About me | Joan Alexander Olivella

My education

I consider myself a dream-driven lifelong learner. Every day, I explore a wide range of topics, from economics, AI, politics, and energy to personal development and astrophysics, guided by a clear purpose: to live more fully and help solve personal, organizational, and global challenges.

I earned a degree in Business Administration from ESADE in Barcelona and completed a semester at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. I have completed 25 certifications in climate change, sustainability, and public policy advocacy, and I pursued a Master’s in International Relations and Environmental Policy at IBEI.

My experience

I have worked across international cooperation, corporate sustainability, public policy, and entrepreneurship, with experience in Guatemala in social consulting, in Vienna at Spain’s Diplomatic Representation to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, and as a delegate at the United Nations Climate Change Conference. I have been a guest professor in the MBA programs of ESADE, EADA, and EU Business School, and I served as President of oikos Barcelona, an association focused on improving the world through business and economics.

During my five years at B Lab Spain, I was responsible for B Corp certification, the evolution and implementation of B Lab’s standards in Spain, and public policy and advocacy initiatives. I coordinated B Corp certification for more than 300 companies across 70 industries and co-led advocacy efforts to advance Spain’s legal framework for purpose-driven companies (SBIC).

I am the founder of Optimistikus, a YouTube channel that inspires curiosity and optimism about humanity’s challenges. I am currently writing a book about how humanity overcomes its most complex issues and moves toward a life with greater happiness and meaning.

I am an incoming professor at ESADE Business School, where I am designing and will be teaching Sustainability Frameworks and Corporate Purpose, a new core course in the Bachelor in Transformational Leadership and Social Impact.

Throughout my career, I have delivered talks and training sessions representing both the organizations I have worked with and my own work and vision.