Our London HQ is for the birds! | October 2018

Back in 2015, when we were looking for a new London headquarters, we had to think carefully about where it should be. Those who know London will know it is a city of many contrasts. The city reflects its industrial and economic legacy very well. It has parts that are very dense with population and work spaces; while other parts (basically where the wealthy live/lived), have wonderful green spaces.

As the former "workshop of the world" in the 19th century, London had also become the most polluted city in the world with horrific living conditions for its inhabitants. But as the result of highly effective campaigners over the decades, the city became a healthier place to live and also 'greener'. The air and water was cleaned up and the population gained access to clean water and modern housing and sanitation. The devastation from two world wars, combined with poverty and poor living conditions, led to London experiencing a declining population despite improvements to living conditions. This changed by the late 1990s, when a revived economy and globalisation started to push the population back up again. But with a growing population has come increasing air pollution, mostly from vehicles. 

Our work made us think very hard about how the urban environment affects human health. And we decided we didn't want to be bathed in that air pollution that had grown since the early 2000s. We also like to keep fit and encourage those we work with to do the same. So, rather than be monstrous hypocrites and locate ourselves some place that is 'trendy' but polluted and unhealthy, we set up our new HQ in a bird sanctuary surrounded by wonderful green space for excercise and long, thoughtful walks. 

But, what about our studio? That's in Iceland, a country where 100% of its energy comes from renewable sources. A stunningly beautiful place where you can swim or lounge in geothermal heated pools in both urban and rural areas. We find the atmosphere there restorative.

Some amazing people have been attracted to this location. And one of them is journalist Beth Gardiner. Her new book, Choked, tackles the very thing we were trying to reduce our exposure to: air pollution. In Choked Gardiner travels the world to see how its rapid urbanization is also coming with a 21st century air pollution crisis. Read more here: https://www.bethgardiner.com

 Pictured: NOT our HQ but we can always dream, can't we?!Well, we are almost as nice as this.

Update on Saturday, October 10, 2020 at 12:07PM by David South

English not your first language? No problem. Various search engines now do translation. For example, into Mandarin Chinese.

The book on Mongolian rock and pop was published in 1999 in the Mongolian language.

David South Consulting Online for Seven Years | November 2017

When it first launched in 2010, the David South Consulting (davidsouthconsulting.com) website was beautiful but sparse. Designed by one of Iceland's top graphic designers and illustrators, Solveig Rolfsdottir, it was basically an online CV (curriculum vitae). 

A lot has happened since: the new global magazine Southern Innovator was launched, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) came to an end in 2015, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) launched, and the UN adopted an innovation and South-South agenda, and so did many other countries, including China. And the content of the website has expanded to reflect this. The entire archive of the influential United Nations e-newsletter Development Challenges, South-South Solutions can be found here, as well as many resources chronicling the international development journey from the late 1990s.   

We even moved to a new studio and headquarters next to a bird sanctuary and nature reserve (matching our green words with green actions)!

The front page of the David South Consulting website.   

About David South Consulting.

Services at David South Consulting. 

David South Consulting had an Alexa rank of 7,243,014 in 2017.

David South Consulting international clients.

Practice Zones and HQ and Studio for David South Consulting.© David South Consulting 2017

Back From Cannes, Back to Work | 3 June 2012

Issue 2 of Southern Innovator was officially launched during the High-Level Meeting on South-South Cooperation at the United Nations in New York from May 22-25. The global roll out has begun and the magazine is available for distribution and sharing.

I briefly took in the 2012 Cannes Film Festival last weekend. It was a privilege to see the spectacle and join a film party. I also had the opportunity to see a snapshot of the global South’s creative economy through its many filmmakers displaying their films in the Cannes marketplace. Even I was surprised by the number of films set in Inner Mongolia and on the theme of Mongolian history! I will be approaching some of these people in the coming weeks to see if we can collaborate for the upcoming Cities and Urbanization issue of Southern Innovator (Issue 4).

I also had the opportunity to meet the representatives of the Kenyan Department of Film Services and hope I can visit them sometime soon.

A TV reporter at the Cannes red carpet.

Issue 3 is also busily underway. The theme is Agriculture and Food Security and a timely one, with the global population hitting 7 billion this year. Various options are being considered for the cover and they can be seen below. As is the case with all issues of Southern Innovator, sponsors can either choose to fund the issue’s production costs, advertise on a page or collaborate in the production of a supplement to be inserted inside each issue. Southern Innovator offers sponsors a great opportunity to reach a global audience and one that is on the cutting edge of change and innovation.