2023 Impact 50: Lesley Olenik

SVP, GLOBAL TOURING
Live Nation

Lesley Olenik, Live Nation’s senior vice president of global touring, makes Pollstar’s Impact 50 honors for the third consecutive year, and it’s little wonder why.

In addition to supporting many of the top tours in the world, she’s a force in diversity, equity and inclusion and a mentor to many women rising to take their own places in the live business world, as well as a champion for the environment and sustainability.

“I’m incredibly proud of the strides Live Nation has made to create a more diverse and inclusive workplace,” Olenik says. “Championing diverse voices from within the company is not only important to our employees and our company culture, but also to the artists we work with. We always want them to feel represented and supported.”

In terms of sustainability, she points to Billie Eilish as a model artist when it comes to greening a tour.

In addition to raising funds, Eilish raised awareness of the global climate crisis, most notably during a sold-out, six-show stand in June at London’s 20,000-capacity O2 arena.
“Sustainability has been a key part of the conversation when it comes to all of our tours. Billie Eilish is one artist that is very passionate about this initiative. Her 2022 ‘Happier Than Ever World Tour’ supported various non-profits including Support+Feed, OzHarvest, and Reverb.”

Olenik has also helped to facilitate sustainability efforts by another global touring artist, Depeche Mode, who has partnered with Hublot to support a charity called the Conservation Collective, while also working with Live Nation’s Green Nation to improve sustainability back and front of house during their tour.

“Following the lead of these artists and many others, I would love to see more and more artists make more sustainable choices and consider partnerships with non-profits they are in support of across their tours in order to bring more awareness and support to these causes,” Olenik says. “We as promoters, along with the artists, are working closely with each venue to improve green efforts.”