Certified VSM Trainers
Dr Angela Espinosa (Colombia, 1958) has been an international leader in developing the Viable System Model. She worked closely with S Beer and co-founded and led the Metaphorum to develop his legacy when he passed away.
Angela has three decades experience in teaching, coaching, and consulting in the VSM in Europe and Latin-America. She has published extensively on applications and developments of the Viable System Model.
She is an Emeritus Fellow from the Centre for Systems Studies at the University of Hull, Honorary Senior Research Fellow in Exeter University; a Fellow of the British Cybernetics Society; and an Associated Professor in Transylvania Executive Education.
Martin Pfiffner (1965) lives in Switzerland. After studying economics at the University of St. Gallen HSG, he earned his doctorate in systems-oriented management with Prof. Dr. Fredmund Malik (management) and Prof. Dr. Peter Gross (sociology). Later he complemented his education by studying management cybernetics with Prof. Dr. Stafford Beer. He is a Fellow of the Cybernetic Society, FCybS.
From 1990 to 2012, Martin worked as a management consultant for Management Zentrum St. Gallen. He was responsible for the development of managerial cybernetics with a focus on the application development of the Viable System Model, the dissemination of Syntegration in Europe, the establishment of the International Bionics Center IBZ in Munich and the Cwarel-Isaf Institute and its conferences – a predecessor of Metaphorum.
Between 2013 and 2016 he owned a SKEMA martial arts school and was president of the SKEMA association Switzerland. In 2017 together with friends Martin established the Fondation Oroborus in Switzerland with the purpose of disseminating applied management cybernetics.
Today he works as an independent top management consultant, speaker, publisher and researcher. He still practices martial arts and plays the guitar in an alternative-rock band.