Carolina Olaya Agudo, MBA, MA, PhD
Carolina Olaya is a dedicated lecturer and researcher with over 15 years of combined professional and academic experience in strategic management, sustainability, and corporate responsibility. Originally from Colombia, Carolina built a strong corporate career, leading strategic planning and sustainability initiatives in multinational companies such as Ecopetrol, AIG, Indupalma, and OXY. In these roles, she developed and implemented Balanced Scorecards, designed strategic KPIs, aligned supplier networks with GRI standards, and drove communication programmes to embed corporate vision and values across thousands of employees.
Overview
Carolina Olaya is a dedicated lecturer and researcher with over 15 years of combined professional and academic experience in strategic management, sustainability, and corporate responsibility. Originally from Colombia, Carolina built a strong corporate career, leading strategic planning and sustainability initiatives in multinational companies such as Ecopetrol, AIG, Indupalma, and OXY. In these roles, she developed and implemented Balanced Scorecards, designed strategic KPIs, aligned supplier networks with GRI standards, and drove communication programmes to embed corporate vision and values across thousands of employees.
In 2017, Carolina moved to Spain, embracing a new professional chapter focused on academia. Since then, she has taught in diverse international classrooms at institutions such as Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Universidad Internacional de Valencia (VIU), and currently at the Berlin School of Business and Innovation (BSBI). Her teaching portfolio includes courses in Strategic Management, International Marketing, Sustainable Business Models, Political Economy, Financial Management, and Entrepreneurship and Development. Carolina is recognised for her participatory, student-centred teaching style, frequently using real-world cases drawn from her extensive professional experience to encourage critical thinking and the practical application of theory.
Alongside her teaching responsibilities, Carolina is pursuing a PhD in Business Administration at Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, researching how companies integrate sustainability into their core strategies. This doctoral work complements her interdisciplinary academic background, which includes an MBA from INALDE Business School, a Master’s in Development Studies from Erasmus University-ISS (supported by a NUFFIC scholarship), a Master’s in Organic Agriculture from the University of Barcelona, and executive training in Strategic Management for Emerging Markets in India (as a recipient of an Indian government scholarship).
Areas of expertise
- Strategic Management
- Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
- Sustainability and Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)
- Cross-Cultural Management
- Balanced Scorecards (BSC) and KPIs
- Stakeholder Engagement
Awards and Honours
- Indian Government Scholarship for Strategic Management Studies, New Delhi
- NUFFIC Scholarship (Netherlands) for Master’s in Development Studies
Publications
- Currently developing research outputs related to sustainability integration in business strategy as part of her PhD.
Research Interests
- Sustainability as a core element of corporate strategy
- Stakeholder management and impact measurement
- Ethical and authentic leadership in multicultural contexts
Conferences, Talks, and Speaking Engagements
Guest speaker in workshops on CSR and strategy practices (Colombia)
