NIGEL SIMPSON 

About Me

I’m a broadly experienced technology leader, innovator, and strategic thinker. 

As an over-the-horizon visionary, I explore the continually evolving interplay of technology, culture, and consumer behavior and its impact on business. I challenge the status quo by asking the “impossible questions” to identify risk and enable businesses to innovate with emerging technologies rather than being disrupted by them.

I’m a pragmatic technologist, adept at making sense of new and emerging technology, cutting through hype and explaining the relationship between vision, current capabilities, and future potential. 

My industry experience ranges from startups to global Fortune 100 enterprises in the technology, media and entertainment, and financial service industries. I’ve held a diverse set of roles in software engineering, product development, software architecture, user experience, applied research, enterprise architecture, and technology strategy.

Key Capabilities

• Over-the-horizon vision: I put emergent technology in a business and product context to enable enterprises to identify opportunities to apply technology for competitive advantage.

• Product Strategy: I advise enterprises and startups on product & technology strategy to maximize business potential.

• Lead change: I drive technical and cultural change, leading enterprise-wide initiatives to achieve a desired future state by inspiring stakeholders, building highly-effective cross-business unit collaborations aligned to a shared mission, and leading development of enterprise-scale solutions, from vision to deployment. 

• Open Source Consulting: I advise organizations on how to establish Open Source and Innersource Programs.

• Digital Transformation: Identify impactful opportunities to drive transformation of the business by adopting new technology, automation, and opportunities to reduce manual labor and friction.

• Innovation: Foster and champion a culture of collaborative innovation. 

Activities

• Startup Advisor in EdTech, STEM, AI/ML, Enterprise/SaaS, and Open Source Software. Areas of specialization include product strategy, technology, user experience, and design.

• Mentor with 20+ years of experience. I guide,  support, and mentor professionals to achieve their full potential.

• Volunteer in non-profit entrepreneurship programs for students.

• Guest lecturer in MBA entrepreneurship programs.

• Keynote Speaker in innovation, entrepreneurship, open source, and innersource.