Simon’s background is in sustainable forestry, working with commercial operators to bring them to globally recognised standards of sustainability.  From this, his work has evolved into other sectors and to working with both those setting requirements, such as regulators and standards bodies, as well as those implementing them, including corporate clients.

With the establishment of Simon Armstrong and Associates the range of services and expertise offered has continued to grow.

Often the environment is complex, fast-moving and includes significant uncertainty. Always the objective has been to develop systems that deliver the required outcomes and which are also operationally robust. Most recently this has involved working with a FTSE250 corporate client to develop global sourcing polices and ensure their effective implementation across the group.

Simon has worked with accreditation bodies including ASI, UKAS and SAAS, covering voluntary sustainability certification schemes for globally sourced land-based commodities as well as social accountability.

He has focused on delivering new solutions within evolving and high-profile processes, such as implementing RSPO’s transition to full accreditation and piloting chain-of-custody Transaction Verification.

Simon was instrumental in the establishment and growth of the Sustainable Biomass Program (SBP), which is now recognised by multiple-regulators and through which more than three-quarters of the target-market volume passes. 

This work has taken him around the world, having worked in around 40 countries, with long-term experience in Guyana and Indonesia.

Simon is currently supporting Lestari Capital, ensuring that their assurance systems are fit for the fast moving and evolving markets in which they operate.