The individual, the community, states, societies, structures and their respective evolution are central to Isabella Gady’s work. Using her curious mind, empathy and optimism, she continuously learns and teaches a new approach to life. After taking various detours, she has now returned to Vienna, the place of her birth, right in the center of Europe. Isabella Gady studied Economic Sciences at FH St. Pölten, Austria, and subsequently Strategic and Transdisciplinary Design at the Parsons School of Design. This is where she also lectured and carried out research on new forms of democratic participation and strategic design as a tool of innovation.

For more than twelve years, she has worked as a certified coach and facilitator, supporting individuals, governments, civil society institutions and international organizations to realize projects in the areas of strategy and social innovation, civic service design, participation and collaborative organizational development.

She has had a very diverse career, including doing work for the Austrian foreign office, the UN Secretariat, the UN women’s rights organization UN Women, the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the city of New York, ideo.org, 3x3 Design, Snowcone and Haystack as well as Spark Microgrant. She has shared her thoughts and insights in publications like „Applying Design to Gender Equality Programming“ & “A Story of Journeys – Contemporary Design Facilitation” (both at Academy for Design Innovation Management), and on Twitter @isabellygady.