Patricia Ventura Nicolas Consultant   Areas of Focus   Patricia is based in Caracas, Venezuela, and has worked in the Venezuelan energy sector for fourteen years.  She leads IPD's government and public relations advisory in Venezuela.  Patricia has extensive experience working with numerous sectors of the Venezuelan government, including the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, Finance Ministry, Foreign Ministry, and the National Assembly.  She is the project leader on IPD's annual Country Risk Report and manages an extensive Stakeholders Map service, which provides IPD's clients with an understanding of more than 200 players in the Venezuelan government and PDVSA, focusing largely on the country's hydrocarbons industry.   Previous Work Experience   Prior to joining IPD in 2005, Patricia was a journalist covering international and domestic energy issues from Caracas.  She won the Citigroup Award for Excellence in Journalism for her work as a reporter for the Venezuelan newspaper El Universal.  Patricia has also worked with Dow Jones Newswire and the Caracas based El Diario de Caracas.  She has extensive experience covering both domestic and international energy issues.   Education   Patricia graduated from the Universidad Catolica Andres Bello in Caracas with a bachelor’s degree in social communication.  She also holds a Masters in Law with a focus on Petroleum Law and Policy from the Centre for Energy, Petroleum and Mineral Law and Policy, at the University of Dundee in Scotland.   Languages Spoken   Spanish, English