Dr. Fred Olayele is a seasoned economist, development finance executive, university professor, and innovation strategy leader with a diverse career focused on global business, finance, public policy, economic development, and academia.  He is the Founder and Chairman of ECANY Capital, a New York-based investment and advisory firm.

In his previous role as Chief Economist with the New York government, he helped position New York as a global model for innovation. Prior to that, he advised two Canadian provincial governments on energy policy, foreign direct investment, and economic development. Earlier in his career, he was a global trade finance specialist with Citibank.

A Senior Fellow at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University, Dr. Olayele has held academic positions and taught across four Canadian universities. His expertise covers trade policy, innovation, FDI, urban policy, political economy, and inclusive development. 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 sits on the Academic Advisory Board of the Emerging Markets Institute, Cornell University, and the International Advisory Board of the International Economic Development Council in Washington, DC.

A Global Leadership Fellow at Cornell, 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. He is a member of the Economic Club of New York.