Kit Grindley – born in Clapham< London, April1929, died October 26th 2018 in Sydney Australia. Kit Grindley after graduation from LSE in 1956, started as a Management Trainee in Lyons in 1956 and was a part of the LEO team of LEO I and LEO II programmers. Kit developed ideas about a language for expressing requirements he called Systematics as a result of his LEO experience. He studied for a PhD at the London School of Economics and was awarded with a PhD for his research into Systematics in 1972, supervised by Frank Land. He enjoyed a successful and varied career as a computer professional, This included compiling an annual review of the chief issues faced by CIOs when working as a Director for Urwick Diebold, a subsidiary of Urwick-Orr and Partners, acting as a consultant for Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC), publishing a number of books on computer management including Systematics, editing the Journal IT Reviews working for and being awarded a PhD (1972) by the London School of Economics, followed by being appointed to, first a Professorial Fellowship at the LSE sponsored by F International, whose founder Dame Stephanie Shirley writes about his role in the company in her autobiography Let IT Go, and encouraged his research into Systematics setting up research unit for that purpose. and later by a part-time chair in Systems Automation sponsored by PWC also at the LSE. His academic career included a stint as Adjunct Professor at the University of Technology, Sydney. His wife Liz notes of his LEO years: “(those who) knew him during those crazy, exciting and trail blazing years. He was such an exceptional person and we are all lucky to have loved him. Such a great brain and so many talents.” These crazy activities included running with the bulls in the annual Pamplona bull running festival, and getting injured in the process. His books on IT Strategy and Systems methods were acclaimed by his readers. His death is noted in the Sydney Morning Herald – see
Link to SMH obituary: http://tributes.smh.com.au/obituaries/smh-au/obituary.aspx?n=christopher-grindley&pid=190608434