Gael Surgenor is an experienced leader and social innovator. She works as a strategic advisor to two philanthropic trusts funding systems change and is an associate of The Good Shift, an Australian based systems innovation enterprise.

From 2021-2023 Gael was on a panel appointed by the Minister of Local Government to review the future for local governance and government in New Zealand. The Review recommended changes to enable intergenerational wellbeing, co-governance with Māori and democratic innovation.

From 2015-2021 she was Director of Community and Social Innovation at TSI, an Auckland Council initiative focused on community-led social and economic change in South Auckland. 

With a career rooted in community and economic development, social justice, and human rights, she has worked across government and grassroots spaces to drive positive impact. Gael has a law degree from Canterbury University and a post graduate diploma in Reflective Social Practice from London Metropolitan University. She lives in a co-housing community at the top of the South Island in New Zealand where she is leading experimentation in innovative community governance.