Theme: Momentum

Our "Momentum" theme was adopted from the TEDWomen 2015 global conference. With our extensive list of game-changers and icons in their field, TEDxWanChaiWomen is certainly geared up to motivate and inspire.

Agnes b Cinema, Hong Kong Arts Centre
2 Harbour Road
Wanchai
Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 00000
Hong Kong

Akin

Hong Kong Swings

The Hong Kong Swings community began in 2006 with a handful of inspired dancers and has since snowballed into a flourishing community, a passionate team of teachers, a small but dedicated team of volunteer DJs, event organisers and performers. Hong Kong Swings is also part of a worldwide movement which is gathering momentum and growing all the time. Additional music credit: The Careless Lovers - Doin' The Jive Choreography by Mike Faltesek Find out more at www.tedxwanchai.com Tags: Hong Kong Swings, TEDxWanChai, TEDxWanChai Women, TEDx, Hong Kong, dance performance, swing dance, swing dancing, music performance, lindy hop, Hong Kong dance, dance community, live performance

Akin Jeje

Jeje’s first work, Dreaming of The Sands was published in Canada in 1999. His first full-length poetry collection, Smoked Pearl: Poems of Hong Kong and Beyond was a semi-finalist for the 2009 International Proverse Prize, and published by Proverse Hong Kong in 2010. From their humble beginnings in a little bar on Peel Street, Central, Peel Street Poetry is now approaching its 10-year anniversary, and is still going strong with weekly open mics every Wednesday. Find out more at www.tedxwanchai.com Tags: TEDxWanChai, TEDxWanChai Women, TEDx, Hong Kong, Peel Street Poets, Akin Jeje, slam poetry, poetry club, poets society, Peel Street, poetry performance, creative expression

Angie Lau

A global journalist with more than 16 years’ experience, Angie Lau is an anchor for Bloomberg Television. hosting First Up, which begins live daily coverage out of Asia, leading viewers into the start of the business day. She is a member of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) and was the co-director of AAJA J-Camp, which teaches journalism to scholarship students across the nation. Find out more at www.tedxwanchai.com Tags: Angie Lau, TEDxWanChai, TEDxWanChai Women, TEDx, Hong Kong, Bloomberg Television, First Up, journalism, filial piety, racial discrimination, gender discrimination, overcoming, against the odds

Anson Chan

Anson Chan retired as the Chief Secretary for Administration of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government in 2001, after nearly forty years of service. As Chief Secretary, she headed the 190,000-strong civil service and was the first woman and the first ethnically Chinese person to hold the second-highest governmental position in Hong Kong. Find out more at www.tedxwanchai.com Tags: Anson Chan, TEDxWanChai, TEDxWanChai Women, TEDx, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Government, HKSAR, HKSAR Government, public service, civil service, iron butterfly, overcoming, women in politics

Archana Kotecha

Kotecha is a counter-trafficking expert and activist with extensive experience in the areas of advocacy, policy work and casework relating to trafficking in persons. Starting her career practicing corporate law, Kotecha joined the UN Refugee Agency's Legal Protection Team in London and subsequently the Immigration Advisory Service and Stop Trafficking UK. She has worked on a number of trafficking-related asylum cases and served on the Victim Care Committee of the UK Human Trafficking Centre. In Hong Kong, Kotecha joined Liberty Asia as Head of Legal and has since produced a Hong Kong-focused Victim Identification Toolkit/NGO training, set up an online Legal Resources Centre (housed on Liberty Asia’s website) and been involved in lobbying at the Legislative Council level, as well as advising human rights practitioners on trafficking in persons. Find out more at www.tedxwanchai.com Tags: public health, anti-trafficking, activism, modern slavery, counter-trafficking, human rights

Carol Reiley

An advocate for robotics, Reiley is working on her Ph.D. in Computer Science at Johns Hopkins University, supported by a National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship. She has spent the last 15 years researching various applications of robotics in domains ranging from underwater, land, space, and surgical. She also founded TinkerBelle Labs, which focuses on designing affordable healthcare, do-it-yourself robotics, and interactive projects. Reiley was the first female engineer to be featured on the cover of MAKE magazine, a children's book author (gobrain.com), and an advocate to increase women in engineering. Find out more at www.tedxwanchai.com Tags: Carol Reiley, TEDxWanChai, TEDxWanChai Women, TEDx, Hong Kong, Johns Hopkins University, National Science Foundation, TinkerBelle Labs, robotics, women in robotics, engineering, women in engineering, gender imbalance, STEM, women in STEM, artificial intelligence

Henrik Hoeg

He has been involved with the local poetry scene for about 3 years. He is also a frequent participant in the Poetry OutLoud group. By day he works as a literacy specialist, teaching dyslexic children reading and writing. From their humble beginnings in a little bar on Peel Street, Central, Peel Street Poetry is now approaching its 10-year anniversary, and is still going strong with weekly open mics every Wednesday. Find out more at www.tedxwanchai.com Tags: TEDxWanChai, TEDxWanChai Women, TEDx, Hong Kong, Peel Street Poets, Henrik Hoeg, slam poetry, poetry club, poets society, Peel Street, poetry performance, creative expression

Jo Farrell

Jo Farrell is an award-winning black-and-white photographer and cultural anthropologist. Currently based in Hong Kong, Jo was most recently recognised for her project documenting some of the last remaining women in China with bound feet. Find out more at www.tedxwanchai.com Tags: Jo Farrell, TEDxWanChai, TEDxWanChai Women, TEDx, Hong Kong, bound feet, photography, black-and-white photography, cultural anthropology, beauty standards, body image, peer pressure, social norms, social pressure, media bias, female empowerment, perception of beauty

Kate March

Kate March is the Creative Director and Founder of I AM, an innovative production company based in Hong Kong. Her work has been described as immersive, avant-garde dinner theatre with "viscerally provoking" stunning concept pieces. Find out more at www.tedxwanchai.com Tags: Kate March, TEDxWanChai, TEDxWanChai Women, TEDx, Hong Kong, I AM, grey area, unpredictability, self-development, instinct, emotions, embracing the unknown, dance, creativity, creative director, philosophy

Laurel Chor

Chor is the founder of the Hong Kong Explorers Initiative, which encourages people to explore the outdoors and to appreciate wildlife. In 2013, she was named a National Geographic Young Explorer. The following year she was appointed by Dr. Jane Goodall to be an ambassador for her institute in Hong Kong. A photographer and writer, Chor now works as associate editor of Coconuts Hong Kong, a news and lifestyle website. Find out more at www.tedxwanchai.com Tags: Laurel Chor, TEDxWanChai, TEDxWanChai Women, TEDx, Hong Kong, Coconuts Hong Kong, concrete jungle, wildlife exploration, wildlife preservation, outdoors exploration, wildlife diversity, endangered species

Leonie Valentine

Leonie Valentine is Google's Director for SMB Customer Experience in APAC. She is a member of The Women's Foundation's technology and women on boards committees and was previously a mentor steering committee member for TWF's Mentoring Program for Women Leaders. She is also a board member for HandsOn Hong Kong. Find out more at www.tedxwanchai.com Tags: Leonie Valentine, TEDxWanChai, TEDxWanChai Women, TEDx, Hong Kong, Google, Women’s Foundation, STEM, women in STEM, women in technology, women in tech, gender imbalance, technology industry

Lori Granito

Lori Granito is the founder of Hong Kong's first culinary incubator for food entrepreneurs, Kitchen Sync. She is the owner of Go Gourmet Catering, the award-winning private kitchen Magnolia, and co-owner of the Mexican restaurants, Little Burro. She was previously named Entrepreneur of the Year by Skal Hong Kong. Find out more at www.tedxwanchai.com Tags: Lori Granito, TEDxWanChai, TEDxWanChai Women, TEDx, Hong Kong, Kitchen Sync, Go Gourmet Catering, entrepreneurship, overcoming, challenge, small business, business owner, success story, women in business, food industry, food entrepreneur

Matt Friedman

Friedman is an international human trafficking expert with experience as a manager, program designer, evaluator, and front-line responder. He is currently CEO of The Mekong Club, an organisation made up of Hong Kong-based private sector business leaders who have joined forces to help fight human trafficking in Asia. Find out more at www.tedxwanchai.com Tags: Matt Friedman, TEDxWanChai, TEDxWanChai Women, TEDx, Hong Kong, Mekong Club, human trafficking, slavery, Nepal, public health, anti-trafficking, activism, fundraising, modern slavery, counter-trafficking, human rights

Meaghan McGurgan

McGurgan is an award-winning theatre director and designer originally from the Atlanta Metro area. She is currently the editor of hkeld.com, Hong Kong's number one art blog and the Artistic Director of Shakespeare in the Port, Hong Kong's outdoor Shakespeare festival. Her mission is to prove that Hong Kong is not a cultural desert and that art should be accessible for everyone. Find out more at www.tedxwanchai.com Tags: Meaghan McGurgan, TEDxWanChai, TEDxWanChai Women, TEDx, Hong Kong, HKELD.com, Shakespeare in the Port, Hong Kong art scene, local art, homegrown art, Hong Kong art, cultural desert, cultural accessibility

Rama Kulkarni

She is currently a student of Comparative Literature and Sociology at The University of Hong Kong, and particularly passionate about feminism, plastic pollution, and animal rights. A strong believer in small-scale local activism, she has been an organizer in Hong Kong for the global movement to end violence against women, One Billion Rising, for the past three years. Some of her thoughts and writing can be found on http://www.sweaty-toothed-madman.blogspot.com From their humble beginnings in a little bar on Peel Street, Central, Peel Street Poetry is now approaching its 10-year anniversary, and is still going strong with weekly open mics every Wednesday. Tags: TEDxWanChai, TEDxWanChai Women, TEDx, Hong Kong, Peel Street Poets, Rama Kulkarni, slam poetry, poetry club, poets society, Peel Street, poetry performance, creative expression

Samantha Borje

Samantha Borje is a Filipino-Hong Konger currently finishing up her gap year. She spent the better part of it working for victims of domestic and child abuse in Marikina City, Philippines. Before this, she had been involved in Hong Kong media where she had written for the Young Post, produced for RTHK Radio 3, and performed in local music and theatre. She is now trying her hand at navigating the poetry scene before heading to Pomona College in the fall. From their humble beginnings in a little bar on Peel Street, Central, Peel Street Poetry is now approaching its 10-year anniversary, and is still going strong with weekly open mics every Wednesday. Find out more at www.tedxwanchai.com Tags: TEDxWanChai, TEDxWanChai Women, TEDx, Hong Kong, Peel Street Poets, Samantha Borje, slam poetry, poetry club, poets society, Peel Street, poetry performance, creative expression

Su-Mei Thompson

Thompson is the CEO of the non-profit The Women’s Foundation. Originally a corporate financial lawyer, she built up a career at companies including Disney, Financial Times and Christie’s before moving to head the NGO in 2009. Find out more at www.tedxwanchai.com Tags: Su-Mei Thompson, TEDxWanChai, TEDxWanChai Women, TEDx, Hong Kong, Women’s Foundation, media bias, social pressure, gender discrimination, body image, peer pressure, social norms, eating disorder, plastic surgery, thinness, beauty standards, perception of beauty

The Anello

The Anello is an innovative musical duo fusing indie, electronic and R&B. Their members have been featured around Asia including performances at Clockenflap, Art Basel, City Jazz Festival and the Hai Yang Music Festival in China. Collectively they have shared the stage with Turtle Giant, The Weathering, Noughts & Exes, The Bollands, The White Eyes and Eason Chan. Find out more at www.tedxwanchai.com Tags: The Anello, TEDxWanChai, TEDxWanChai Women, TEDx, Hong Kong, musical performance, live music, creative expression, stereotypes, prejudice, musical expression

Valerie Inertie

Inertie is a circus artist and Cyr Wheel dance pioneer, who has worked as a coordinator for Cirque du Monde and as a gymnastics coach and fitness trainer in sports clubs. Cirque du Soleil is one of the many major companies she has worked with, and her performances have become widely recognized in over 30 countries. In 2011, she was invited to present her Cyr Wheel act at the 35th Monte Carlo International Circus Festival, for which she received many accolades and high acclaim. Find out more at www.tedxwanchai.com Tags: Valerie Inertie, TEDxWanChai, TEDxWanChai Women, TEDx, Hong Kong, Cyr Wheel, circus act, live performance, dance performance, circus choreography

Vishal Nanda

Nanda has won a pacific coffee gift card for his slam poetry, on the subjects of oceans and fatherhood, which he keeps unspent next to several other trinkets he has accumulated over the years. The poems themselves have been misplaced, as they were written on a scrap of paper at a bar. He has also had a short story performed by the local chapter of Liar's League in Hong Kong- a story which has been performed well by a local actor and has caused many beautiful women to cry. From their humble beginnings in a little bar on Peel Street in Hong Kong, Peel Street Poetry is now approaching its 10-year anniversary, and is still going strong with weekly open mics every Wednesday. Find out more at www.tedxwanchai.com Tags: TEDxWanChai, TEDxWanChai Women, TEDx, Hong Kong, Peel Street Poets, Vishal Nanda, slam poetry, poetry club, poets society, Peel Street, poetry performance, creative expression