What if we built something that really worked this time?

Marika Olson Consulting

Efficiency Through Innovation

With nearly two decades working across Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East, I’ve learned that good ideas only matter if they actually work. I help teams streamline complex projects, modernize systems, and scale what succeeds. Every partnership is built around creating smarter processes, and stronger outcomes.

Services I Offer

  • Startup Support

    From concept to clarity. I offer individualized support to help you turn ideas—whether on sticky notes or scribbled napkins—into actionable plans and professional project frameworks ready for launch.

  • Business Analysis

    Analyze, refine, and optimize your operations through innovative, efficiency-driven strategies that turn bottlenecks into opportunities for sustainable growth.

  • Individualized Services

    Not sure where to start? I offer individualized consulting designed around your unique goals—let’s define the most effective, innovative path forward together.

Contact Me - In English or French

Expertise I Provide

  • Renewable Energy

    Directed $85 million in clean-energy programs to modernize grids, expand solar and wind power, and attract the first U.S. DFC investments in Georgian renewables—560 MW of new production driving national energy independence.

  • Microenterprise Development

    Guided $70 million in post-conflict economic-recovery and small-business programs in Libya and Georgia. Mobilized $45 million in new finance for 3,400+ enterprises and helped create thousands of jobs for women and youth entrepreneurs.

  • Ecotourism & Sustainable Development

    Advanced nature-based tourism initiatives linking conservation, community livelihoods, and private investment. Designed programs that strengthened protected-area management and built local business capacity to capture eco-tourism revenue responsibly.

  • Agriculture & Food Security

    Managed $250 million in export-oriented agriculture programs in Afghanistan and Mali, doubling exports from $115 million to $278 million and building resilient, high-value value chains capable of sustaining rural employment and tax revenue.

  • Workforce Development

    Led industry-driven training programs connecting employers with skilled workers across tourism, service, and creative industries. Oversaw a $24 million workforce initiative that trained 3,600 Georgians and aligned national education systems with market demand.

  • IT & Digital Systems

    Bridged technology and development through data-driven design and digital transformation. Managed multi-million-dollar modernization projects that improved enterprise efficiency, cybersecurity, and analytics across complex programs. Hold multiple IT and AI certifications. Utilize Claude Code and Python-based automations to streamline workflows, enhance decision-making, and translate technical innovation into real-world impact.

  • Public Private Partnerships

    Pioneered whole-of-mission partnerships linking business investment with development goals. Directed 53 public-private collaborations that leveraged $28 million in private capital and integrated private-sector models across $113 million in new programs.

  • Climate Resilience

    Redesigned $85 million in economic-growth initiatives to embed climate adaptation and green finance, aligning national strategies with global climate commitments and positioning partner countries for sustainable growth.

  • International Lens

    Seventeen years of field leadership across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East inform every project I design. I translate complex global contexts into actionable strategies that balance policy goals, private investment, and local realities.

Professional Certifications

    • IBM Business Analyst

    • IBM Generative AI for Business Analysis

    • COR/AOR II (Contracting/Agreements Officer Representative) - GOR - Project Manager - Since 2008

    • IBM AI Product Manager

    • Google Project Management

    • Native English speaker

    • Proficient in French (FSI 3/3)

    • Basic Hausa (FSI 2+/1)

  • No plan survives first contact with reality

    Helmuth von Moltke the Elder

  • The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them.

    Albert Einstein

  • The future is already here—it’s just not evenly distributed

    William Gibson

  • If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.

    Lao Tzu

  • It is not necessary to change. Survival is not mandatory.

    W. Edwards Deming

  • Change is the process by which the future invades our lives.

    Alvin Toffler

  • We shape our tools and thereafter our tools shape us.

    Marshall McLuhan

  • The greatest danger in times of turbulence is not the turbulence — it is to act with yesterday’s logic.

    Peter Drucker

Contact Me

I’d love to hear from you. Whether you’re exploring a new project, seeking strategic guidance, or simply unsure where to begin, reach out and let’s discuss how I can help. I respond personally to all inquiries, typically within two business days.

Consultations available in English and French - Consultations disponibles en anglais et en français