Mr. Pedernales serves as the managing director of equity research, which is responsible for developing global equity research products and services. In addition, he has lead a number of development projects that have further enhanced Mergent's company fundamental database and collection efforts. Mr. Pedernales has progressed through several management positions and has contributed greatly to the expansion of Mergent's global presence in the financial market place. This has been accomplished by opening offices for collection and analysis globally. He currently sits on the board of directors for Mergent Japan K.K. Mr. Pedernales received a dual Bachelor's degree in Finance and Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.