About Us
Get to know us
Polis Consultores is an multidimensional intelligence, political risk, and public affairs firm dedicated to providing personalized and tailored attention. We help national and international companies, and their executives, understand, anticipate, and manage risks of various kinds in Venezuela, Mexico, and Colombia.
From our local presence in Venezuela and through international alliances, we help transform uncertainty into concrete, assessed, and actionable decisions.
A senior firm for sensitive decisions
Polis Consultores brings together principal and associate consultants who, individually, hold no fewer than 20 years of experience in their respective areas of specialization. Our team combines capabilities in:
Political intelligence
Conflict analysis, security, public affairs, governability, and management of complex environment.
Economic intelligence
Economic indicators, micro- and macroeconomic analysis.
International relations
Human rights, international analysis.
Social intelligence
Social management, sustainability.
Reputational risk and regulation
Due diligence and compliance.
Public opinion studies
A senior firm for sensitive decisions
Polis Consultores brings together principal and associate consultants who, individually, hold no fewer than 20 years of experience in their respective areas of specialization. Our team combines capabilities in:
Political Intelligence
Economic Intelligence
International Relations
Social Intelligence
Reputational Risk and Regulation
Public Opinion Studies
"In politics, strategy begins by distinguishing what is desirable from what is viable. Understanding the actors involved, anticipating their reactions, and managing uncertainty is what turns a decision into effective governance."
"In uncertain economic environments, merely surviving is not enough. Companies that read their environment better can get ahead of change, protect value, identify opportunities, and make decisions that allow them to compete and grow."
"In international politics, understanding interests and relationships matters as much as knowing the facts. Anticipating how governments and other actors will behave makes it possible to reduce risk, identify opportunities, and build alliances without losing sight of democracy and human rights."
"The best tax risk management begins before an audit ever starts. Anticipating obligations, organizing compliance, and preparing the company to face the regulator reduces contingencies and allows it to operate with greater confidence."
"Surveys do not predict the future: they rigorously measure the present. Properly interpreted, they reveal shifts in perceptions, expectations, and behaviors, offering evidence to understand the political climate and anticipate collective decisions."
Consultants
Ernesto Borda Medina
Cira Alarcón Rodríguez
Roberto Briceño-León
Associate Consultant
Saúl Cabrera Oletta
Associate Consultant
Joaquín E. Dongoroz P.
Associate Consultant
Javier Mijares
Associate Consultant
Brian R. Naranjo
Associate Consultant
Asdrúbal Oliveros
Associate Consultant
Benigno Alarcón Deza
He is a lawyer, from the Universidad Católica Andrés Bello (UCAB), specialized in International Economic Law, and holds a master’s degrees in Public Management and in Security and Defense. He has worked as a columnist for several media outlets, as well as a speaker, a political analyst, and an international consultant specializing in processes of democratization, autocratization, governability, political risk, and strategic environmental analysis.
He has more than two decades of experience studying Venezuelan politics, democratic transitions, the behavior of political actors, institutions, governability, and the relationships between power, society, and the market.
He founded the Center for Political and Government Studies at Universidad Católica Andrés Bello and led it for 16 years, driving research initiatives, public advocacy, and analysis on democracy, political negotiation, governability, and public policy, as well as academic programs with more than ten thousand graduates.
His work combines academic analysis, consulting experience, advocacy campaigns, and strategic support for political, business, institutional, and international actors seeking to understand Venezuela’s evolution and its implications for decision-making.
At Polis Consultores, he leads the areas of political analysis, scenario building, stakeholder mapping, methodological design, and strategic advisory for clients with exposure, interest, or a need to understand Venezuela and its international incidence.
Ernesto Borda Medina
He is a lawyer from the Pontifical Xavierian University (Pontificia Universidad Javeriana), and founding partner and executive director of Trust, Consultores en Construcción de Confianza (Trust-Building Consultants).
He has more than two decades of experience in political science, human rights, conflict analysis and management, sociopolitical risk management, trust-building, and support for organizations operating in complex environments.
He has served as a member of Colombia’s National Reconciliation Commission, director of the Institute of Human Rights and International Relations at the Pontifical Xavierian University, external advisor to the Presidency of the Republic of Colombia on peace-policy processes, national director of human rights promotion and outreach at the Office of the Ombudsman (Defensoría del Pueblo), advisor on human rights and international humanitarian law, and political advisor on international missions.
At Polis Consultores, he brings regional experience in political management, sustainability, human rights, conflict analysis, strategic engagement, and trust-building for organizations operating in contexts of high political and social sensitivity
Cira Alarcón Rodríguez
Associate Consultant
She is an economist of the Universidad Central de Venezuela (UCV). She has a strong track record in senior management, consulting, and academia, with a focus on the transformation, professionalization, and sustainable growth of organizations and multinational corporations. Her profile combines executive experience in senior leadership and business consulting with a distinguished career in university teaching, research, and institutional leadership. This dual background gives her a systemic, analytical, and methodological view of the business environment, with a specialization in designing efficient operating structures, mitigating financial risk, and building high-performing teams.
Her experience spans general management, strategic and financial planning, management control in complex environments, and knowledge management in both corporate and academic settings.
Roberto Briceño-León
Associate Consultant
He is a sociologist with a Doctorate in Science, and a tenured professor of sociology at the Central University of Venezuela and at the Federal Universities of Ceará and Bahia in Brazil. He is a lifetime member of the National Academy of Economic Sciences and of the Latin American Academy of Sciences. He directs the LACSO Research Institute and is the founding director of the Venezuelan Violence Observatory.
He has taught at the Université Sorbonne Nouvelle Paris 3 in France and at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, and has been a researcher and fellow at France’s CNRS, at Saint Antony’s College, University of Oxford, and at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, DC.
He has served as a consultant to Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC), the World Bank, the World Health Organization, the Pan American Health Organization, the Inter-American Development Bank, and B&S Europe, on the research and evaluation of social and health programs in nearly every country in Latin America, as well as in multiple countries across Asia and Africa.
He was president of the Venezuelan Sociological Association, a member of the Executive Committee of the International Sociological Association (1994–2002), and global coordinator of the International Forum on Social Sciences and Health (1998–2003).
His research has covered the effects of oil on society, social class, the sociology of communicable diseases, the culture of work and wealth, and violence and organized crime in Latin America.
He has published or edited 28 books and more than 200 articles in academic journals.
Joaquín E. Dongoroz P.
Associate Consultant
He is a lawyer from the Universidad Central de Venezuela, specializing in Tax Law, International Economic Law, and Integration Law. He is a graduate of UCV’s Foreign Trade and Customs Management Program and holds a Diploma in International Tax Law from UCAB. He is a Partner and Director at Rangel, Dongoroz & Rangel, S.C., as well as a shareholder and Executive Director of Organización Jurisprudencia del Trabajo.
He works as a consultant in Tax Law, Customs and Foreign Trade Law, Corporate Law (Commercial and Civil), and Administrative Law across the private and public sectors, serving national and foreign companies in construction, consumer goods, entertainment, banking, insurance, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and hydrocarbons. He has advised on judicial and arbitration proceedings, corporate reorganizations (mergers, spin-offs, and liquidations), the design and implementation of international structures for asset protection and investment structuring, and the optimization of tax burdens, as well as the implementation of customs and foreign-trade structures for companies and economic groups in the industries noted above.
He has taught at both the undergraduate and graduate levels across various tax-law courses, and has spoken on topics related to taxation, customs, and integration processes, as well as authored works on tax and customs law. He currently teaches graduate courses at UCV in Tax Offenses and Parafiscal Contributions, and an undergraduate course in Public Finance. He is a member of the Caracas Bar Association (Ilustre Colegio de Abogados de Caracas) and of the Venezuelan Tax Law Association.
Javier Mijares
Associate Consultant
He is the founder and director of NEXO Field Relations. He holds a degree in anthropology from Connecticut College and a master’s degree in international development from the London School of Economics. He has 14 years of experience in Venezuela with UNHCR and UCAB, where he led humanitarian and community development projects and advised management teams on program strategy, partnerships, and implementation.
Brian R. Naranjo
Associate Consultant
He is one of the most experienced American diplomats in Venezuela. His relationship with the country spans three decades and three distinct postings: Second Political Secretary in Caracas (1996–1999); Venezuela Desk Officer at the U.S. Department of State (2001–2003); and Deputy Chief of Mission in Caracas (2014–2018).
His 32-year career also included senior political postings in Ottawa and Mexico City — a trilateral combination few diplomats have matched. In Washington, he headed the Office of UN Political Affairs and the Office of Policy Planning and Coordination for the Western Hemisphere, positions that placed him at the intersection of multilateral foreign policy and regional strategy for the Americas.
Naranjo served three times as Chief of Staff — to the Deputy National Security Advisor at the White House, to the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, and to the Under Secretary of State for the Western Hemisphere. This trifecta at the top of the U.S. foreign-policy apparatus reflects a unique ability to operate in high-pressure environments, coordinate across multiple parties, and turn strategic vision into concrete action.
Asdrúbal Oliveros
Associate Consultant
He is an economist and one of the most influential analysts on the Venezuelan economic landscape. He graduated Summa Cum Laude from the Universidad Central de Venezuela (UCV), holds a Master in Public Management from the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education, and a specialization in Business Valuation from the same institution. He is also a graduate of the Advanced Management Program (PAG) at IESA. He has taught at Universidad Católica Andrés Bello (UCAB) and at the Universidad Central de Venezuela (UCV), and has spoken at numerous national and international events, including in Bogotá, New York, and London. He is also a frequent guest on radio and television opinion programs and a contributor to press articles and specialized magazines.
For 20 years he served as director of Ecoanalítica. He currently works as an independent business consultant, is chairman of the board of Daycohost, and sits on the boards of four Venezuelan companies and one bank.
Throughout his career, he has established himself as a leading voice on the Venezuelan economy, public policy, macroeconomic scenarios, and financial planning.
Saúl Cabrera Oletta
Associate Consultant
Managing Partner of Consultores 21, S.A. since 1984; Chairman since 2017.
He holds a degree in Industrial Relations from the Universidad Católica Andres Bello (UCAB) and a certificate in human resources management in public administration from the École Nationale d’Administration (Paris, France).
He was a professor of statistics and public administration at the UCAB School of Social Sciences. Specialist in public opinion and market research; analysis of social and political scenarios; sampling and statistical data analysis; and electoral campaign consulting.
With experience in Venezuela and Latin America. More than 3,000 studies conducted in Venezuela and Latin America.
"No project is sustainable if it ignores the society around it. Understanding its ties, conflicts, expectations, and institutions makes it possible to anticipate tensions, strengthen cooperation, and build lasting relationships with communities."
— Roberto Briceño-León