Theme: The Art of the Possible

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).

The Exeter Nothcott Theatre
Exeter Northcott Theatre
Stocker Road
Exeter, Devon, EX4 4QB
United Kingdom

Alex Kenmure

Head of Business Development, GoodGym

Alex Kenmure is head of business development at GoodGym, a community of runners that combines getting fit with doing good.

Chris Turner

Emergency Medicine Consultant

Chris Turner is a consultant in emergency medicine at University Hospitals of Coventry and Warwickshire. He founded and runs Civility Saves Lives, a campaign that aims to raise awareness of the power of civility in healthcare.

Ciara Eastell

Chief Executive Libraries Unlimited

Ciara Eastell is Chief Executive of Libraries Unlimited, a charity which runs 54 libraries across Devon and Torbay. One of few librarians to have been honoured with a statue, Ciara is also a national council member of Arts Council England and an advisor to the British Library. She believes in the power of arts, culture and creative industries to benefit civic and community life.

Dexter Dias

Barrister, Judge and researcher at Cambridge & Harvard

Dexter Dias QC is an award-winning international human rights barrister, part-time judge and prize-winning researcher at Cambridge and Harvard. His areas of specialism include: terrorism, female genital mutilation, gender and honour-based violence, human trafficking and modern slavery, child soldiering, domestic violence and children in the criminal justice system. He has been instrumental in changing the law to better protect girls at risk of gender-based violence. During the last 30 years, Dexter has been involved in some of the biggest legal cases involving human rights, murder, crimes against humanity, terrorism, war crimes, contentious custodial deaths and genocide.

Hannah Barham-Brown

General Practitioner Trainee

Hannah is a GP trainee, disability advocate and member of the British Medical Association Council. In 2018, she was named one of the UK's 100 most influential disabled people on the Shaw Trust's Disability Power 100 List for her work in medicine, politics and the media.

Hannah Critchlow

Neuroscience author, broadcaster and science presenter

Hannah is an internationally-acclaimed neuroscientist with a background in neuropsychiatry. She is Fellow at Magdalene College, Cambridge University where she also conducted her PhD research. She regularly appears on the TV and Radio, most recently as Science Presenter in BBC series Family Brain Games with Dara Ó Briain. Her book on Consciousness: A Ladybird Expert Guide, was published with Penguin in 2018, whilst The Science of Fate, published with Hodder in May, 2019, made The Sunday Times Bestseller list. In 2019 Hannah was named by Nature as one of Cambridge University's 'Rising Stars in Life Sciences'. She was recognised as a 'Top 100 UK scientist' by the Science Council in 2014 and one of Cambridge University's most ‘inspirational and successful women in science’. Hannah’s choice of career stemmed from working as a Nursing Assistant at St Andrews Psychiatric Hospital.

Harry & Chris

Comedy Rap Jazz Duo

We are thrilled to welcome Harry Baker back to TEDxExeter. Harry first appeared at TEDxExeter in 2014 and his fantastic performance "A love poem for lonely prime numbers" has been viewed over 1.5 million times on TED.com. This year Harry is perfroming with Chris Read. Harry and Chris are childhood friends turned comedy-rap-jazz pioneers. A World Poetry Slam champion and an internationally celebrated jazz musician, the duo have sold out three runs at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, with subsequent tours bringing light, love and laughter to a world that needs it more than ever.

Izzy & Jess Clarkson & Pepperell

National Citizen Service

Izzy Clarkson is an apprentice administrator with local NHS organisation NEW Devon CCG. She is on the regional and local youth boards for the National Citizen Service. Izzy also enjoys skydiving. Jess Pepperell is studying Travel and Tourism at Exeter College, and is a member of the local youth board for the National Citizen Service. She loves travelling and exploring new cultures.

Jess Leigh

Plan International UK Youth Advisory Panel

Since joining Plan International UK's youth advisory panel at the age of 15, Jess Leigh has worked on a number of campaigns to give girls an equal chance in life and spoken in the House of Lords about issues facing girls in the 21st century.

June O'Sullivan

Chief Executive of the London Early Years Foundation

June O'Sullivan MBE is Chief Executive of the London Early Years Foundation (LEYF), a social enterprise which currently runs 37 nurseries across eleven London boroughs. An inspiring speaker, author and regular media commentator on Early Years, Social Business and Child Poverty, June has been instrumental in achieving a major strategic, pedagogical and cultural shift for the award winning London Early Years Foundation, resulting in increased profile, new childcare model and stronger social impact over the past ten years. As CEO and creator of the UK's leading childcare charity and social enterprise since 2006, June continues to break new ground in the development of LEYF's scalable social business model. She remains a tireless campaigner, looking for new ways to influence policy and make society a better place for all children and families.

Kat McHale

Public Health Doctor

Kat McHale is a public health doctor and mother of three young children. In October 2018 she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Kate Salmon

Applied Scientist, Met Office

Kate Salmon is an applied scientist at the Met Office, where she uses weather and climate data to help decision-makers plan for climate change. She was part of Row for the Ocean, the fastest all-female team to finish the 2018 Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge. The crew set up Plastic Free Exeter, which aims to make Exeter the UK's largest 'plastic-free' city by 2020.

Lee Elliott Major

Professor of Social Mobility

Lee Elliot Major is Professor of Social Mobility at the University of Exeter and chief executive of the Sutton Trust. His book, Social Mobility and Its Enemies, calls for radical reforms to address Britain’s low social mobility.

Lucy Clayton

CEO, Community Clothing

Lucy Clayton is curator and co-host of the Dress: Fancy podcast, exploring the social significance and psychology of people in costume. Her career in fashion has taken her from Next to New York and, more recently, Community Clothing, a social enterprise with a mission to sustain and create jobs in the UK textile and garment manufacturing industry.

Naimah Hassan

Programme Director, Global Media Campaign

Naimah Hassan is a founding member and programme director of Global Media Campaign, a non-profit organisation which aims to end FGM.

SK Shlomo

Beatboxer, Electronic Singer Songwriter

Record-breaking beatboxer turned electronic singer-songwriter SK Shlomo has collaborated with Ed Sheeran, Bjork and Damon Albarn. His debut solo album is Surrender.

Steve Simpson

Associate Professor in Marine Biology & Global Change

Steve Simpson is a marine biologist, fish ecologist and self-confessed ocean optimist. His main focus is on impacts of global change - including climatic warming, ocean acidification and noise - on fish, fisheries and marine ecosystems. Steve’s work on bioacoustics, including fish communication and soundscape mapping, was featured on Blue Planet II.

Thore Graepel

Research Group Lead, Google DeepMind

Thore Graepel is a research group lead at Google DeepMind and chair of machine learning at University College London. His research into artificial intelligence has helped to develop systems used by Xbox Live and Bing. Thore recently contributed to creating AlphaGo, the first computer program to defeat a human professional player in the full-sized game of Go.