Dr. Fred Olayele is a seasoned economist, professor, and innovation leader with a diverse career focused on global business, finance, public policy, economic development, and academia. A senior strategic advisor to corporate and public sector executives, his expertise covers trade policy, innovation strategy, FDI, urban policy, political economy, and inclusive development. He has published and shared best practices in these areas at numerous conferences and institutions around the world.

Professor Olayele has held academic positions and taught graduate and undergraduate courses in economics, strategic management, public policy, venture capital, and the finance of innovation across four Canadian universities: University of Regina, Mount Allison University, Carleton University, and Crandall University. He has served as a visiting professor and guest speaker across universities and academic institutions abroad. He was a Visiting Scholar at the World Trade Institute in Bern, Switzerland, and a Visiting Professor of Trade and Development at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain. He has consulted widely and advised several public, private, and development institutions internationally.

From 2019 to 2022, he served as Chief Economist and Senior Vice President at the New York City Economic Development Corporation — where he oversaw a wide range of economic policy initiatives and provided executive and intellectual leadership to help position New York as a global model for inclusive growth and innovation. Prior to that, he advised the Canadian provincial governments of British Columbia and Saskatchewan across the FDI, economic development, and energy policy domains. Earlier in his career, he was a global trade finance specialist with Citigroup.

A Senior Partner with EIPG Development Partners — a boutique economic development advisory firm — he combines strategic insights and a rigorous application of theoretical and practical economic reasoning to provide expert advice and guide public sector and corporate executives. 

Dr. Olayele serves on various boards and supports many social causes. Among others, he chairs the board of the Economic Club of Africa in New York. He is a member of the Academic Advisory Board of the Emerging Markets Institute, Cornell University, New York. He sits on the board of Canada’s Ocean Supercluster, and chairs the Steering Committee of Blue Global Canada Institute. He also sits on the International Advisory Board of the International Economic Development Council in Washington, DC. 

A Senior Fellow at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University, he holds a PhD in Economics from Lancaster University, United Kingdom, and an MA in Economics from the University of Victoria in British Columbia, Canada. 

A global citizen, Dr. Olayele writes, speaks, and lectures internationally on economic policy, innovation, and development.