About
I build technology teams and work with businesses to put change into practice. My experience spans enterprise software, consulting, research, teaching, data science and technology leadership, with much of my recent work in retail and logistics.
I’m based in Costa Rica and have worked with teams and executives across the United States and Latin America. I work in English and Spanish.
Where I’ve worked
PriceSmart. As Vice President of IT Service Delivery, I reported to the CIO and led a technology team whose portfolio expanded across purchasing, supplier and product information, demand planning, replenishment and logistics. Over my time at the company, as the business trusted us with more work, the team grew from one person to about 50 across eight locations and four time zones.
ixpantia. I joined this data science and AI consultancy as its third employee and Chief Innovation Officer, as part of the leadership team. My role combined helping develop the business with hands-on analytics work in SQL and R.
INCAE Business School. I taught digital transformation, data management and quantitative methods to MBA and executive students, and researched how companies use technology.
Georgia Tech. My Ph.D. research examined cloud computing, working with the business analytics team of a large public cloud provider. The work was published in MIS Quarterly and Manufacturing & Service Operations Management.
Península Papagayo. I was the SAP project leader for the company’s ERP implementation.
Consulting. I’ve worked as an independent IT consultant, advising companies in Costa Rica on IT strategy and data.
How I work
I think about technology through its effects on how an organization works. Technology enables processes; processes shape how people work together; and those everyday habits become part of the culture. That culture, in turn, influences performance. A system decision can therefore change much more than the software people use.
That is why I like to understand a problem with the people who deal with it every day. I ask questions, go into technical detail when it helps, and work across areas to agree on a practical way forward. Alongside the system itself, I pay attention to responsibilities, decisions and how the work will be organized.
With teams, I value regular conversations, clear priorities and room for people to make decisions. With business partners, I try to make the options and trade-offs clear, including what we will need to postpone.
“Let’s figure it out together” is a phrase I use often. It reflects how I like to work with colleagues, users and business leaders.
Speaking
I spoke often during my academic years, to executives, IT leaders and developers. More recently I spoke at RELEX Live, and I was a member of the RELEX Customer Advisory Board.
RELEX Live, Atlanta, 2025.
Education
- Ph.D., Information Technology Management, Georgia Institute of Technology
- MBA, with distinction, INCAE Business School
- Master’s in Project Management, University for International Cooperation
- B.S., Computer Engineering, honors graduate, Costa Rica Institute of Technology
Short bio
For event organizers and introductions:
German Retana is a technology leader with experience in retail, logistics, enterprise software and data science. Most recently, he led a technology team at a publicly traded regional retailer operating in 13 markets, reporting to the CIO. Earlier, he helped grow a data science startup and taught at INCAE Business School. He holds a Ph.D. in IT Management from Georgia Tech, an MBA from INCAE, a master’s in Project Management and a degree in Computer Engineering. He is based in Costa Rica and works in English and Spanish.
