Five minutes with Ciaane Salomon

Meet social innovator Ciaane Salomon, who wants to create a world where lived experience informs systems change work, with rainforest dreams tucked in her back pocket.


30 October 2025


The TACSI Team

What do you do in your role at TACSI?

I’m a social innovator on the consulting team, supporting the design, management, and delivery of TACSI’s social innovation projects.

When you're not at work, what do you get up to?

Outside of work, I spend my time exploring art museums, sketching or oil painting. I also enjoy going to the beach or finding a quiet place to swim at one of our beautiful national parks.

What change would you like to see in the world, and why?

I’d love to see a world where the role of lived experience is recognised as the global standard for work in innovations and systems change, and where the pathways into these roles are formalised and sustainably funded.

Moving forward, we need a more genuine sense of partnership, and by acknowledging the expertise that someone with lived experience can bring, we open the doors to creating opportunities for healing and avoiding solutions that too often fall short.

What were you doing before working at TACSI?

Before I joined TACSI, I was a customer experience and innovation consultant, working with clients across both public and private sectors. I helped improve communication between clients and customers by using human-centred design to improve service experiences and help clients better meet their customers’ needs.

What are you reading at the moment?

I recently read ‘Terraglossia’ by Dr Debra Dank, an Aboriginal Australian author and academic. It’s a conceptual and critical inquiry into the term ‘terra nullius’ that explores the destructive power of colonial language and celebrates the enduring knowledges and communication systems of First Australians.

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you 'grew up'?

I wanted to be an author and illustrator for children’s books. I’ve always known I wanted to do something creative, and I’m grateful to have found a way to bring that creativity to the work I do today.

What's something on your bucket list?

I’d love to visit either the Amazon rainforest or the Monteverde Cloud Forest in Costa Rica, where I could walk on the hanging bridges and experience the incredible biodiversity of each place.

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