Simon (Bavarian-Swabian) is an environmental and human rights lawyer admitted in New Zealand and Australia, with more than a decade of international experience spanning the United Nations, continental courts, policy practice, and academia. He is a Visiting Scholar at the University of Cambridge and the University of Auckland, an Associate of the Sydney Indigenous Research Hub at the University of Sydney, and a Teaching Fellow and PhD Candidate in Law at Victoria University of Wellington.

Simon's research and advocacy focus on heritage governance and diplomacy, Indigenous justice, human rights, environmental law and policy, World Heritage, intangible heritage, cultural landscapes, and living heritage — including the protection of linguistic heritage and the recognition of cultural and natural heritage as interconnected living systems.

Simon serves on various committees and working groups of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), both of which act as statutory advisers to UNESCO. His roles at ICOMOS include serving on the ICOMOS Aotearoa New Zealand Executive Board, the International Scientific Committee on Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICICH) (expert member), the International Working Group on Indigenous Heritage (IHWG), the International Working Group on Our Common Dignity: Rights-based Approaches (OCD-RBA), and the International Scientific Committee on Legal, Administrative, and Financial Issues (ICLAFI) (expert member). At IUCN, Simon is part of the World Commission on Environmental Law (WCEL), the World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA), the Commission on Environmental, Economic, and Social Policy (CEESP), and the Specialist Group on World Heritage.