"Most serendipitously, the story behind the origins of the word 'Serendipity' have been a millIon pound question on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? David Cleevely winningly shows that it’s a million pound question for all of us. This refreshing and reassuring book is a wonderful reminder that success and happiness don’t have to come from squeezing tight and working yourself into anxiety. Sometimes, if we let them, Dame Fortune and Mistress Chance can take us by the hand ..."

Stephen Fry - Actor, Writer and Broadcaster

“David doesn’t just write about serendipity—he creates it. This is a powerful guide to building the future through connection, curiosity, and purpose.”

Reid Hoffman - Co-founder of LinkedIn and author of Superagency: What Could Possibly Go Right with Our AI Future

“How do you engineer serendipity? This question might seem paradoxical but this wonderful book explains why unexpected successes can be less surprising than they seem - and how to create the conditions that make success in any endeavour more likely.”

Dame Diane Coyle - Leading economist and Bennett Professor of Public Policy at Cambridge.

"As someone immersed in exponential technologies and systemic change, I found this book a revelation. Cleevely doesn’t just talk about innovation — he shows how we can design for it. Essential reading for anyone trying to build resilient institutions or shape the future."

Azeem Azhar - Founder of Exponential View and author of “The Exponential Age”

“This book turns an elusive idea into practical guidance. Cleevely explains, with authority and urgency, how schools, universities and government can engineer the ‘happy accidents’ that power real innovation.”

Baroness Sally Morgan - Former Minister of State for Women, Chair of Ofsted.

"David is bang on the money here. Most institutional decision-making proceeds with the intention of minimising the effects of chance. Yet, in a fat-tailed, probabilistic world, it is often a far better approach to do everything you possibly can to try to improve your odds of good fortune.”

Rory Sutherland - Vice Chairman, Ogilvy and author of Alchemy: The Dark Art and Curious Science of Creating Magic in Brands, Business, and Life

“This is an important analysis. It is also challenging and difficult. David Cleevely is right to raise these ideas, based on his extensive experience. The resulting debate will not finish quickly.”

Lord Richard Wilson - Former Permanent Under-Secretary of State for the Cabinet Office

“David shows, with scholarly depth and practical wisdom, that the ‘accidents’ behind discovery can be nurtured—just as we nurture public health. A vital guide for leaders who care about evidence-based progress and human flourishing.”

Baroness Black of Strome - DBE, FRCP, FMedSci, former Principal of Newnham College, Cambridge, and expert adviser on health and work to the UK government

"David Cleevely brilliantly shows that the chance of unpredicted innovations can be increased by organisations and individuals following some basic principles.  Among the fascinating case-studies and personal stories, he emphasises the vital importance of networking - perhaps appropriate for an author with 10,000 contacts on his phone."

Sir David Spiegelhalter FRS - Emeritus Professor of the Public Understanding of Risk at the University of Cambridge and author of The Art of Uncertainty: How to Navigate Chance, Ignorance, Risk and Luck (2024)

“At a time when policy makers are looking for ways to boost innovation, productivity, start-ups and growth, in Britain and beyond, Cleevely's book is a powerful clarion call for action. It shows that serendipity is not a mere "accident", but a set of phenomena that could and should be designed, and that we can all find inspiration from examples where this has emerged - not just in the well-known American cases, such as Silicon Valley, but from inspiring British stories too, be that 20th century Cambridge or the little known 18th century Lunar Society in Birmingham and more. Timely, provocative and lucid, this should be required reading for educationalists, policy makers, urban planners - as well as any would-be entrepreneur.”

Gillian Tett OBE - Award-winning author and Financial Times journalist