Tonya Surman has set up 11 NGOs and initiatives and runs the Toronto-based Centre for Social Innovation. In this interview, she talks about the connection between her artistic education and her work in social innovation, the power of allyship, and why she says that her clients are “people and the planet”.
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Making social change and having fun doing it
Tonya Surman
CEO
Tonya Surman is a social entrepreneur with a passion for bringing life to world-changing projects. Highlights from her 20-year career include co-founding and leading the Centre for Social Innovation which is a collaborative workspace, a community and a launchpad for over 1000 social enterprises. Tonya is a pioneer in the coworking and social enterprise movements; developing the Constellation Model, a multi-stakeholder partnership framework that was used to ban toxic chemicals in baby bottles and organize 40,000+ Ontario nonprofits into a network with policy-making clout; creating the Community Bond, a social finance tool that raised $6.3 million to purchase two buildings in downtown Toronto for social innovation; and launching the Ontario Catapult Microloan Fund with government, corporate and nonprofit partners. Tonya is the recipient of numerous awards: the Ashoka Foundation, Canadian Urban Institute, Toronto Community Foundation, New Media Awards, the Trillium Foundation, and Entrepreneur of the Year for Socialight Canada are among the many organizations that have recognized her leadership and contributions.