Sue Gemmell

Sue Gemmell is a project and quality-focused professional with extensive experience spanning outdoor education, safety systems, capability development, and complex stakeholder environments in New Zealand and internationally.

 

An experienced outdoors person and photographer, Sue has spent much of her life exploring remote and lesser-known places. Introduced to the outdoors at a young age, she has remained deeply connected to it as a skier, mountain biker, climber, paddler, and educator. This long-term engagement with outdoor environments has shaped her practical understanding of risk, systems, leadership, and decision-making in real-world contexts.

 

Sue began her career as an outdoor educator and instructor with the Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Pursuits Centre in Tūrangi before moving into leadership and management roles within the outdoor activity, tourism, and safety assurance sectors. She has since worked across education, government-adjacent organisations, and international consultancy projects, combining operational insight with strong systems thinking.

A significant part of Sue’s professional background sits in project management, quality assurance, and learning and capability development. She has held senior management roles within New Zealand’s Industry Training Organisation for sport, fitness, outdoor and community recreation, where she led instructional design teams, managed large-scale resource development projects, and worked closely with industry and regulatory stakeholders. Her work included the development of national standards and qualifications, quality assurance processes, and online and workplace-based learning resources aligned with New Zealand’s Qualifications Framework.

 

 

 

Sue has also contributed to the development, review, and implementation of safety management systems, industry guidelines, and audit and review processes, including leading safety reviews and supporting organisations to strengthen governance, compliance, and continuous improvement. Her ability to listen carefully, understand operational realities, and translate complex requirements into practical solutions has been central to her success.

 

Internationally, Sue has worked as a Learning Development Specialist in Oman, contributing to the design and delivery of leadership programmes for school principals, and more recently as part of consultancy teams delivering capability-building programmes linked to major development initiatives in the Middle East.

 

Alongside her professional work, Sue remains a keen photographer, with many of the images on this site reflecting her passion for place, people, and exploration.

 

Sue holds a Bachelor of Physical Education, a Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching, and a range of industry-specific qualifications. She brings over two decades of practical experience, a collaborative leadership style, and a strong commitment to quality, integrity, and meaningful outcomes.