Born and raised in Aotearoa (New Zealand), Emma has worked in the Pacific, Europe and Asia. From her home base in the hills of Wurundjeri Country (Melbourne, Australia), Emma focuses on supporting designers, researchers, public servants and other changemakers to co-create more compassionate and equitable policies, services and programs.  

For more than a decade, Emma led award-winning strategic design and social innovation projects with public purpose organisations, following prior experience in language teaching, film production and cultural governance. An Honorary Fellow at The University of Melbourne, she has a PhD in community wellbeing and local government, and a co-edited book on the politics of cultural measurement.

In 2021, Emma launched her first and still flagship training program, Co-Design Bootcamp, now Co-Design Practitioners. The following year, she founded CoDesignCo, and convened this community of practice with over 100 active members for two years.

A lifelong learner with a strong commitment to creating and sharing knowledge, Emma continues to research, publish and present internationally on public innovation and systemic design. She is passionate about creating the conditions for people to participate in design and decision-making processes that affect our lives. She is an active member of Enspiral and the Design Justice Network, while continuing to convene New Know How’s alumni network.

Emma launched New Know How in 2025 to encompass all the work previously conducted under the banners of Emma Blomkamp and CoDesignCo, and to welcome other collaborators and specialists into the fold.