Gisella currently heads up the Creative Capital unit at the Wellington City Council, leading teams that deliver the Council’s creative sector strategy Aho Tini 2030, the city’s public events programme and development of the new central library, Te Matapihi.
Her prior managerial roles include four years as Chief Executive, World of WearableArt (WOW) and five years as Chief Executive of the international agency Film New Zealand. From 2006 – 2010 she was Director, Funds Development for Te Papa with responsibility for a multi- million dollar fundraising programme. She has extensive experience across the creative industries, and has provided consulting advice over many years to multiple organisations, as well as central and local government.
Gisella created the Arts Foundation Laureate Awards for the Arts Foundation of New Zealand, the CUBE innovation programme for the Auckland Arts Regional Trust, acted as an advisor on a digital project for the Gibson Group/Museum of Copenhagen, and organised the Hollywood studio visit for the then New Zealand Prime Minister to Los Angeles in 2012.
Publications include Incentivising International Television Production in New Zealand for the Prime Minister’s Department; Snapshot: Auckland’s Creative Industries for Auckland City Council, and co-authorship of Objects of Desire: exporting New Zealand visual arts and crafts products for New Zealand Trade and Enterprise.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts and an Master of Business Administration from the University of Canterbury and Victoria University, and was an Arts and Culture finalist in the 2019 Women of Influence Awards.