Olga Wendling
Board member
Leadership Program 05-06
Olga Wendling is a business leader striving to enable a more sustainable, equitable, and just world.
Born behind the "Iron Curtain," Olga was destined to stay in the box. Indeed, she unwillingly obtained a law degree to maintain a family tradition. However, she became a trial attorney, defending her clients against more powerful opponents.
The fall of the "Iron Curtain" opened up a new world of opportunities. Olga left Russia for Latin America and the US, learned three foreign languages, graduated with an MBA from HEC Paris, France, and built an international career.
She held executive roles in a variety of sectors and industries, working for companies ranging from Fortune 500 multinationals to startups. Olga's focus remained consistently on sustainable business growth and innovation, including:
- Corporate strategy
- Market access
- Business development
- Partnerships and joint ventures
- Stakeholder engagement
She is also known for her ability to bring together multi-functional and geographically dispersed teams to reach ambitious business goals. Her favorite quote: "It always seems impossible until it’s done" (N. Mandela).
Throughout her 20+ years of professional career, Olga consistently innovated and challenged the status quo. One of her favorite projects was a global project for corporate-startup partnerships. Olga designed a proprietary methodology and interviewed over 100 partners and corporate managers to collect best practices and risk areas, with the final recommendations approved by the Board.
Having lived and worked in six countries over three continents, Olga has witnessed inequality, gender bias, and social disparities in society and the workplace. As a result, Olga decided to use her expertise to help build more transparent, collaborative, and open business ecosystems.
During the pandemic, Olga moved to California and started ex-change.space, a hybrid coaching platform for entrepreneurs. She translated her 20-year professional career into a holistic framework of online tools, signature trainings, and courses. Her goal was to support the growth of entrepreneurship as a vehicle for innovation and positive impact.
Back in Geneva, Olga has launched a new venture, Global Social Enterprise. It is a disruptive technology-enabled platform that unlocks hidden social wealth by recognizing the economic value of volunteering and other socially beneficial activities. The goal is to reduce economic disparities and foster gender equality, inclusivity, and sustainability.