José Retana

Sustainable Events Expert & Former Sustainability Director at FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022

Speaker

José Retana is a sustainability executive with over 25 years of international experience advising governments and companies, leading large-scale transformation programmes, and executing sustainability strategies across infrastructure, mega-events, and complex organizations. He is recognized for translating ambitious sustainability goals into practical, large-scale programmes that deliver measurable environmental and social impact.

José was Sustainability Director for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 LLC, where he led one of the most comprehensive sustainability programmes ever delivered for a global event, including its decarbonization initiatives, waste diversion targets and the implementation of the first ISO 20121-certified sustainability management system for a FIFA World Cup.

Currently he serves as Sustainability Governance Director for a Public Investment Fund (PIF) portfolio company developing a large-scale hospitality and tourism destination in northwest region of Saudi Arabia, where he leads the integration of sustainability across design, construction, and operations— including decarbonization strategy and ESG governance.

Over his career—including senior roles at PwC and leading advisory work across the Middle East—he has supported more than 40 organizations in developing and implementing ESG strategies, sustainability reporting, and impact measurement frameworks aligned with leading global standards.

He also contributed to the next generation of sustainability leaders as a facilitator at MIT’s Chief Sustainability Officer programme and as a lecturer in ESG and sustainability reporting at EAE Business School.