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).

Royal Geographical Society
Royal Geographical Society
1 Kensington Gore
London, London, City of, SW7 2AR
United Kingdom

Charles Irvine

During his time as a peace monitor in South Africa at the height of Apartheid, Charles Irvine developed a belief that conflict has the potential to be our greatest natural resource. Since relocating to the UK in 1996 to build “Questions of Difference”, a niche consultancy, he has gone on to inspire more than 40,000 people as a strategic business consultant in over 30 countries. He is driven by his passion for creating environments where groups of people do extraordinary things.

Chris Cowan

Chris Cowan once followed the typical path of a successful marketeer: Unilever, Duracell Batteries, Disney. He then decided to start over and set up Clusters, a market research agency, which was built on his passionate belief that evidence-based targeting is a prerequisite for great marketing.

Claudia Christian

Claudia Christian landed her first TV series at 18 on NBC’s nighttime drama Berringers and her first studio feature at 20 in New Line Cinema’s cult hit “The Hidden.” Over 50 films, hundreds of TV shows and 5 music albums later, Claudia has worked with George Clooney, Kirk Douglas, Faye Dunaway, Nicolas Cage and countless other luminaries.

Daniel Robaczewski

The discovery that hypnosis is not magic, but a legitimate tool used in psychotherapy and personal development led Daniel Robaczewski to start performing with a group of enthusiasts on the streets of Warsaw at the age of 17. During the journey that followed, he became a certified hypnotist, participated in hundreds of hours of workshops, hypnotised over a thousand people and taught hundreds of his own students, including psychologists, psychiatrists and actors.

Ed Rex

As a composer and entrepreneur, Ed Rex believes we are heading towards a world where AI will master creativity, and he has founded a startup to find out more.

Estelle Lovatt

As a freelance art critic for the BBC and Sky News who trained as a fine artist, Estelle Lovatt is well placed to offer her expert opinion on the theory, practice and intention behind great artworks. Estelle believes art is a universal language that best communicates human emotion as it breaks down barriers regardless of idiom, race, age, culture, gender, religion, country and ethnicity.

Evan McMullin

Evan served for over ten years as an undercover Operations Officer with the CIA’s National Clandestine Service, including multiple conflict zone tours of duty in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. More recently, he advised the Committee on Foreign Affairs in the U.S. House of Representatives on national security issues and is currently the Chief Policy Director with the House Republican Conference and a co-founder of the early stage, next-generation television platform Yedy.tv.

Freek Vermeulen

Associate Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at LBS, Freek Vermeulen writes, consults and speaks across the world on topics such as strategies for growth, strategic innovation and making strategy happen. Using rigorous research to gain insight into how business really works, his work has been recognized by the most reputed academic journals and managerial publications.

George Ploubidis

A population health scientist by trade and Chief Statistician of the Centre for Longitudinal Studies at the University College London, George Ploubidis’ research has centred on uncovering the socio-economic, demographic and structural determinants of population health and the mechanisms that link these over the life-course. He is particularly interested in the joint progress of health and mortality and the use of population surveys to capture macro level trends.

Julia Lalla-Maharajh

Through her time spent volunteering in Ethiopia, Julia Lalla-Maharajh had a first-hand glimpse into the devastating practice of female genital cutting. Deeply affected, Julia founded the Orchid Project, where she worked on the ground in Senegal and The Gambia and witnessed an incredible grassroots movement of communities choosing not to cut their daughters.

Kelly Price

As a Texan fluent in Japanese and Chinese, Kelly Price wondered if she was destined to become a doctor in Asia. Instead, she parlayed her love of biology, language and travel into a career in medical market research with a focus in oncology. Later on, when Kelly was matched with a patient in need of a stem cell transplant, she suddenly found herself observing the treatment of cancer from the inside. The experience was life-changing.

Kitty Chisholm

A professional coach helping leaders achieve sustainable change, Kitty Chisholm developed a passionate interest in how people and organisations learn and change through her work with the Open University. As a founder Director of BoardwalkLeadership, she uses her knowledge of how brains can be changed to support more women into leadership and companies to develop a more diverse leadership pipeline.

Matthew Syed

Matthew Syed was the British table tennis number one for almost a decade, three-time Commonwealth Champion, and twice competed for Great Britain in the Olympic Games (in Barcelona in 1992 and Sydney in 2000). A columnist for The Times, he has also gone on to publish numerous bestselling books; Bounce, published in April 2010, has been described as “one of the most intelligent and thought-provoking books about sport ever written”, and Black Box Thinking, published in 2015, which has been globally acknowledged and translated into multiple languages.

Rajesh Chandy

Professor of Marketing and Academic Director of LBS’ very own Deloitte Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Rajesh Chandy’s findings on innovation have been quoted by Forbes magazine as “an unorthodox and bracing set of management principles”. He is widely recognised for his work with aspiring and established entrepreneurs, and the winner of multiple awards for his contributions to marketing theory and thought.

Ruba Shamshoum

Palestinian musician Ruba Shamshoum has lived and breathed the music industry for almost a decade, during which she has been involved in a large range of musical styles and ensembles. She started composing her own material in 2011, writing the song ‘Ya Leil La Trouh’ for Annemarie Jacir’s film ‘When I saw You’. Her new singles generated much critical acclaim and elevated her onto the indie charts in the Middle East.

Sue Cox

Twenty years working with organisations as a Learning and Development Specialist gave Sue Cox a deeper perception of the nuances of strong leadership than most. However, her most powerful and illuminating insights came from an entirely unexpected quarter; a three-year sabbatical dancing Tango in Argentina. On her return to the UK, she devised Ballroom2Boardroom workshops, drawing from the complex dynamic of tango to challenge how we lead and follow in business.