Theme: Where the World Gathers

International University of Japan (国際大学/IUJ) is a private university located in Minamiuonuma city in Niigata Prefecture, Japan.

With over 300 students from over 50 countries, IUJ is truly international. TEDxIUJ intends to showcase the stories of these students from all over the world.

This year the Student Councils of both the Graduate School of International Management and Graduate School of International Relations have collaborated to organize the first TEDx event in IUJ under the theme "Where the World Gathers", the school's official tagline.

Matsushita Library & Information Center Hall
International University of Japan
777 Kokusai-cho
Minami Uonuma, Niigata, 949-7277
Japan

Abdel Ghader Khdeim

Social Change Evangelist and Social Entrepreneur

A young and dynamic change maker and social change evangelist. Abdel Ghader is a 2016 Mandel Washington Fellow, under former President Barack Obama's Young African Leader Initiative (YALI). He is currently pursuing his Masters in Economics at the International University of Japan. He has a wealth of experience working with international organizations, agencies under the UN, and various diplomatic missions. He has been in charge of managing people and doing management responsibilities. Abdel Ghader believes that with shared humanity the world will be a better place for all.

Dennis Nyaga

A Finance and Accounting Professional

Dennis is a finance and accounting professional who has worked as a finance officer, accountant and most recently as a business analyst. He is currently a co-content developer for a web-based education program in Kenya.

Ikhlosiddin Urmanov

Studenpreneur, Social Entrepreneur

Social entrepreneur and educator. A person who wants to create impact on the improvement of current education models. Ensuring that the present education system is not outdated, especially in the onset of the age of Artificial Intelligence. Activist on delivering the importance of lifelong education. Mr. Uramnov is currently pursuing his Masters degree in Business Administration (MBA) at the International University of Japan, with a background in General Management and Econometrics. Prior to his study, he has worked for three years at the Tashkent State University of Economics.

Ismail Chbouk

Negotiation Professional and Cultural Activist

Ismail Chbouk is a negotiation professional. After getting his Master degree in International Trade, he worked as a project buyer for an international manufacturing company. During that time, he led the negotiations for introducing a new technology in Morocco and oversaw the implementation process. He was also general secretary of a theater association who produced and hosted many plays. They co-founded the International Festival of University Theater of Tangier and co-organized its many editions. Ismail is currently completing his MBA degree with focus on finance and project management in the International University of Japan.

Mariam January

Social Consultant, Activist and Environmentalist

Mariam January has recently started her own consultancy called 3 Circle Consulting. In her 15 years working experience she has developed skills in facilitation, stakeholder engagement, stakeholder engagement strategy development, policy analysis and research. Mariam’s area of expertise is situated in the interface between social issues and natural resource management in the mining, fisheries and power sectors. She has worked on a numerous projects including research projects; participatory planning processes; training and capacity building projects; as well as regulatory processes in the South African context such as Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIAs). Her work experience resulted in her engaging with a wide variety of stakeholders from government, state-owned and private sector companies, NGO’s to indigent communities. Mariam holds an MA in Environment Development and Policy. She is currently completing her MBA degree at the International University of Japan.

Michael Bosack

International Relations Strategist, War-Tested Veteran

Michael Bosack is a former military officer committed to mentoring future generations of leaders. To this point in his career, Michael has fulfilled a variety of leadership roles. His military service placed him in charge of up-to 250-member aircraft maintenance units in missions across the globe, as well as leading alliance management teams in cooperation with the Japanese, Korean, and Australian governments. As an East-West Center Fellow, he helped run the Leadership Studies course and served as an editor for its "Transformations in Leadership" journal. Michael recently left military service to pursue a Ph.D. before returning to international relations work, but he maintains his passion for writing, speaking, and mentoring others on leadership in hopes of passing on the knowledge he gained from his experiences all over the world.

Mohammed Ahmed

Cross-Cultural Educator

Mohammed Ahmed deeply values the goal of global citizenship. He views global citizenship as a sense of community that emerges from meaningful connections among individuals across national and cultural boundaries. Such connections foster a mental richness that comes from an informed appreciation of diversity. As an educator, Mohammed seeks to create sustainable engagement among teachers and learners driven by diverse values and beliefs. His motivation comes from his studies of socio-cultural theories of education and his interests in positive psychology and neuroscience. Mohammed comes from Bangladesh and lived in the United States while doing his doctoral studies. Since 1988, he has been living in Japan, teaching at a university with a highly multi-cultural campus. He teaches English, business, and cross-cultural communications. He also conducts sessions in corporate training programs on global leadership development and engages in executive coaching.

Shuntaro Hiura

Experienced Airline Professional

Shuntaro Hiura, born in Tokyo (Japan), is currently pursuing his Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) with concentration in General Management at the International University of Japan. He has worked for thirteen (13) years at the All Nippon Airways Co., Ltd (ANA), the largest airline company in Japan and also the 15th largest airline group in the world. His work experience in ANA resulted in his engagement with a wide variety of professional fields, from airport management, human resource management, employee relationship management, sales & marketing, and administration of cabin attendants. After he completes his Masters, he will return to ANA as a manager and contribute to utilize the accumulated knowledge and valuable experience in IUJ.