Introducing SAMC’s leaders.

Andrea (Andi) Simon Ph.D. and Andrew (Andy) Simon are Simon Associates Management Consultants partners. We bring to our clients a unique collaboration between our academic training and business experience. Our job is to help our clients “see, feel, and think” in new ways so they can change, adapting to fast-changing times. We know and have learned working within companies and as consultants for them that people hate change. Remember the saying: “I am all for change, just don’t change me.” It is against that pain point that we have developed our approach. And during these times, companies and their teams must find new ways to listen, observe, and innovate as their markets shift and their employees ask for new environments in which to work. These changes were happening before the pandemic of 2020-2021. The pandemic just accelerated them.

This approach works whether clients face market transformations or need to become more innovative organizations. The methodology is tailored to each client as we work with them on culture change, employee leadership, human development, or women rethinking their journey.

To see if we offer the right solution for you, here are our backgrounds and expertise:

About Andrea “Andi” Simon, Ph.D.

Andrea Simon, Ph.D., principal and founder of Simon Associates Management Consultants (SAMC), launched SAMC in 2002 to bring anthropology’s methods, tools, and theory to businesses that needed or wanted to change.

Andi’s expertise lies in helping companies and non-profit institutions reflect on their purpose and ability to achieve their goals. She helps SAMC’s clientsby developing their purpose and brand positioning; redesigning their organization’s culture, creating new Blue Ocean Strategies; and improving their financial performance using innovative and effective product development and marketing methodologies. Andi is particularly effective at understanding how current and prospective customers really “see, feel and think” about a company’s products, services, and experience. She can then help focus corporate leadership on those unmet needs to open new market spaces.

A frequent speaker, workshop presenter, and consultant, Andi has developed Simon Associates Management Consultant into a leading firm in its field. She has a very successful, award-winning book, On The Brink: A Fresh Lens To Take Your Business To New Heights. Her podcast, On the Brink with Andi Simon, is in the top 200 of her business categories in subscribers and listeners, among the top 5% of global podcasts, and ranked among the top 20 futurist podcasts.

Dr. Simon’s second book, Rethink: Smashing the Myths of Women in Business, is an Axiom 2022 Bronze Best Business Book in the Women in Business category. 

With a Ph.D. in Anthropology from CUNY, Dr. Simon was a tenured facility member at Ramapo University before entering corporate America. She served in both the financial services and healthcare industries, each going through dramatic transformations. In 2006, Dr. Simon was a visiting professor at Washington University in St. Louis, teaching entrepreneurship to Arts and Science students. A widely engaged speaker, she has conducted over 500 speaking engagements and workshops since 2007.

About Andrew “Andy” Simon

Andrew (Andy) Simon is a Principal, Consulting Partner, and head of new business development specializing in early-stage companies and turn-around situations. He is a trained and certified Innovation Games® facilitator and trainer. Andy has taken a series of start-ups through successive stages of development, including Questar Assessment Inc., where he served as founder, CFO, CEO, and Chairman. In 2011, Questar was voted one of the top 50 companies in innovative education by Education Next. He brings to SAMC his experience and expertise with his well-designed, multi-step process to help companies succeed. Questar was acquired in 2017 by Educational Testing Services and was a significant player in the high stakes K-12 summative assessment space at the time of sale.

While remaining on the board of Questar, Andy joined SAMC in 2011, applying his expertise in Idea Creation, Innovation, and the Back end of Innovation—the successful implementation of new ideas in existing companies. He has conducted over 30 Innovation Games sessions with SAMC clients, consumers, and employee groups. Additionally, Andy has spoken at Michigan State University’s conference on Meaningful Play and has participated in Budget Games for the City of San Jose, CA.

A serial entrepreneur, Andy started and successfully grew several other businesses before taking over Questar Assessment. Before launching his own companies, he was also an executive in financial services firms and pharmaceutical companies.

Andy is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis and received his MBA from Columbia University.

SAMC Expertise

Blue Ocean Strategy®

Since 2007, Dr. Simon and Andy have had many clients in the Blue Ocean Strategy space—from those in the service industry to others in construction, engineering and power utilities, higher education universities and colleges, and manufacturing companies. Andi has also been conducting workshops for CEO and Key Executives globally on Blue Ocean Strategy. Her lecture and workshop, “Change Matters: How to Open New Market Space,” has been presented over 500 times in the U.S., Mexico, India, and Canada. Andi is a trained practitioner in Blue Ocean Strategy and has helped dozens of companies discover new Blue Oceans, successfully opening new markets.

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Rethinking Women

Dr. Simon has a particular focus and purpose around helping women become the best they can be. Her recently published and award-winning book, Rethink: Smashing the Myths of Women in Business, developed out of a program Andrew and she had at Washington University in St. Louis. The Simon Initiative for Entrepreneurship was a three-year initiative to help aspiring entrepreneurs, particularly women. SAMC now has co-hosted annual programs with the Women Business Collaborative to bring together thought leaders and business trailblazers to share the innovations, insights, and impact women have on business and society today. Dr. Simon is also an executive coach for many women leaders. SAMC developed an online course for women, Rethink Your Journey with Andi Simon.

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Innovation Games®

In 2011, Dr. Simon and her partner Andy Simon became trained facilitators and trainers in Innovation Games, serious games to spark business innovation. SAMC uses Innovation Games with clients, typically conducting between 25-30 game sessions each year. Some companies host Innovation Games on-site to help their employees change. Others hold Innovation Games with non-customers or clients to include them in a creative process for constructing new products, refining marketing communications, or designing new solutions.

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Culture Change

So many of SAMC’s clients find themselves in need of a cultural assessment and, as a result, a culture change process. Dr. Simon is qualified in using the Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument (OCAI) developed at the University of Michigan and is an affiliated consultant with the OCAI Online organization in the Netherlands. The OCAI survey is available in twelve languages and is widely used by companies such as H.P., G.E., MetLife, ING, and Shell.

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Leadership Development

As we work with clients, they request that we also work with their current and emerging leaders to develop the skills needed to foster innovative cultures and abilities to lead in fast-changing times. SAMC has leadership academies operating for several years with long-term clients. We also work with women business executives, managers, and business owners growing in their positions or companies. Their evolving leadership styles need fresh perspectives and development support.

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Human Development

As client relationships expand, so does their realization that their staff must develop new values and skills if they are going to thrive in fast-changing times. We have several approaches from one-on-one coaching, group development programs, and overall restructuring and skill development. SAMC’s clients for human development support span from the services industry to healthcare and beyond. Both Andrea and Andrew are trained John Mattone coaches. They have also developed software applications for 30-Day Challenges to support self-care that is used in corporate and individual settings.

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Awards, Speaking, and Publications

Dr. Simon has won numerous Addy and Aster awards for her marketing and advertising campaigns. She is a highly requested keynote and workshop speaker and has conducted these globally—several in Mexico, India, Canada, and virtually in Europe. A well-published author with articles in Forbes, Business Week, Los Angeles Times, Authority Magazine, Thrive, and numerous publications and online blogs, she has been a guest blogger for FierceHealth, Hospital Impact, Huffington Post, and Executive Street Blog.

Andi would be pleased to speak with you; please contact her.