Theme: Momentum

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized (subject to certain rules and regulations).

Renaissance Zurich Tower Hotel
Turbinenstrasse 20
Zürich, Zürich (de), 8005
Switzerland

Christa Muth

Professor emerita at the University of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland (Haute École d’Ingénierie et de Gestion du Canton de Vaud). Born 1949, she earned her Ph.D. at La Jolla University San Diego (Swiss Campus) in 1991. In 20 years of consulting for public and private organizations of every size and any kind, Christa has often accepted high risk assignments when the survival of the organization was at stake. She usually privileges working on the intangible factors to resolve critical situations, such as communication, motivation, teamwork, corporate culture. Most of the time, her approach proved to be the right one if compared with approaches based exclusively on structures, facts and figures.

Grace Cassy

Grace Cassy is the Co-Founder of Epsilon Advisory Partners. Epsilon works with leading technology companies and investors, helping them navigate the intersection of government, enterprise, technology and society. Prior to this, she spent 10 years in the UK Diplomatic Service, working on Asia, Europe, the Americas and global security policy. Between 2004-06, she was a foreign policy Private Secretary to Prime Minister Tony Blair in 10 Downing Street specializing in Asian issues. She is a graduate of Cambridge University.

Lisa Chuma

Female business owners attest that Lisa Chuma is the person to call when you need an infusion of courage and inspiration. Despite all odds growing up in Zimbabwe, one of the poorest countries in the world, raised by a single mother who was a victim of domestic violence, Lisa embraces the belief that life does not get better by chance - it gets better by change. In just a few years after making the move to Switzerland when her husband got a job, she has already become a sought-after speaker, role model and advocate for female business owners and is making an impact and difference in Switzerland. Lisa, the Founder of the Women’s Expo Switzerland, champions for female business owners who are ready to strategically leverage community and collaboration to gain visibility for their businesses.

Nicole Schwab

Nicole is an earth-loving, deep-thinking author and social entrepreneur who spent the last twenty years living and working across cultures and horizons, striving to create a harmonious sustainable world, one that values and honors the feminine principle, and is rooted in our connection to the Earth as a living being. A Swiss native with a scientific background (degrees from Cambridge University and Harvard Kennedy School), Nicole spent several years working on public health in the Andes, before returning to Geneva to co-found The Forum of Young Global Leaders, and later, EDGE - a global scheme that certifies companies for closing the gender gap in the workplace. Her first book, “The Heart of the Labyrinth,” has received great acclaim from thought leaders around the world.

Olivia Schofield

Olivia Schofield competed against 35,000 speakers to win the coveted position of Top Woman Speaker at The World Championship of Public Speaker. A Londoner living in Berlin, Olivia learnt her craft in the theatre; complementing her training with a First Class Honors Degree in Communication and Linguistics from Middlesex University. Olivia has nearly 20 years experience in production and sales for media companies including the BBC, ITV Studios and Thomson Reuters. In 2011, Olivia noticed the lack of speaking skills amongst business speakers and founded Spectacular Speaker - a company dedicated to raising the standard of public speakers and their presentations. She has worked in both Europe and The States giving keynotes and workshops to audiences of up to 2,000.

Sigrun Gudjonsdottir

Sigrun Gudjonsdottir is founder and CEO of Sigrun GmbH, a company that focuses on helping ambitious entrepreneurs turn their passion into profits. She has combined her unique background in personal development, architecture, software engineering, and business, to offer result-driven online programs and high-impact 1-1 coaching. During her 10 years as a CEO, she also consulted numerous startups before she became an entrepreneur herself. Sigrun has trained thousands of entrepreneurs with her live online trainings and mentored hundreds of passionate entrepreneurs to take their business to the next level. Icelandic by origin but global citizen by heart, she splits her time between Switzerland and Iceland while also traveling the world.

Stella Cruz

Stella Cruz was born and raised in Zurich, Switzerland. With passion for sounds and curiosity for life, music has always been her road map to new songs and landscapes: soothing vast, rough roads. Studied at ZHdK Zurich University of the Arts (MA Music). After graduating in 2010, Cruz went to the Philippines, her mother’s roots, following the ancient call. Traveling from the sea to the mountains for months, the singer left the islands with heaps of impressions she put together on the album ‘Simplify’. Shortly after the release in June 2011, Radio DRS 3 chose Stella Cruz as Best Talent of the month. The journey went on and led to another opus: Stella Cruz is currently touring with her new album PHOENIX, released in 2014.

Stephanie Fonteyn

Steph is a professional self-taught artist, mumpreneur, creative workshop facilitator and speaker, who founded Collaborative ArtTM, then fusing her experience in Human Resources with her passion for art and creativity to inspire, engage, and develop creative confidence and potential in others. Using arts-based workshops as a platform, she ignites collaboration, creativity and positive energy to empower people to go beyond the their perceived boundaries.

Susan Jane Gilman

Sylvia Day

Sylvia Day is an actor, writer, improv coach and CEO of Sylvia Day Productions. In 1995 she left the security of Corporate America to follow her dreams, and has since made a niche for herself as an English-spe- aking entertainer in a German- speaking country. She wrote, directed and starred in the comedy shows “50 Shades of DAY!”, “50 Shades of (Christmas) DAY!” and “I’ll Be Home Alone for Christmas!” which where instant hits in Zurich and Chicago, and her latest show “Summer of Love” opens in Zurich on June 17. In October 2015 she’ll be achieving another dream when she takes “50 Shades of DAY!” off-Broadway. In addition to comedy entertainment, she coaches individuals and groups on communications and team-building using improvisation techniques.

Toku McCree

Toku McCree is a mindfulness expert who helps inspiring people show up at their best selves in every aspect of their lives. After obtaining a degree in philosophy and working as a stage manager for headlining rock bands, he spent over 2.5 years living in a Zen monastery. Ever since he has studied, spoken, and written about mindfulness prolifically. When he's not helping amazing people, he spends his free time lifting heavy things and taking pictures of his cat.

Veronique Goy Veenhuys

Véronique Goy Veenhuys aims to ensure a fair work environment for women and men, taking the burden of discrimination off women’s shoulders. She is the CEO of EQUAL-SALARY, a nonprofit established in 2010 that allows companies to prove that, salary wise, they offer equal opportunities to women and men. EQUAL-SALARY is executed in partnership with the university of Geneva and SGS, world leader in certification. Véronique is a born entrepreneur. She gets a kick out of developing ideas and setting them up as businesses.