
Municipal Scorecard. IFC, World Bank Group, Bolivia, Brazil, Peru, 2007.
Competitiveness Agenda Country Vision Bolivia. CAINCO-Cooperación Sueca, Bolivia, 2005-2006.
Competitive Fund for SME Competitiveness. IDB-MIF-INCAE, Central America and Dominican Republic, 2004-2008.
Competitive Clusters in Ecuador, Wood and Flowers for Export. CORPEI, Quito, Ecuador, 1999.
Central American Agenda for Competitiveness and Sustainable Development XXI Century. CABEI / Avina Foundation, Central America, 1996-2000.
ACADEMIC CONFERENCES
Figueroa, L. (2013). Firm capabilities, complementarities and innovation in Latin America. Proceedings for the 8th European Conference on Innovation and Entrepreneurship, pp. 243-251, Hogeschool-Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium, 19-20 September 2013.
Executive Programs
Senior Researcher and IPS Project Director of the Latin American Center for Competitiveness and Sustainable Development (CLACDS) of the INCAE Business School, and expert in methodology of The Social Progress Imperative, where he participates in the design and implementation of the sub-national projects of the Social Progress Network. Lecturer in methodological trainings for the measurement of Social Progress held at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the INCAE and the What Works in Social Progress 2017 conference in Iceland. Economist from the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM), with two master's degrees from the London School of Economics (LSE), in Social Policy, and Population and Development.
He has worked in the Mexican Ministry of Finance, central banking, academia and the financial sector. Recently I have developed projects for civil society applying digital tools and data sources in order to incorporate to the traditional economic and social analysis the new technologies that are currently redefining the individual, society, government and markets. He has published different papers on human development and migration, institutional transparency, open data and governance; in addition to participating as an economic analyst in different media in the region, in events and conferences such as TEDx Pura Vida 2016, TEDx INTEL 2016, and TEDx INCAE 2017. He is currently collaboratively designing, together with experts in innovation and Costa Rican social entrepreneurship, an innovation platform for the Costa Rican social entrepreneurship ecosystem using the Social Progress Index as a tool for diagnosis and social impact; in order to encourage disruptive interventions with sustainable business models to generate inclusive growth in the most disadvantaged regions of the country.
Place of work: The Social Progress Imperative
From: 2014 To: 2015
Position: Senior Methodologist
Description: Design and development of Social Progress initiatives at sub-national level; mainly in Brazil, Paraguay, Chile, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Peru, Bolivia, El Salvador and Panama, in Latin America; and the states of Michigan and Massachusetts in the United States. Development of technical and methodological workshops on the Social Progress model. Collaborated in the development of the methodology for measuring Social Progress at the municipal, city, community and household levels. Participated in the global launches of the Social Progress Index 2014 and 2015, the Skoll World Forum and the Atlantic Council 2015.
Place of work: ETHOS/USAID
From: 2012 To: 2013
Position: Researcher
Description: Quantitative and qualitative analysis to assess the impact of tax incentives on the country's productivity and competitiveness. The proposed methodology consisted of an impact evaluation, using a Propensity Matching Score model, a cost-benefit analysis; and a qualitative analysis. The data used for the evaluations came from a national business survey, which I helped to elaborate and process. Participate in the design of the project's communication strategies, through online visualizations, interactive maps and social media dissemination.
Place of work: CREA Mas
From: 2011 To: 2012
Position: Consultant
Description: Design of statistical indicators and econometric techniques to evaluate social interventions. In addition to developing interactive maps at the local level for the organization and administration of interventions, according to the social and economic characteristics of its beneficiaries, in order to evaluate and measure the operational strategies of the NGO.
Place of work: Ministry of Finance and Credit
From: 2007 To: 2009
Position: Deputy Director of Projects of the Investment Unit
Description: Research and propose new evaluation methodologies for investment projects. Coordinate the liaison between the entities and the Unit to guarantee the methodological compliance of the cost-benefit evaluations according to the current regulations. Evaluating and sanctioning more than 200 infrastructure projects in different areas, such as hospitals, clinics, highways, schools, natural reserves, conservation areas, satellite infrastructure, military equipment, oil installations, among others, with an approximate value of 10,000 million dollars. I participated in the consolidation and compilation of Volume VII of the Federal Expenditure Budget during two budget cycles.
Place of Work: Banco de México
From: 2006 To: 2007
Position: Economist
Description: Manage and update the labor market and productivity databases of the bank's website. Performed literature reviews to propose quantitative methodologies to improve the country's productivity measurements. In addition, he was in charge of the economic situation reports for the bank's Board of Governors, specifically on issues related to inflation, productivity and labor market dynamics.
Master in International Agribusiness and Rural Development from the University of Göttingen in Germany. He is a Researcher at the Latin American Center for Competitiveness and Sustainable Development at INCAE. In addition, he is an Agricultural Engineer from the University of Costa Rica where he obtained a degree with honors in Phytotechnology.
He has participated in the design and implementation of evaluation and monitoring systems in a number of projects within the agri-food sector with emphasis on coffee, such as: sustainability performance analysis, impact studies, quantitative and qualitative analysis, competitiveness and strategy. He has led research projects with rural populations in Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Mexico, Colombia, Brazil and Costa Rica. Key research partners include Anacafé, ECOM, Lavazza, International Coffee Partners, Hanns R. Neumann Stiftung, IICO Cooperation, Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Technoserve, Enveritas, World Banana Forum, IICA and Nestlé Nespresso. He is currently collaborating on other transparency and corruption projects, as well as projects implementing the Social Progress Index.
Place of work: INCAE Business School
From: 2019 To: Present
Position: Researcher
Description: Design and development of evaluation and monitoring systems in a series of projects within the agrifood sector. Development of training workshops for technicians on good methodological practices for data collection for monitoring systems. Also participates in Social Progress Index projects, as well as in the launching of the Cantonal Social Progress Index 2019.
Place of Work: Sustainable Markets Intelligence Center
From: 2013 Until: 2019
Position: Project manager and senior researcher
Description: Design and execution of research proposals including the establishment of data collection systems and database management, as well as training of survey teams, quantitative and qualitative analysis of project results and preparation of final research documents for different clients. Quantitative and qualitative analysis to evaluate the impact of technical assistance programs on the productivity and competitiveness of small producers.
Place of Work: Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture
From: 2008 To: 2008
Position: Consultant
Description: Development of a program to facilitate access to small and medium producers in a dynamic market, particularly for bean and cocoa producers in the Chorotega Region (Guatuso, Upala).
Place of work: Agronomic Research Center, University of Costa Rica.
From: 2003 To: 2006
Position: Research Assistant
Description: Research in the Plant Biotechnology Laboratory. In charge of the design, evaluation and analysis of experimental results and subsequent preparation of the respective research reports. In charge of the germplasm bank of several crops, as well as help in the elaboration of micropropagation protocols.
She is an events coordinator for CLACDS at INCAE , collaborating in the organization of activities in different countries in the region.
Place of work: INCAE Business School
From: 2006 To: Present
Position: Events Coordinator
Description: Organization of activities in different countries of the region.
Place of work: Traducciones Marín y Madrigal S.A.
Since: 2002 Until: 2006
Position: Secretary
Description: Secretarial support.
Bilingual Secretary of CLACDS. Previously, she worked as Executive Assistant to the General Management of Coca-Cola Femsa/ Latincentro S.A.
Place of work: INCAE Business School
From: January 2012 To: Present
Position: CLACDS Secretary
Description: Supports the CLACDS as a Center in itself and additionally the CLACDS faculty members in their courses. She also supports the Financial Management in everything related to the Research Center.
Place of work: Latincentro Costa Rica S.A. (Coca-Cola Femsa)
Since: 2006 Until: 2011
Position: Assistant General Manager
Description: Assistance tasks for the General Manager of the Central America, Colombia and Venezuela area.
Place of work: BLP Abogados (Los Sueños, Herradura)
Since: 2003 Until: 2006
Position: Secretary / Administrative Assistant
Description: Performed secretarial and office administration duties at Los Sueños.
Place of work: Vargas Jiménez & Peralta
Since: 1995 Until: 2003
Position: Legal secretary to partner of the firm.
Description: Performed secretarial duties for the partner of the firm and his 3 assistants.
Place of Employment: Phelps Dodge Mining Company
From: 1993 To: 1995
Position: General Manager and general office secretary.
Description: Performed secretarial duties for the General Manager and office staff.
Place of Work: Ministry of Housing and Human Settlements.
From: 1992 To: 1993
Position: Secretary to the Minister's Office
Description: Performed secretarial duties for the Minister's Office and his assistants.
Place of Work: Ministry of Housing and Human Settlements
From: 1987 To: 1990
Position: Secretary to the Principal Officer
Description: Secretary to the Principal Officer.
Project coordinator of the Latin American Center for Competitiveness and Sustainable Development (CLACDS), graduated in Business Administration with emphasis in the Hotel area at Universidad Latina. Experience in project coordination, development of an inventory platform, budget management and service design. In the hotel area, experience in event elaboration, MICE group management, customer service, food and beverage, room division and quality control in standards and service.
Place of work: INCAE
From: 2015 To: 2019
Position: Campus & Hospitality Coordinator
Description: Supervision of housekeeping, reservations and housing staff, responsible for maintaining standards and policies of both staff and with students. Area Budget. Distribution of spaces in both housing and offices. Project supervisor.
Place of work: Hotel Real Intercontinental
Since: 2010 Until: 2015
Position: Corporate accounts coordinator
Description: Corporate and international group accounts executive MICE, Tour & Travel.
Administrative Coordinator of CLACDS. She previously served as assistant to the President and the Board of Directors of INCAE. She is a candidate for a Bachelor's Degree in Administration with emphasis in Marketing.
Place of work: INCAE Business School
From: May 2013 To: Present
Position: Administrative Coordinator of CLACDS
Description: Support and monitoring of administrative aspects of the development and submission of proposals, as well as logistical aspects of the Center. Support to the Administrative Director of the Faculty Research and Development Center of INCAE in the control, documentation and reporting of the Center's execution.
Place of work: INCAE Business School
Since: May 2007 Until: April 2013
Position: Executive Assistant to the President and the Board of Directors.
Description: Support to the Rector in administrative requirements, agenda and contact management, institutional documentation, logistical coordination and attention to the sessions of the Board of Trustees and taking the minutes of each session.
Place of work: INCAE Business School
Since: January 2001 To: April 2007
Position: Assistant to Faculty, Researchers, Dean of Innovation and Dean of Faculty.
Description: Management of administrative and logistical activities of the Faculty and assigned Researchers, assistance in the different functions of the Dean's Offices, as well as logistical coordination as part of the team in charge of President transfer.
Graduated with a degree in Public Accounting from the Universidad Técnica Nacional.
Experience in fiscal and bank reconciliations, accounting records, vendor payments, assistance in closing accounts, consolidated faculty expense reports, account analysis, tax returns, issuance of financial statements, budget management and customer service.
Master in Economics with specialization in Socioeconomic Evaluation of Projects and in Natural Resources and Environment, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (PUC). B.A. and B.A. in Economics, with emphasis in Business Administration from the University of Costa Rica, and graduate of the Sustainable Management Program (SMP) of INCAE-InWent. Consultant on economic and ecological issues such as environmental damage assessment, disasters and externalities; socioeconomic analysis; environmental services, CSR productive experiences, public policy advocacy and similar. He has served clients in the public sector (MINAET, SINAC, Judiciary, etc.), private sector (ESPH-SA, CNFL), academia (INCAE, UCR, UCI); and non-governmental organizations (UNDP, IPS, CIECO, CCT, etc.).
Place of Work: REDD+ Secretariat, FONAFIFO
From: 2014 To: Present
Position: Consultant
Description: Drafting of the National REDD+ Costa Rica Strategy for the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF).
Place of work: INCAE Business School
From: 1999 To: Present
Position: Consultant-researcher
Description: Varied consultancies in the referred topics; more than 25 works among papers, cases, and other documents as author and co-author.
Place of work: UNDP
From: March 2007 To: February 2008
Description: In GEF-FFEM-UNDP Project "Improvement of management and conservation practices in ACMIC" as expert in charge of the bio-economic issues of the project.
Workplace: Varied (FONAFIFO, SINAC, CNFL, MINAE, ESPH, CRRH, FONAFIFO, PROSIGA, CR-USA, SENARA, CEPAL, UCI)
From: 2000 To: Present
Position: Consultant
Description: Varied consultancies in economy-ecology.
Focused on research, Masters in Human Nutrition for Health Promotion, and Food Science and Technology. She has conducted research for several national and international organizations in LEDS, sustainable development, CSR, energy efficiency, green jobs, organic products and Fair Trade.
Research work
Place of work: INCAE Business School
From: 2008 To: Present
Position: Consultant
Description: Consultant for the Coherence Program for a Sustainable Energy Policy, technical management of the Microfinance Portal, experience in projects on green jobs, economic inclusion.
Place of work: Chamber of Industries of Costa Rica
From: 2012 To: 2013
Position: Consultant
Description: Study on the need for green jobs skills for Costa Rican companies in response to the transition to a green economy.
Place of work: Chemonics International
From: 2011 To: 2011
Position: Consultant
Description: Development of a business plan for the Cleaner Production Award in Central America.
Place of Work: Humane Society International
From: 2011 To: 2011
Position: Consultant
Description: Research on animal production in Costa Rica with emphasis on the beef, pork and chicken value chain.
Place of work: CIMS
From: 2004 To: Present
Position: Consultant
Description: Research and market studies on organic products, Fair Trade, Rainforest Alliance.
Executive Director of the CLACDS Ecobanking Project. She is in charge of several initiatives such as the Green Housing Financing Course and the Green Retrofit Marketplace platform. She graduated from INCAE Business School with a Master's degree in Business Administration with a concentration in sustainable development and holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics from the National Autonomous University of Honduras. In March 2020, she completed the "Leadership and Diversity for Innovation" Program at Women's World Banking and Aresty Institute of Executive Education, Wharton University of Pennsylvania, in order to deepen her knowledge on the design of women-focused credit products.
CLACDS Projects
Place of work: FND, Mexico/IDB
From: July 2019 To: December 2019
Position: Consultant
Description: Member of the team formed to analyze the establishment of a new line of credit for US$ 50 million to finance green technologies in the agricultural sector in Mexico.
Place of Work: Financiera Rural, Mexico/IDB
From: July 2013 To: September 2013
Position: Consultant
Description: Member of the team formed to analyze, monetize and link the institution's agriculture sector portfolio with positive environmental and social impacts.
Workplace: CLACDS/INCAE Business School
From: January 2012 To: November 2013
Position: Consultant
Description: Design of the re-launch strategy and implementation of the second phase of the Ecobanking Project (2013-2017). Development of the implementation plan and selection of donors.
Location: Technical Secretariat of Planning and External Cooperation (SEPLAN). Honduras
From: January 2012 To: April 2013
Position: IDB Results-Based Management Consultant.
Description: Coordination of the Program to Support the Implementation of a Results-Based Management System in the Government of Honduras. Monitoring and evaluation of high impact strategies and policies implemented.
Location: Central American Bank for Economic Integration, CABEI. Honduras.
From: July 2005 To: December 2010
Position: Executive Assistant to the Director for Spain
Description: Advised the representative of the Spanish government in the Bank's Board of Directors for the approval of operations (credit and technical assistance, among others).
Place of Work: Inter-American Development Bank, IDB. USA
From: May, 2005 To: July 2005
Position: Consultant
Description: Member of the working team to design a proposal that would determine the role and responsibilities that the Bank would have in getting involved in the carbon emissions reduction market.
Place of work: Danish Cooperation Agency, DANIDA. Honduras
From: February, 2005 To: April 2005
Position: Consultant
Description: Member of the working team to design the regional environmental program for US$40 million for the period 2005-2009, component of support to the environmental performance of the civil society and its future impact actions.
Location: CABEI. Honduras
From: September, 2003 To: February 2005
Position: International Financial Analyst
Description: Manager of relationships, contacts and funds (JBIC World Bank, KfW, among others), for CDM activities promoted by CABEI in the Central American region and responsible for at least 10 funding activities for environmental programs, of which she was the leader of the design team.
Location: CABEI. Honduras
From: August, 1997 To: August 2003
Position: Environmental Analyst
Description: Focal point for the coordination of all environmental initiatives and activities of the Bank. Responsible for the economic, financial and environmental analysis of projects assigned to the Sustainable Development department of the Credit Division. Coordinator of the design of the "Central American Carbon Program", a US$40 million financial facility to finance projects that generate certified carbon reductions.
Place of work: Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI). Panama.
From: February, 1997 To: May, 1997
Position: Consultant
Description: Member of the team that worked in the Cayos Cochinos Biological Reserve, Bay Islands, Honduras to conduct and analyze several studies and surveys.
Porfirio Guevara, Ph.D. is a research associate at the Latin American Center for Competitiveness and Sustainable Development (CLACDS), INCAE Business School in Costa Rica. Previously he was an assistant professor at the Institute for Systems, Innovation and Sustainability Sciences (ISIS), University of Graz, Austria. D. in Sustainability Management from the University of Graz, Austria; M.Ph. in System Dynamics from the University of Bergen, Norway; MSc. in Economics from Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona; and B.Ph. in Economics, University of Costa Rica. During 1998-2010 he worked at INCAE Business School in Costa Rica. During this time he also collaborated with institutions such as the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank and InWEnt (International Training and Development, Germany). Main lines of research: Housing Economics, Modeling and Simulation of Complex Dynamic Systems; Technological Change and Education.
Research work
Place of work: INCAE Business School.
From: 2015 To: Present
Position: Consultant
Description: Research on issues of competitiveness, labor markets, housing and sustainability in Central American countries.
Place of work: Institute for Systemic Sciences, Innovation, and Sustainability (ISIS), (KFU) University of Graz, Austria.
From: 2010 To: 2015
Position: Assistant Professor
Description: Research in complex systems and economic modeling applied to socioeconomic issues, population and innovation. Teaching and supervisory activities.
Place of work: INCAE Business School.
From: 1999 To: 2010
Position: Senior Researcher
Description: Research on productivity, innovation and sustainability in Central American countries.
Place of work: The World Bank. New Export Discoveries in Latin America.
From: 2007 To: 2007
Position: Researcher.
Description: Research project that sought to measure and understand the process of new export discoveries in Costa Rica, and to determine whether the failures of and/or public policies affected the emergence of replicated processes and their impact on the country's export performance.
Place of Work: Inter-American Development Bank.
From: 2006 To: 2006
Position: Researcher
Description: Evaluation of the loan portfolio for project development in Central America.
Luis Rivera is an economist with experience working in international economics, project evaluation, sustainable development and business economics in several countries in the region. He has been a consultant for INCAE Business School, the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), and other national and international organizations. He has publications on topics such as international trade, agricultural policies, climate change and international competitiveness.
Research work
Alejandro has dedicated his career to consulting and applied research on various topics of sustainability and private sector engagement; such as the development of impact logic/theories of change, monitoring, evaluation and learning systems for development projects and public-private partnerships, climate change, risk analysis and shared value creation in smallholder agri-food systems.
In recent years, Alejandro has been recognized as a regional expert on how impact measurement systems generate value for strategic decision making in agrifood value chains. He has been invited by different regional entities to share his experience as a presenter or panelist at development and private sector symposiums and congresses.
He has worked for both private sector organizations (Nestlé-Nespresso, Lavazza, Ecom, BASF, Syngenta, Multi-Inversiones, Grupo Nutresa) and organizations such as ECLAC, UNDP, Neumann Foundation, World Bank, IDB, CABEI, GIZ, among others.
Place of work: Latin American Center for Competitiveness and Sustainable Development (CLACDS): 2010 To: Present
Position: Senior Consultant
Description: Design, direction and dissemination of applied research projects for the public and private sector in the areas of agrifood value chains and environmental performance, with special attention to topics such as microeconomics of the coffee sector, climate change and governance mechanisms.
Place of work: Sustainable Markets Intelligence Center
From: 2014 To: 2019
Position: Executive Director
Description: Strategic direction of the Center, relationship management with clients and research partners. Design of impact assessment and monitoring projects in food value chains, based on small producers.
Dr. Jorge Vinicio Murillo specializes in the areas of Entrepreneurship and Strategy. His research focuses on the development of entrepreneurial ecosystems, early stage resource acquisition and corporate entrepreneurship.
Dr. Murillo has vast experience as an academic, consultant and as a project and program manager. As an academic, he has been linked to INCAE Business School and EARTH University for more than fifteen years as a professor, impact center director, project manager and senior researcher. Dr. Murillo was the co-founder and executive director of the Latin American Center for Entrepreneurship (LACE) at INCAE Business School and the executive coordinator of the research unit at EARTH University.
He has several publications on entrepreneurship and competitiveness and is currently associated as a researcher at the ESADE Entrepreneurship Institute (EEI) in Barcelona. As a consultant, he has led strategic thinking processes for entrepreneurs, private companies, sector organizations, business associations and public institutions in Latin America. He has also managed projects financed with funds from the U.S. government and multilateral agencies.
He earned his Ph.D. in Business Administration with an emphasis in Entrepreneurship from ESADE Business School in Barcelona, Spain. During his doctorate he studied the phenomenon of incubators and business accelerators and his dissertation obtained the highest grade that ESADE awards to a doctoral thesis. In addition, with the support of a Fulbright scholarship, he completed a Master's degree in Entrepreneurship at the University of Florida, where he graduated with high distinction. He also holds an MBA from INCAE with a specialization in Sustainable Development and a Grade in Food Engineering with honors from the University of Costa Rica, where he entered with the second best national average in the 1993 entrance exam. Dr. Murillo also received training in business research at Harvard University.
Place of work: INCAE Business School.
From: Jan 2023 To: Present
Position: Research Associate
Description: Researcher at INCAE Business School on entrepreneurship.
Place of work: INCAE Business School
From: Jun 2015 To: September 2017
Position: Co-founder and Director of the Latin American Center for Entrepreneurs.
Description: Co-designed the Center in its initial phase and coordinated its administration, conducted research on entrepreneurship topics.
Place of work: INCAE Business School.
From: August 2012 Until: June 2014
Position: Researcher - Project Manager
Description: Was in charge of different research projects on topics such as corporate social responsibility, citizen security, fight against poverty, competitiveness and sustainable development. Coordinated several projects involving civil society, private sector, multilateral agencies and government institutions.
Place of work: EARTH University
From: September 2003 To: June 2014
Position: Professor
Description: Taught courses in Entrepreneurship and Strategic Management.
Place of work: EARTH University
From: December, 2004 To: July 2006
Position: Research Unit Administrative Coordinator
Description: Coordinated the administration of different research projects funded by the U.S. government.
Place of work: Inter-American Development Bank - INCAE
From: August, 2006 To: July 2008
Position: Consultant
Description: Was in charge of the research component of the Project Alianzas como una Estrategia para Mejorar la Competitividad de las Pequeñas Empresas en América Central y República Dominicana.
Place of work: EARTH University
From: January, 1999 To: August 2001
Position: Food Processing Laboratory Administrator
Description: Was in charge of the activities of production of processed foods and the commercialization of the same carried out by EARTH University, as well as the preparation of courses related to the areas of Food Processing.
