Over the course of his more than 30-year international career, Stephen Olson has lived and worked in Asia, the Middle East, and the United States, holding senior executive positions in the private sector, government, research institutions, and academia. He is a recognized expert on international trade, economic, and business issues. Olson began his career in Washington DC as a US trade negotiator.

Currently, Olson is a Visiting Fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies – Yusof Ishak Institute. He is also a visiting lecturer and non-resident fellow at the Clayton Yeutter Institute of International Trade and Finance.

Olson is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Futures Council (GFC) on Trade, and he co-led a joint workstream with the WEF GFC on Geopolitics.

Olson is also an adjunct professor at the George Mason University Schar School of Policy and Government and lectures in Beijing at the Capital University of Economics and Business as part of a joint program.