Dave Snowden

David J. Snowden
Dave Snowden, 2016
Born	David John Snowden 1954
Nationality	Welsh
Education	BA (philosophy), University of Lancaster, 1975 MBA, Middlesex Polytechnic, 1985
Occupation	Management consultant
Employer	Cognitive Edge Pte Ltd, Singapore
Known for	Cynefin framework

David John Snowden (born 1954) is a Welsh management consultant and researcher in the field of knowledge management. Known for the development of the Cynefin framework, Snowden is the founder and chief scientific officer of Cognitive Edge, a Singapore-based management-consulting firm specializing in complexity and sensemaking.

Snowden graduated in 1975 with a BA (Hons) in philosophy from County College, University of Lancaster, and obtained an MBA in 1985 from Middlesex Polytechnic.

Snowden worked for Data Sciences Ltd from 1984 until January 1997. The company was acquired by IBM in 1996, and the following year he joined IBM Global Services' Knowledge and Differentiation Programme.

While at IBM Snowden researched the importance of storytelling within organizations, particularly in relation to expressing tacit knowledge. In 2000 he became European director of the company's Institute for Knowledge Management, and in 2002 he founded the IBM Cynefin Centre for Organisational Complexity. During this period he led a team that developed the Cynefin framework, a decision-making tool.

Snowden left IBM in 2004 and a year later founded Cognitive Edge Pte Ltd, a management-consulting firm based in Singapore. As of 2016 he is an associate professor extraordinaire at the University of Stellenbosch Business School, and an honorary professor in the school of psychology at Bangor University.