Gustavo Carreno

Group CIO / Country Head UAE

Gustavo Carreno oversees strategy and implementation of cutting-edge information technology with an integrated business-oriented approach to identify and execute growth opportunities for the group. For over 20 years, Gustavo has successfully led operations and technology initiatives in the construction, finance, retail, and telecommunications industries. He has a history of building passionate, high-performing teams to design, develop, and implement solutions for diverse business needs.

His extensive career trajectory has led him to masterfully combine technical and strategic mindsets that work perfectly in a business setting. His expertise is an imperative engine within our complex ecosystem, ensuring that the proper information technology governance backs every business opportunity to reach its strategic objectives.

Education

Education Details

Cetys University, Mexicali, Mexico
Computer Science Engineering

Experience

Experience Details

Entrepreneurship
Gustavo developed software for managing and organizing the daily operations of a cyber cafe. He then licensed it across all of Mexico and bought his first house with the profits.

State Government of Baja California
The state government of Baja California contacted him to implement their new emergency dispatch system for the state capital. Together with the IT team, Gustavo successfully adapted the 911 emergency call system used in California to meet the State's particular needs. Among the project's successful adaptations were various joint development efforts with local telecommunication carriers to enhance the system's capabilities, provide intelligence reporting capabilities, and reduce overall emergency response times.

Urbi
Gustavo lead the technical implementation of the Material Management and Project Systems modules of SAP R/3, the world-leading ERP (enterprise resource planning) solution, at the residential construciton company that built over 40,000 homes annually. Due to the nature of this task, he gained an understanding of how the company's various business areas worked together as a whole.

Hermosillo
A construction company with an industrial and commercial background contacted him to advise them on their ERP system implementation. He started as an outside consultant, but within a few weeks, he was hired full-time to lead the whole project.

The result was a very successful ERP implementation, on time and with zero cost overruns, for which he became the CIO for the Hermosillo group.

For the next 17 years, he and his IT team helped Hermosillo grow over tenfold. They brought 16 companies from offline spreadsheets and information silos to the forefront of technology in the industry to become one of the most technologically advanced construction companies in Latin America.