My Roots: Meet Katharine Olson

Born and raised in Vancouver, Katharine grew up in a family of strata managers and developed a love for the work early on. She holds a degree in Sociology and Psychology from UBC, got her real estate license in 2011, and went on to earn her managing broker license while working across BC, from Vancouver and Whistler to Williams Lake, managing both strata and rental communities.

In 2017, she took a detour and joined the retail sector as a manager and trainer at a Fortune 500 company. That experience reshaped her understanding of how real training and support can make or break a team. She brought those lessons back to strata in 2020 and, by 2022, was helping lead the development of an industry-recognized training program at one of BC’s largest property management firms, serving as instructor of the Advanced Strata Management course for the Professional Association of Managing Agents, and speaking at industry forums such as Buildex. 

Outside of nerding out on strata, she’s most often chasing her energetic six-year-old, dancing around the kitchen, reorganizing and DIYing something, or spending time in Vancouver’s beautiful parks and public pools.

Katharine brings a collaborative mindset, relatable style, and bold, honest care to everything she does. She’s here to help reshape the strata industry, through better education, stronger systems, and support that puts people first.