Natalia Olson-Urtecho

Latina powerhouse, Natalia Olson-Urtecho, is a leading expert in smart cities, government contracting, sustainable technologies and the environment. Previously a member of Barack Obama’s presidential advisory board, Natalia has since co-founded The Disruptive Factory and several other successful entrepreneurial ventures. An experienced keynote speaker, Natalia is highly sought after for conferences, corporate audiences and specialised guest speeches due to her unrivaled expertise.

Appointed by Barack Obama in 2011 for the duration of his presidential tenure, Natalia was the Regional Administrator for the US Small Business Administration until 2017. Responsible for managing and delivering SME programmes with a focus on the commercialisation of technologies, she oversaw thirty five billion dollars of government contracts every year. Within her role, Natalia utilised her previous career experience in entrepreneurship and sustainability projects, alongside her MS in City and Regional Planning, in order to develop small businesses’ environment, energy and transport impacts on cities.

In 2017, armed with over a decade of experience, Natalia co-founded The Disruptive Factory. The company’s aim is to empower its employees and clients to create a more sustainable world which incorporates technologies that benefit everyone living in the cities. In maximising technology, Natalia has evidenced that smarter cities do benefit the majority with regards to traffic flow, wifi and data connectivity and smart agriculture, to name a few.

As a smart cities advocate and experienced advisor, Natalia has spoken across the world at events and conferences. In 2018, Natalia gave an inspirational talk at the Smart City Expo World Congress, on ‘Changing Future Cities Depends on Smart Regional Strategies’ and challenged businesses in attendance to be more responsible. She has also spoken at ENRICH in the USA in 2020, and is due to attend CogX later in the year to discuss her entrepreneurial vision and practical ways to become a smarter business and city.

With a selection of comprehensive credentials and experience it’s easy to see why Natalia Olson-Urtecho is such a popular choice of speaker. Able to talk on topics from sustainability, to smart cities, women in business to digital innovation, she relates her content to the audience and inspires them to be more responsible with regards to the environment.