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Nominations to be a director of Metaphorum
The following people have nominated themselves to become directors of Metaphorum. They are listed alphabetically by surname.
Dr Juliana Mariano Alves
My engagement with Organizational Cybernetics comes from working directly with governance challenges where coordination, uncertainty, and institutional fragmentation are part of everyday practice. It is in this context that the work of Stafford Beer became relevant, particularly as a way to make sense of complexity and to support more coherent forms of action.
I am a researcher and practitioner in the fields of Organizational Cybernetics, environmental governance, and public policy. My work focuses on the application of systemic approaches to water governance, particularly in the context of polycentric systems and adaptive management.
I have experience working with governmental institutions and multi-stakeholder platforms in Brazil, including my role as a representative in Environmental and Water Resources Management Councils and as a consultant for decentralized environmental policies. My academic work integrates theory and practice, drawing on the Viable System Model (VSM) to address challenges in resource allocation, institutional coordination, and governance design.
I have been part of Metaphorum since 2022, participating regularly in Council meetings and contributing to ongoing initiatives, including the discussions and efforts around the formalization of the Metaphorum Cooperative. This involvement has given me the opportunity to work closely with colleagues and to follow, from within, how the organization has been evolving.
Putting my name forward for a director role is a continuation of this ongoing engagement. I have been actively contributing to current initiatives, including the organization of activities related to the centenary of Stafford Beer, and would like to maintain this involvement. In particular, I aim to keep supporting the organization’s development by strengthening connections with Latin America and by advancing work that brings cybernetic thinking into practice in areas such as public policy and environmental governance.
I look forward to continuing this work alongside the group.
Dr Pedro Pablo Cardoso Castro
I would be honoured to be considered for the role of Director of Metaphorum.
My interest in this role is grounded in a long-standing commitment to the development of organizational cybernetics and to the continued stewardship of Stafford Beer’s intellectual legacy. I would see this appointment as an opportunity to support continuity in Metaphorum’s present direction, while contributing to its further development as a leading centre for research, collaboration, education, and applied work in the field of the Viable System Model
My involvement with Metaphorum dates back to 2007, when my doctoral work brought me into sustained engagement with the Viable System Model and the wider organizational cybernetics community. Since then, I have remained an active collaborator in the work of Metaphorum, contributing in academic, organisational, and strategic capacities. This has included supporting and helping to organise conferences and related activities in Leeds, Manchester, and Liverpool and, more recently, serving as a member of the Metaphorum Board and of its research group. These experiences have given me a strong appreciation of Metaphorum’s distinctive intellectual contribution, as well as of the practical challenges involved in sustaining and developing it as a scholarly and applied community.
A central area in which I believe I can contribute is the strengthening of Metaphorum’s research and development profile. In particular, I am interested in helping consolidate the activity of the research group, identify funding opportunities, and develop collaborations for applied projects that extend the relevance of organizational cybernetics to contemporary organizational and societal challenges. My recent work in this area has included leading and initiating efforts linked to a grant application for a documentary project marking the centenary of Stafford Beer, alongside broader exploration of projects and funding streams that could support the future development of Metaphorum’s research and public engagement activities.
My academic and applied work has consistently centred on the Viable System Model and its use in organizational diagnosis, governance, teaching, and institutional development. This has included collaborative research on the combined use of Social Network Analysis and the Viable System Model to strengthen diagnosis; publications with colleagues in Mexico on the governance of tourism, urban agriculture, and SME coordination; and current work on the interpretation of Ostrom’s and Mazzucato’s models through the lens of the Viable System Model, as well as on organizational pathologies. Alongside this, I have applied the Viable System Model in consultancy and executive education, including work with firms in Colombia and the United Kingdom, the development of teaching material at Cranfield University, and postgraduate teaching and course delivery in Colombia, Brazil, and Mexico.
I am an academic and practitioner working in organizational cybernetics, systems thinking, and management. Since my doctoral work in 2007, I have maintained a sustained engagement with the Viable System Model through research, teaching, consultancy, and international academic collaboration.
I am currently Programme Director at De Montfort University Cambodia. I have been an active collaborator of Metaphorum for many years, contributing to conferences, organisational activities, funding initiatives, and service as a member of the Metaphorum Board and its research group.
My research and applied work have focused on organizational diagnosis, governance, sustainability, inter-organizational coordination, and the practical use of the Viable System Model in complex organizational settings. Alongside my research activity, he has developed and delivered Viable System Model-related teaching and executive education in the United Kingdom, Colombia, Brazil, and Mexico, and has applied cybernetic and systems approaches in consultancy and institutionalIf appointed, I would seek to support Metaphorum in three broad ways. First, by helping to consolidate and expand its research activity. Second, by strengthening coordination between its research, cooperative, and educational or certification dimensions, so that these areas more clearly reinforce one another. Third, by supporting its international visibility and reach through closer engagement with academic and professional networks in the United Kingdom, Europe, Latin America, and beyond. I believe Metaphorum has considerable potential not only to remain a custodian of Stafford Beer’s work, but to further establish itself as the principal international centre for the continued development, teaching, and application of the Viable System Model.
My present academic leadership responsibilities, together with my board experience and long-standing engagement with organizational cybernetics, have prepared me to contribute to Metaphorum in a constructive and strategic manner. I would bring to the role a strong sense of institutional continuity, a collaborative orientation, and a clear commitment to helping Metaphorum strengthen its research agenda, international connections, and institutional profile.
It would be a privilege to support the next stage of Metaphorum’s development as Director.
Dr Iffat Sabir Chaudhry
I hold a PhD in Management from the University of Hull in the United Kingdom. I am currently an Associate Professor of HRM/OB in the College of Business at Al Ain University, United Arab Emirates. Alongside this, I hold a leadership role as Deputy Dean of the College of Business and Chair of the Women Leadership Forum in the university. In my academic leadership roles in higher education, I am engaged in college governance, academic development, and curriculum leadership, with a strong emphasis on embedding sustainability across college programs. My contributions to responsible management education and youth engagement have been featured by PRME.
Alongside my institutional role, I serve as Co-Chair of the Global Women and Leadership Group within PRME, where I help advance dialogue, collaboration, and initiatives focused on women’s leadership in responsible management education globally. This engagement connects academic leadership with international networks committed to sustainability, equity, and responsible management practices.
My research interests remain focused on managing human resource behaviors and performance at the intersection of sustainability and smart technology. My professional certifications -including Senior Certified Professional (SCP) - Society of Human Resource Management, Certified Global Diversity, Equity, Inclusion HR Manager (CDEITM) - Chartered Institute of Professional Certifications, and Artificial Intelligence for HR - Future Workplace, reflect my commitment to bridging academic learning with industry practice and advancing leadership grounded in empathy, analytics, and innovation through the mindful use of AI technologies in people-centric contexts.
My doctoral research introduced me to Beer’s Viable System Model (VSM) under the supervision of Prof. Angela Espinosa, through which I developed a structured understanding of organizational cybernetics and systems thinking and their application in complex organizational and human systems. This training shaped my academic and professional orientation towards understanding organizations as dynamic, recursive systems in which structure, communication, and human behaviour interact to produce viability or dysfunction. Building on this PhD-level exposure, I have applied VSM in my teaching of Organizational Behavior and Leadership, as well as in my research, particularly regarding workforce emotions, organizational sustainability, and the interaction between systemic structures and human behavioural dynamics. These applications have enabled me to engage with VSM not only as a conceptual framework but also as a practical lens for analyzing complexity in organizational and educational contexts as a teacher, researcher, and educational administrator.
I have been following the work of Metaphorum with a strong research interest, particularly its continued role in sustaining and extending Stafford Beer’s intellectual legacy through collaborative scholarship, applied systems inquiry, and interdisciplinary engagement. I would be honoured to be considered for the role of Director of Metaphorum. My interest lies in contributing to the continued development of VSM as both a theoretical and applied framework, particularly in relation to sustainability transformation, organizational wellbeing, and systemic approaches to education and institutional design.
I would be honoured to be considered for the role of Director of Metaphorum. I believe I can contribute to its strategic direction and the expansion of its research agenda, particularly by strengthening empirical applications of the Viable System Model, supporting international collaboration, and enhancing engagement with contemporary issues in sustainability and wellbeing. Well-linked with my current academic leadership role, where I operate at the intersection of higher education governance, sustainability research, and equitable learning.
If appointed, I would seek to contribute to Metaphorum’s strategic development through expanding global engagement and enhancing its visibility within global academic networks.
Dr Angela Espinosa
Developing Stafford Beer’s legacy has been a major driver in my academic and professional life. I have been very pleased to see that the prestige of Stafford Beer’s legacy only continues to increase over time. Also, that Metaphorum continues to thrive and to attract new people since we founded it in 2003.
This year’s centenary project is generating a lot of local and international support, and I am very optimistic with what we can achieve by completing the ongoing projects (conference, Festschrift, Special Issues, Journal, Video-documentary). As most of these projects will not end before the Autumn, I would be very pleased to continue in my current role, leading them for one more year. Also, I am very optimistic with the new members who have enriched our already excellent team at Metaphorum. I expect them to continue taking the lead in the different aspects we expect Metaphorum to develop over the next year.
For a CV, see https://angelaespinosa.com/
Dr Ayham Fattoum
I am currently a Lecturer in Systems, Management, Operations, and Disaster Management at the University of Manchester. My professional background includes consultancy, human resources, and quality management. I began working with the Viable System Model (VSM) in 2014 through research on organising multi‑agency emergency response systems, and my publications since then have consistently advocated for advancing both the theory and practical application of VSM.
I have been teaching VSM to undergraduate and master’s students since 2018, and I am currently developing a multi‑methodology grounded in the VSM to enhance organisational and societal resilience. Through this experience, I can offer Metaphorum strong support in decision‑making and a strategic perspective on its future development.
My aspiration is to see Metaphorum recognised as a global authority on the VSM, with a growing international presence and a strong contribution to both practice and scholarship.
Dr Allena Leonard
I have been involved with Metaphorum since the first conference in Britain and ever since. I hope to contribute further to its work honouring and extending Stafford's work in organizational cybernetics, especially the VSM and Team Syntegrity Process. My 21 years as Stafford's partner left me with an enduring sense of the importance of his work and his approach to science in service to the people.
Dr Jon Walker
Learned from Stafford Beer for 17 years.
Founder member of Metaphorum, I’ve been involved for 22 years, as treasurer for the last 10.
I have applied the VSM, written papers and books and a training manual about it.
I can offer financial skills, and time to help with organisation and development.
I would like to see Metaphorum expand its influence significantly and find a way to ensure Stafford’s ideas reach all sectors of society, especially communities.
John Waters
My interest in cybernetics began in the 1980s when I was working as an engineer developing secure communications equipment, and my perspective has always remained that of an engineer despite having spent much of the more recent decades exploring ideas around the edges of economics.
I have been interested in the VSM since the 1990s, and it has gradually coloured my perspective on almost every aspect of life. This has led me to the development of open source software to fill certain related needs.
I place immense value on Metaphorum’s role in helping to preserve and extend Stafford Beer’s legacy, for which reason I have been providing various support functions over recent years. I have been a member of the Council since 2024.
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