Theme: Purple Parachute: Surviving as a graduate in this complex world

The TEDx University of Hertfordshire event will will take place on the 10th of April at the Weston Auditorium in Hatfield. Produced from pre-to-post by a professional production crew, the theme of our TEDx?

Purple Parachute: Surviving as a graduate in this complex world. Why, other than the pertinance of the question in this profound period of time? Purple is our university colour, purple represents the UH community. The Parachute symbolises many things for us, such as; surviving in this time, a tool for survival, the leap into uncertainty, flying, falling, excitement, confrontation of fears, aspirations, hope, faith, freedom, direction, etc. We invite you to attend our TEDx and hope you keep in the loop all things TEDx University of Hertfordshire, as our social media and centrepiece TEDx Talks go online.

Feel inspired to know who the 8 speakers will be speaking at our event? Take a look at our speaker list below.

Simon Lancaster - How to start a speech

Simon Lancaster is a leading speechwriter, having written hundreds of speeches for many of Britain's top politicians and business leaders. Now running Bespoke, Britain's leading specialist speechwriting agency, and acting as a guest lecturer on Lancaster University's MA in Rhetoric, Simon comes to TEDx University of Hertfordshire to summarise his current work in his talk - ‘How to start a speech’. Condensing the fundamentals of starting a speech, Simon will introduce the key checkpoints required to prepare and commence a speech. From perceiving the audience and researching the receiver to delivering the appropriate opening, Simon’s Talk will be relevant for anyone from a humanities background or who has wanted to write a speech as a professional would.

Mina Leslie-Wujastyk - Dreaming big: Finding determination in the face of uncertainty

Mina Leslie-Wujastyk has been recognised as one of the brightest stars in the current generation of British female climbers. While she initially made her name as a high standard boulderer and competition climber, in recent years she has shown outstanding form as a sport climber, and resultantly has gained prominent notoriety in her field. However it has not been smoove climbing for Mina. She has had to relocate, up-sticks, and struggle through personal and professional adversity to achieve her dreams. Being in the position she is now, an elite in her field, the fundamentals of rock climbing and dealing with external adversity are relevant to anyone dealing with uncertainty. The difficulties of climbing and the difficulties of achieving goals are metaphorically and literally intertwined, and Mina’s talk is relevant for anyone facing the uncertainty with that.

David Buonaguidi - Be the driver, not the passenger

Dave Buonaguidi has worked in advertising for over 30 years, founding St. Luke’s, the first advertising co-operative of its kind; labelled as ‘the most frightening company on earth’ by the Harvard Business Review. Dave has driven himself on the basis that ‘creativity is a wonderful curse’, and that has to be harnessed in order to fulfill the full potential of the individual; and as a part of a collective. As a creative advertiser working with untypical materials, Dave’s experimental approach in achieving extraordinary results will be channeled in his talk. Inspiring audiences to be proactive and take the reigns, in order to guide their career-path, Dave’s talk will be relevant to anyone who has an idea or has had an idea but doesn’t have the reason for why they should execute it.

Ivan Phillips - Doctor Who: Myth in the modern world

Dr Ivan Phillips is a credited writer on the theory of myth, and as the Associate Dean of School (Learning and Teaching) for the School of Creative Arts, Ivan has championed his school through his work. Speaking on the idea of myths in the modern world, Ivan will use the fictional modern myth of The Doctor in Doctor who as a way to transcend how reputation precedes the individual. With stories shaping the way in which we are perceived, as The Doctor said in ‘The Big Bang’, “We're all stories in the end”. Ivan’s talk will speak metaphorically on how we can present ourselves as we wish to be seen, by having our past actions transcend time and space by contextualising how our future selves can be perceived. Ivan’s talk will be relevant for anyone who used digital platforms or intents to have a public career, as the profiles (context) that we form for ourselves can mirror popular modern mythology.

Samuel Leach - Feeling uncomfortable is the answer

Samuel Leach is a well respected and accredited expert in global trading, and will be speaking on how it is imperative to ‘get out of your comfort zone’ in the early stages of a career. As the current Director of his own Trading firm, Sam’s career has been alien for a typical Marketing and Advertising graduate. Since graduating from UH in 2014, Sam has succeeded in the financial industry from having no professional training in the field. His talk will assure listeners that it is not just okay to be uncomfortable after graduating, but it is a fundamental in the pursuit of success. With the financial markets being a clouded state in the past few years with the mainstream burst of crypto and market destabilisation, Sam’s talk will highlight how ‘getting out of your comfort zone’ can leapfrog success and will be relevant for anyone looking to pioneer a challenging step forward of their own.

Miguel Veiga-Pestana - Taking the plunge with purpose

Miguel Veiga-Pestana has had a storied and varied career in political communication and PR. In the past 25 years, Miguel has changed approaches in his upward trajectory of roles across working for the British House of Commons, the world’s largest philanthropic organisation - The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and currently in his role as VP of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability with RB. Having taken bold steps through his career, Miguel will be remarking on the major step that graduates will make as they transition into work. The early phase of a career can be daunting, as a transition can be at any stage in a career. Miguel will summarise this and advise on the ways he has found the occupational, lifeline leap of faith most effective. Miguel’s talk will be relevant for anyone taking a transition in their careers, with food for thought on how to rationalise the process.

Helen Sanderson - Self–managed Teams: An insider’s story

Helen Sanderson will be joining our TEDx shairng her 15-year work being closely involved in the development of person-centred thinking and planning in the UK. Helen will come to our TEDx with a fresh approach to team management, with her first hand experience of self-managed teams: teams which manage themselves without a manager. Delineating the traditional rigidity of hierarchical management, self-managed teams have shown to be particularly successful for individual and collective wellbeing. With the management approach growing traction worldwide, this talk will be relevant for anyone looking to work into an entrepreneurial business or business with innovative work practices.

Helen Payne - Thriving in uncertainty: Promoting wellbeing in our bodymind

Helen Payne is an accredited psychotherapist and senior registered dance movement therapist. Combining her expertise in these fields, Helen is a Professor of psychotherapy at the University of Hertfordshire and facilitates authentic movement groups in her private practice. As a clinical manager for Pathways2Wellbeing, a university spin-out delivering healthcare services, Helen has seen first-hand the entwined relationship between the body and mind and how wellbeing can be promoted as a result. With anxiety and stress being challenges that must be overcome throughout our lives, this talk will be relevant for anyone interested in bettering their own wellbeing throughout the body and mind.

de Havilland Campus
Hatfield, Hertfordshire
United Kingdom

Dave Buonaguidi

Dave Buonaguidi has worked in advertising for over 30 years, founding St. Luke’s, the first advertising co-operative of its kind; labelled as ‘the most frightening company on earth’ by the Harvard Business Review. Dave has driven himself on the basis that ‘creativity is a wonderful curse’, and that has to be harnessed in order to fulfill the full potential of the individual; and as a part of a collective. As a creative advertiser working with untypical materials, Dave’s experimental approach in achieving extraordinary results will be channeled in his talk. Inspiring audiences to be proactive and take the reigns, in order to guide their career-path, Dave’s talk will be relevant to anyone who has an idea or has had an idea but doesn’t have the reason for why they should execute it.

Helen Payne

Helen Payne is an accredited psychotherapist and senior registered dance movement therapist. Combining her expertise in these fields, Helen is a Professor of psychotherapy at the University of Hertfordshire and facilitates authentic movement groups in her private practice. As a clinical manager for Pathways2Wellbeing, a university spin-out delivering healthcare services, Helen has seen first-hand the entwined relationship between the body and mind and how wellbeing can be promoted as a result. With anxiety and stress being challenged that must be overcome throughout our lives, this talk will be relevant for anyone interested in bettering their own wellbeing throughout the body and mind.

Helen Sanderson

Helen Sanderson will be joining our TEDx shairng her 15-year work being closely involved in the development of person-centred thinking and planning in the UK. Helen will come to our TEDx with a fresh approach to team management, with her first hand experience of self-managed teams: teams which manage themselves without a manager. Delineating the traditional rigidity of hierarchical management, self-managed teams have shown to be particularly successful for individual and collective wellbeing. With the management approach growing traction worldwide, this talk will be relevant for anyone looking to work into an entrepreneurial business or business with innovative work practices.

Ivan Phillips

Dr Ivan Phillips is a credited writer on the theory of myth, and as the Associate Dean of School (Learning and Teaching) for the School of Creative Arts, Ivan has championed his school through his work. Speaking on the idea of myths in the modern world, Ivan will use the fictional modern myth of The Doctor in Doctor who as a way to transcend how reputation precedes the individual. With stories shaping the way in which we are perceived, as The Doctor said in ‘The Big Bang’, “We're all stories in the end”. Ivan’s talk will speak metaphorically on how we can present ourselves as we wish to be seen, by having our past actions transcend time and space by contextualising how our future selves can be perceived. Ivan’s talk will be relevant for anyone who used digital platforms or intents to have a public career, as the profiles (context) that we form for ourselves can mirror popular modern mythology.

Miguel Veiga-Pestana

Miguel Veiga-Pestana has had a storied and varied career in political communication and PR. In the past 25 years, Miguel has changed approaches in his upward trajectory of roles across working for the British House of Commons, the world’s largest philanthropic organisation - The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and currently in his role as VP of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability with RB. Having taken bold steps through his career, Miguel will be remarking on the major step that graduates will make as they transition into work. The early phase of a career can be daunting, as a transition can be at any stage in a career. Miguel will summarise this and advise on the ways he has found the occupational, lifeline leap of faith most effective. Miguel’s talk will be relevant for anyone taking a transition in their careers, with food for thought on how to rationalise the process.

Mina Leslie-Wujastyk

Mina Leslie-Wujastyk has been recognised as one of the brightest stars in the current generation of British female climbers. While she initially made her name as a high standard boulderer and competition climber, in recent years she has shown outstanding form as a sport climber, and resultantly has gained prominent notoriety in her field. However it has not been smoove climbing for Mina. She has had to relocate, up-sticks, and struggle through personal and professional adversity to achieve her dreams. Being in the position she is now, an elite in her field, the fundamentals of rock climbing and dealing with external adversity are relevant to anyone dealing with uncertainty. The difficulties of climbing and the difficulties of achieving goals are metaphorically and literally intertwined, and Mina’s talk is relevant for anyone facing the uncertainty with that.

Samuel Leach

Samuel Leach is a well respected and accredited expert in global trading, and will be speaking on how it is imperative to ‘get out of your comfort zone’ in the early stages of a career. As the current Director of his own Trading firm, Sam’s career has been alien for a typical Marketing and Advertising graduate. Since graduating from UH in 2014, Sam has succeeded in the financial industry from having no professional training in the field. His talk will assure listeners that it is not just okay to be uncomfortable after graduating, but it is a fundamental in the pursuit of success. With the financial markets being a clouded state in the past few years with the mainstream burst of crypto and market destabilisation, Sam’s talk will highlight how ‘getting out of your comfort zone’ can leapfrog success and will be relevant for anyone looking to pioneer a challenging step forward of their own.

Simon Lancaster

Simon Lancaster is a leading speechwriter, having written hundreds of speeches for many of Britain's top politicians and business leaders. Now running Bespoke, Britain's leading specialist speechwriting agency, and acting as a guest lecturer on Lancaster University's MA in Rhetoric, Simon comes to TEDx University of Hertfordshire to summarise his current work in his talk - ‘How to start a speech’. Condensing the fundamentals of starting a speech, Simon will introduce the key checkpoints required to prepare and commence a speech. From perceiving the audience and researching the receiver to delivering the appropriate opening, Simon’s Talk will be relevant for anyone from a humanities background or who has wanted to write a speech as a professional would.