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.
