Water economics, policy & strategy
Independent advisory services for Australian government agencies, utilities, regulators and businesses.
Independent advisory services for Australian government agencies, utilities, regulators and businesses.
Chris Olszak is an independent Australian economist, strategic advisor and director who specialises in water entitlements and markets, utility strategy and infrastructure, and pricing and economic regulation.
He has 25 years' advisory experience commencing with Arthur Andersen, URS, and Frontier Economics. Chris co-founded Aither in 2012, co-leading the business through to its acquisition by Ricardo in 2023.
Since founding Olszak Advisory in early 2026, he has continued to undertake engagements for government, utilities, investors and regulators. He works directly on every engagement, adapting to how each client prefers to work.
Chris is a graduate of the AICD Company Directors Course (2026) and has 14 years' experience as a company director and board member.
Water markets advisory - due diligence, portfolio strategy, portfolio management, transaction advisory, market reform.
Strategy - long-term business and service strategy for utilities and government agencies.
Business cases & economic appraisal - including cost-benefit analysis, impact assessment and decision making under uncertainty.
Pricing & economic regulation - regulatory submissions, tariff reform, funding, cost sharing, expenditure reviews and assurance.
Governance & performance reviews - organisational, financial and governance reviews for boards and executives.
Expert witness & dispute support - independent expert evidence for litigation and regulatory disputes.
Water markets advisory - water due diligence for one of Australia's largest and most diverse entitlement portfolios subject to significant climate uncertainty (2022).
Strategy - long-term rural masterplan for irrigation district water supply, service delivery and asset investment, Lower Murray Water (2025).
Business cases & economic appraisal - strategic options assessment for a water security asset, including portfolio security and market impact modelling, government agency (2026).
Pricing & economic regulation - customer impact assessment of WaterNSW's rural water pricing on farm business finances, IPART (2026).
Governance & performance reviews - functional, governance and financial review of an independent government agency (2026).
Expert witness & dispute support - expert witness on water market impacts of Class Action allegations relating to river operations in the Murray River, NSW Supreme Court (2024–25).