ADVANCE CONNECT : A conversation with Simon Wardley

Simon Wardley is a former CEO, former advisory board member of startups (all now acquired by US Giants), a fellow of Open Europe, inventor of Wardley Mapping, a regular conference speaker and a researcher for the Leading Edge Forum (LEF).

A Wardley map is a map of the structure of a business or service, mapping the components needed to serve the customer or user. Wardley maps are used within UK government, with particular interest within the Government Digital Service (GDS) for strategic planning and identifying the best targets for government digital service modernisation.

As a geneticist with a love of mathematics and a fascination in economics, Simon has always found himself dealing with complex systems, whether it’s in behavioural patterns, environmental risks of chemical pollution, developing novel computer systems or managing companies.

He is a passionate advocate and researcher in the fields of open source, commoditisation, innovation, organisational structure and cybernetics.