Founder & Chief Strategist Simon Heerdegen

Simon Heerdegen is the Founder and Chief Strategist of Redwood Reputation Defense, a boutique online reputation management firm helping individuals, businesses, professionals, and public figures—including high-profile clients—restore, protect, and control their digital image.

With more than a decade of experience in communication, narrative strategy, and crisis-sensitive work, Simon combines proven, hands-on strategies with a human-centered approach. From SEO management and content creation to personalized takedown requests and targeted interventions, he carefully curates each client’s online presence to achieve results that automated or tech-heavy solutions often cannot.

Before founding Redwood Reputation Defense, Simon spent twelve years as a public educator, teaching AP courses and leading multiple school initiatives, while simultaneously freelancing in Silicon Valley on advertising, branding, and reputation management projects. He is trained in crisis management and has guided clients through high-stakes, sensitive situations with empathy, discretion, and precision.

Shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic, Simon took a year off to focus on raising his newborn son and began planning a career transition that ultimately led to the creation of Redwood Reputation Defense. His work is grounded in ethics and the belief that every individual and organization has the right to control their own narrative—without being defined or overshadowed by algorithms, AI, or public platforms.