Mike Olesen, MBA

Go-getter
DISC Type : d

General Manager at City of Red Deer

Alberta, Canada

Overview

Mike Olesen is a General Manager for the City of Red Deer, leveraging extensive leadership experience from his prior role as CEO of Westerner Park. He is known for guiding organizations through significant challenges and modernization efforts. His background includes senior roles with the 2019 Canada Winter Games and he holds an MBA from Royal Roads University.

Mike is deeply committed to the Red Deer community, where he is raising his family, and is driven by a desire to build strong local connections. His long career history with Hockey Alberta and involvement in community sports events suggests a personal passion for the role of athletics in bringing people together.

He successfully steered the major events venue Westerner Park through what was described as one of the most significant crises in the organizations history.

Personality Overview

Decisive

Challenger

Fast-Paced

They care equally about the product and its potential impact.  They focus on objectivity in a pitch and pay little attention to bells and whistles. They don’t always try to control the conversation but neither do they like yielding it fully.

Topics They Care About

Municipal Finance
In his current role as GM of Growth and Finance, he is publicly navigating Red Deer's multi-million dollar budget shortfall and leading a comprehensive review of all city service levels.
Organizational Turnaround
As CEO, he was credited with leading Westerner Park through a major financial crisis by restructuring operations, modernizing systems, and rebuilding key stakeholder relationships.
Major Event Management
His career is rooted in large-scale events, from over a decade at Hockey Alberta to senior leadership with the 2019 Canada Winter Games and Westerner Park.

Media Appearances

Mike Olesen joins City of Red Deer leadership team. Featured in City of Red Deer – Official Newsroom

See Now

Work History

6-2023 - 6-2025
General Manager at City of Red Deer
11-2019 - 6-2023
Chief Executive Officer at Westerner Park
8-2019 - 11-2019
Chief Operating Officer at Westerner Park
12-2015 - 6-2019
Senior Director - Administration & Finance at 2019 Canada Winter Games // Jeux d’hiver du Canada 2019
7-2014 - 12-2015
Retail Optimization Management at Parkland Fuel Corporation

Education

2012 - 2014
Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Royal Roads University
1998 - 2000
Phys. Ed & Sport Administration from Mount Royal University

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 21 Location : Alberta, Canada Job Level : N/A Designation : General Manager at City of Red Deer
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Insights For Selling To Mike

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Highlight the competitive differentiation of your product
  • Tell them that you are there to help them create visible impact within their organization
  • Refer to testimonials from others in similar positions

DONT's

  • Don’t try to be an alpha salesperson, give them equal space
  • Don't try too hard to get friendly, let it happen with time
  • Refrain from asking too many questions

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Mike is

  • Conviction in the product matters to them, followed by proof points and strong testimonials.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Mike

  • They may not be very forthcoming, but they will say no if needed.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Mike move?

  • They are neither the fastest decision makers nor the slowest.
  • Can Mike take some risk or not?

  • They can take risks but after weighing up the pros and cons.

You And Mike

Personality Compatibility


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