Will Venters
Amazon Scholar in AWS Executives in Residence
“There’s no shortage of great research or great ideas. The real challenge is addressing the gap between what we know and what we do.”
-- Will Venters
Getting to know
Will Venters, Amazon Scholar
Will's AWS goals
Will divides his time between AWS and the London School of Economics, where he is an associate professor of digital innovation and information systems. He joined the Executives in Residence as an Amazon Scholar, to contribute a distinctive ability to research emerging topics — from agentic AI to digital ecosystem strategy — and translate findings into practical guidance for AWS’ executive customers.
Will's experience
Will began his career as a C++ developer, then undertook a PhD in which he drove a global technology innovation initiative across the British Council's operations in over 100 countries. Since then, he has worked with, and researched, a wide range of organisations such as Mastercard, BT, Rackspace, Accenture, GEMS Education, CERN and the UK's National Health Service. He is a sought-after speaker at industry and academic events worldwide, regularly cited in the press, and his 2014 book Moving to the Cloud Corporation charted cloud adoption strategy and is used in university courses globally.
Will's expertise
Will is an expert in making complex ideas simple to understand and act upon. He thinks in terms of systems and is curious about how technology and people work to deliver value. He brings specific expertise in digital ecosystem strategy, agentic AI, cloud computing adoption, and agile innovation. At LSE he directs the MSc in Management Information Systems and Digital Innovation within which he lectures on systems development, systems thinking, agentic AI innovation, and digital design. He has published over 100 articles including in leading research journals, and his work is regularly cited by practitioners and scholars alike. His recent research has shown how ecosystems of API-connected cloud-based companies deliver and share value. He has revealed how collaborative relationships with independent software vendors and cloud suppliers help companies and how exploiting AI requires overcoming different teams’ cultures, work structures and ways of working. At the LSE he is currently developing a systems’ thinking method specifically for agentic AI strategic thinking, and how agentic AI may shape global IT infrastructures.
Will's career
- Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD), Salford University, UK
- BSc (1st class Hons) in Computer Science, University of Manchester, UK
- Digital ecosystem strategy
- Agentic AI
- Systems thinking
- Cloud-driven organisational innovation
- Evidence-based leadership
At heart, Will is still an engineer. He loves tinkering with technology, computers and code, and builds things in his small woodworking shop — a hands-on curiosity that feeds directly into his research. For downtime, he turns to cinema and travelling with his family, always with a camera and some vintage lenses.
