About Emeli
An architect of collaboration.
Emeli Paulo is a human systems designer, participatory practitioner, community researcher and cultural infrastructure strategist with more than 25 years of experience across community development, youth leadership, First Nations engagement, international education, reconciliation, organisational culture, feminist practice and social-impact systems.
25+ years, in practice
- 1M+
- People reached
- Across community, campaigns and education
- 10,000+
- Workshops & facilitated experiences
- Across Emeli's practice
- 1,200+
- Programs designed & delivered
- Across Emeli's practice
- 500+
- Organisations, brands & institutions
- Partnered with across Emeli's practice
Career-wide reach and delivery, not measures of evaluated outcomes. Emeli’s LinkedIn profile (opens in a new tab)
Practice profile
- Rotuman, Fijian and Australian heritage
- Melbourne-based practice
- Founder of SoCo
- Founder and practitioner behind Human Ecosystems and Human Infrastructure Design
- Community and organisational experience across sectors and countries
- Pracademic approach connecting practice, research and design
- A shift from expert-led practice to becoming an architect of collaboration
I no longer ask who is the smartest person in the room. I ask who needs to be in the room.
Relationship is not preparation for the work. Relationship is part of the evidence, the method and the infrastructure through which change becomes possible.
Across movements & conversations
A practice shaped by people and possibility.
Emeli co-created the Make Poverty History concerts in Melbourne and the ZeroSeven Roadtrip, and built Collective Potential's wellbeing education and coaching programs.
Along the way, she has met Oprah Winfrey, Sir Richard Branson, His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Brené Brown. These encounters are part of her personal story, alongside the everyday work with communities, teams and organisations.
Explore Projects & Impact →