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 Bridgewater Hall
Lower Mosley Street
Manchester, Manchester, M2 3WS
United Kingdom

Youngr

Since breaking through in 2016 with his self-released debut solo single ‘Out Of My System,’ UK-based musician Youngr has racked up over 150 million streams and played over 250 shows in 35 countries around the world. Born in Greater Manchester, Youngr was born into a family of musicians, including Kid Creole and the Coconuts. This early exposure laid the foundation for his eclectic sound and production abilities. Online, Youngr saw viral success with his unique one-take live videos of dancefloor-friendly bootlegs such as his take on ‘Sweet Disposition’ by The Temper Trap which enjoyed over 15 million views within the first two weeks of release. Youngr’s original works include acclaimed releases such as This is not an Album and Live From Llamaland Studios which pushed Youngr’s creative limits by creating the album under a self-set challenge to make a piece of music everyday for 30 days, posting the resulting compositions on his social media channels. As a one-man band, Youngr dramatically builds his tracks up layer by layer in real-time, He’s enjoyed highly successful appearances at global music gatherings such as Tomorrowland, Latitude Festival, SXSW, Ultra Music Festival and Boardmasters.

Abbie Maroño

Dr. Abbie Maroño is both a scientist and a practitioner in the field of human behavior. Having completed her PhD in Psychology and Behavior analysis, Abbie became a Professor of Psychology at academic institutions by the age of 23, and specializes in nonverbal communication, trust, and the psychological mechanisms underpinning human decision making. In 2022, the United States Department of State recognized Abbie’s international acclaim and record of achievements in the sciences as placing her in the top 1% of her field. Abbie is now the Director of Education at Social-Engineer, LLC. Originally from the UK, she is now based in Orlando, Florida. Abbie is an active member of internationally recognized research groups and was awarded reviewer of the year in 2020. Abbie is also a keynote speaker, trainer, and coach.

Blaise Agüera y Arcas

Blaise Agüera y Arcas is a leading Artificial Intelligence (AI) researcher, author, and Vice President and Fellow at Google Research. He is a winner of MIT Technology Review’s TR35 Prize and Fast Company’s Most Creative People Award, as well as a frequent speaker at TED and many other conferences. At Google, Agüera y Arcas leads a team working on AI, large language models, smart devices, technology ethics, and privacy. Publicly visible projects from his team include Federated Learning, Artists and Machine Intelligence, Coral, and many AI features in Pixel and Android. In 2016, Agüera y Arcas wrote a widely read essay on the relationship between art and technology, and in 2017 he co-authored another popular essay on physiognomy and bias in AI as well as a refutation of claims that facial structure reveals sexual orientation. Some of this material has been incorporated into his latest book, Who Are We Now?, released in December 2023 via Hat & Beard Press. His debut novella, Ubi Sunt, published in 2022 and was a winner of the AIGA 50 Books 50 Covers Award.

Charles Duhigg

Charles Duhigg is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter and the author of the international bestsellers The Power of Habit and Smarter Faster Better. His works have been translated into over 45 languages. He is a former journalist for the Los Angeles Times and New York Times and currently writes for The New Yorker magazine. He is a winner of the National Academies of Sciences, National Journalism, and George Polk awards. A graduate of Harvard Business School and Yale College, he lives in California with his wife and two children.

James Leinhardt

James Leinhardt is the founder and Chief Sleep Posture Expert of Levitex. He has a wealth of knowledge in nighttime postural care and has designed medical devices to manage the posture for people suffering with complex neurological illness and injury. He works with NHS trusts and social care throughout the UK and clients as far as the Middle East and Australia. Working with client groups such as catastrophic brain injury, MS, Cerebral Palsy and Stroke survivors, James feels a strong sense of purpose to care and improve the lives of patients in medical difficulty and the wider public. James guest lectures at Universities across the UK and US and is a Honorary Lecturer at the School of Sport and Health Sciences within the University of Central Lancashire. He is passionate about spreading the message of the importance of sleep posture as a clinical intervention to the next generations of nurses, occupational therapists and physiotherapists.

James Sills

James is a musician, author and speaker who is on a mission to get people singing. He is a passionate advocate for the holistic benefits of communal singing and over the last decade has brought together thousands of people together at events and gatherings around the world – from choirs to conferences, workshops to workplaces, festivals to football stadiums. James uses singing to build connections, improve wellbeing and to spark joy, creating a transformational experience for all participants. His first book, ‘Do Sing: Reclaim Your Voice. Find Your Singing Tribe’ was published in September 2019 by the Do Book Company and is described by Cerys Matthews as ‘an open door to the joyous world of singing’ and has inspired readers around the world. Throughout his career, he has strived to create new and innovative ways for people to come together to sing. This includes founding Wrexham One Love Choir – Wales’s first homeless choir and The Sofa Singers – an online singing community. In 2020, James was awarded a Points Of Light Award from the UK government in recognition of his work to combat feelings of isolation during the Coronavirus pandemic through The Sofa Singers. His media experience includes appearances on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 3, BBC One, BBC Worldwide and NBC (US). He has also appeared in most major UK newspapers and lifestyle magazines. Currently, James writes a monthly column for Psychologies, the UK’s best selling wellbeing magazine, entitled ‘Sing For Your Life.’ As a speaker, James uses the singing experience to explore issues around community, health and wellbeing, flow theory, mental health, leadership and business. James often incorporates interactive elements to his talks, making the audience active participants experiencing the power of singing for themselves. James is also member of international a cappella troupe, the Spooky Men’s Chorale, with whom he has toured internationally for the last decade. James lives in the hills in North Wales with his family and vinyl collection.

James Timpson

James Timpson OBE is the CEO of the five-generation, family-owned company Timpson, which includes many of the UK’s best-known high street retailers, including Snappy Snaps, Max Spielman, The Watch Lab and more. James has served as CEO since 2002 and during his tenure the family business has seen consistent and successful growth during a time of great turmoil for traditional UK high street retail. And while the company has enjoyed business success it has also proven to be an innovator in unexpected ways. James has been a long time advocate of employing ex-offenders and today the company employs over 600 former prisoners representing over 10% of the company’s employees as one example. James comes to TEDxManchester to talk about the Timpson concept around ‘upside-down management’ which is their formula for shared success through real employee empowerment, a company culture built on collaboration, profit, and employee happiness. With a wealth of experience overseeing 2,000 locations across the UK, he challenges the traditional top-down mindset and contends that adopting a mindset, where employees are trusted and valued collaborators rather than mere cogs in the machine, leads not only to financial success but also to enhanced team well-being and happiness. In addition to his day job, James is Chair of the Prison Reform Trust, the Chancellor of Keele University and a Trustee for the Tate. He is the father to three adult children and lives in Cheshire with his wife, Roisin.

Jim Down

Dr Jim Down is a consultant in Intensive Care and Anaesthesia at University College London Hospitals and author of two books; ‘Life Support, Diary of an ICU Doctor on the Frontline of the Covid Crisis,’ (2021) and ‘Life in the Balance, A Doctor’s Stories of Intensive Care.’ (2023). He chairs the Hospital Guidelines Committee and the departmental weekly scientific meetings and is consultant representative on the Trust Wellbeing committee. He was previously divisional director of the Intensive Care Unit and chair of the consultants’ group. In the course of a thirty-year career he has attended a train crash, treated victims of the 7/7 London Bombings and looked after poisoned Russian dissident Alexander Litvinenko. Alongside his clinical work during the Covid pandemic he was appointed Hospital lead for medical ethics. He lives in North London with his wife and fourteen-year-old twins and can be found most mornings shivering in the changing rooms of his local Lido.

Marika Taylor

Marika Taylor is a Professor of Theoretical Physics and Pro-Vice Chancellor and Head of College of Engineering and Physical Sciences at the University of Birmingham. She completed her doctorate on black holes and string theory at Cambridge University under the supervision of Stephen Hawking. Following postdoctoral research in Harvard and Utrecht, she joined the University of Amsterdam in 2004. In 2012 she moved to the University of Southampton to create a research centre interfacing between mathematics and the physical sciences, and she later became a fellow of the Alan Turing Institute. Her current research interests range from exploring the frontiers of fundamental physics to using physics led approaches to develop artificial intelligence.

Nicky Wake

The dream of many people in life is to find that one in a million, their soulmate. Manchester-based entrepreneur Nicky Wake achieved that dream with her husband Andy and they proceeded to build together their perfect life joined by their son Finn. Sadly in 2020 Nicky lost her husband during the pandemic, a tragedy which naturally rocked her world to the foundations. At the same time she joined a community nobody seeks entrance into – the global community of widows and widowers. And while Nicky suffered, and continues to suffer, the loss of her soulmate, it was this very community that would help her find her way out of the deepest of grief.

Otto English

Otto English is the pen name of Essex born journalist and author Andrew Scott. Scott studied Drama and English at the University of Kent before completing an MA in playwriting at the University of Birmingham. Initially a writer for theatre and TV, he went on to work as a teacher before becoming a journalist, writing for Politico, the Independent, New Statesman and Byline Times among others. Scott is known for his work in challenging false narratives in history and politics. His best-selling book, Fake History was published in 2021 and Fake Heroes followed in 2023.

Selma Masood

Selma is the Founder & Principal of SM & Co Solicitors. She was born and raised in Hong Kong and comes from a mixed background, with her mum from Hong Kong and her late father, from Iran. Selma graduated from the University of Manchester with a Bachelor of Music Degree and Bachelor of Law degree, as well as the University of Hong Kong for the Postgraduate Certificate of Laws. She is a Solicitor on the General Panel of Mediators in Hong Kong (HKIAC) and a Solicitor on the Legal Aid Panel. Selma also had a stint in the Hong Kong Judiciary, sitting as a Deputy Magistrate at Eastern Magistracy for two months between January and March 2019. Selma qualified as a Solicitor in Hong Kong in 2006 and in early May 2016, she set up SM & Co Solicitors, which is in association with international Italian law firm Gianni & Origoni, which has a dedicated Hong Kong branch. Selma is based in Manchester and manages her law firm remotely. Selma has many hobbies including music (she plays the piano, flute, cello and Chinese zither), dragon boating, boxing and giving back to the community through various charitable means. She is also an avid linguist and speaks 7 languages.