Theme: Dare to Disrupt

Meet the people doing it differently to make a difference. Challenging the status quo. Reimagining what is possible. Redefining the future. Daring to Disrupt - so we can do things better than before.

In a world of constant change, uncertainty and challenge - these are the Positive Disruptors. Bold, brave, unflinching in their mission to turn received ‘wisdom’ on it’s head and transform pipe dreams into reality.

Be prepared to rip up the rule book and start again. Open your mind, hold onto your seat and enjoy the ride. We’re going to Dare To Disrupt.

Colston Hall
Colston St
Bristol, Bristol, City of, BS1 5AR
United Kingdom

Alan Bec

Alan Bec is a man of many hats! He has studied, lived and breathed being an information designer, educator in psychology, international coach and interviewer of interesting people. He's a Fellowship Councillor for the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Commerce and Manufacturing in the South West, a member of the International Time Perspective Network, member of the Spiritualist National Union and a husband, father and grandfather. Oh and an inventor!

ANNA STARKEY

Anna Starkey is Creative Director of We The Curious, an interactive science centre in Bristol, UK. She has a degree in physics, a Bafta nomination for writing children’s animation, and a back catalogue of jobs that include stop motion penguins, a Lab of Misfits, water rockets, voice artists, symphony orchestras, street dancers, stand up comics and particle accelerators. Her talk for TEDxBristol: Dare to Disrupt is equally multi-disciplinary - a battle cry for empowering everyone to start asking bold questions and getting curious about the stuff that matters.

Antonia Forster

Antonia Forster is a science presenter, comedian, and rapper. She has performed at Wilderness Festival, Kew Gardens, the Grant Museum of Zoology; featured on BBC Radio. She performs in the Talent Factory, a Wellcome-funded group of diverse science communicators. She also lectures at science museums, zoos, schools and universities around the world; teaching scientists how to engage with the public.

Bex Baxter

Bex Baxter was working as People Development Manager of Bristol based Coexist - a a social enterprise, based on a philosophy of open hearted and active engagement - when she pioneered their a more respectful and open approach to periods. Bex is also a singer, song-writer and multi-instrumentalist.

Charles Radclyffe

Charles Radclyffe is an experienced public speaker on a range of subjects concerning Digital Ethics and advises organisations large and small on the opportunities afforded by Emerging Technologies and how to navigate the ethical and reputational issues they also create. To mark his presentation at TEDxBristol 2017 – he has published a free eBook on his Digital Ethics Blog: https://goo.gl/FB2zyo

Clayton Planter

Clayton Planter is the founder of Street2Boardroom, a Community Interest Company based in Bristol, U.K which helps people use their sometimes illegal 'street skills' to get off the street and excel in the corporate world and wider society instead.

Clive Colledge

Clive is over 70 years old - but far from ‘retiring’, at 64 he was awarded a PhD for his research into values and generations. He spent many years as an award-winning art director and designer for advertising and marketing agencies in the UK and North America. Followed by lecturing and researching at Birmingham City University in the UK, Singapore and Hong Kong on creativity, design thinking and communication across generations.

David McGoran

David McGoran is an experimental robotic engineer and designer working within the contemporary arts in Bristol. Influenced by his background in dance and puppetry, his work interrogates the ongoing co-evolution between machine, human and animal; reframing technology as intimately bound to our humanity, and not outside of nature as we traditionally view it.

Esther Crawley

Esther Crawley is a Professor of Child Health at the University of Bristol, and a Consultant Paediatrician at the Royal United Hospital Bath NHS Foundation. She specialises in researching and developing treatments for children suffering from CFS/ME, an illness that affects 100,000 children in the UK alone.

Joshua Luke Smith

Joshua Luke Smith is a young musician from Bath, UK gaining momentum as an important voice in matters of social justice as well as the music scene. As a craftsman lyricist and a captivating song writer, it is no wonder that his independently released music has been well received, the 27 year old's debut EP secured a top ten position in the international iTunes UK charts only hours after being released. Joshua's mission is to write music that does not simply provide his audience with a good tune or playful lyrics but to release words of power, substance and meaning and speak into the chaos of culture. His independent music label, Orphan No More, supports and develops artists who have a story to tell. He says, “"We believe everybody has a message, everybody has a song and that we can change the world outside as we heal the world within."

Kelsey Hoppe

Kelsey has lived and worked abroad since she was 18 including in high-risk environments working with humanitarian and development organisations. She is now the CEO of Safer Edge (www.saferedge.com), a security risk management company and she specialises in travel security for women and young people. Kelsey is the author of three books: Staying Safe on Your Year (gapyearsafety.org), In Lahore: A Contemporary Guide to the City (in-lahore.com); and the lead editor and author of Chasing Misery: An Anthology of Essays by Women in Humanitarian Aid (chasingmisery.net).

Madge Dresser

Dr. Madge Dresser is a Senior Research Fellow at the University of the West of England and Honorary Professor in Historical Studies at the University of Bristol. A graduate of UCLA, LSE and the University of Bristol, she has published and broadcast widely on the themes of slavery and its legacy in Britain. Much of her work uses Bristol as a base from which to explore the global themes of race, ethnicity and gender.

Martyn Ashton

Martyn has been a professional Mountain Biker since 1992 and in that time has won a World Championship and numerous British Titles. However he’s probably best known for his live stunt shows and his highly successful YouTube video series ‘Road Bike Party’ films in which he takes highly expensive (and fragile) carbon road bikes on an exhilarating journey of stunts, obstacles and vertigo inducing skill that the viewer could never expect.

Mena Fombo

Mena Fombo describes herself as a British Nigerian Bristolian through and through! She is a purposeful coach, facilitator, motivational speaker, consultant and activist with a background working in the arts, the voluntary sector and educational establishments across Europe, the USA, Africa and South Asia. She is also the founder of The OJiJi Purple Project, a Bristol based non-profit that campaigns for equality, focusing on working with black women and girls through everyday activism, connecting communities and creativity. She is the curator of Bristol’s first Black Girls Convention. As a confident, black woman, who has overcome a lifetime of adversity and personal experiences of injustice, she has carved out a role for herself as a creative activist, working tirelessly to support the political, social and economic equality of black people and women. She is passionate about social change, the development of people, values-based leadership and creating powerful learning experiences.

Natalie Fee

Natalie is the founder of City to Sea (www.citytosea.org.uk), a non-profit organisation running campaigns to stop plastic pollution at source. Natalie won the Sheila McKechnie Award for Environmental Justice 2017 and is listed as 'One of the Most Inspiring Bristolians Alive Today'. She's passionate about sharing ideas that inspire positive change for people and planet through various digital platforms. "I dare to disrupt because I can. We all have the power to change things and to make the world a better place. Preserving the beauty of this planet matters to me. In a world of tech, time-scarcity and endless thinking, nature still has the power to soothe, restore and reconnect us. I'm daring to protect that." www.nataliefee.com

Nura Aabe

Nura Aabe is a Somali born mother who moved to the UK age 5 after civil war tore her country apart. She has lived in Bristol for 25 years. Her talk explores the journey she went on to raise the expectations and aspirations of Zak and other autistic children, via Autism Independence, the community organisation that she founded. As well as supporting marginalized families affected by autism, she helps them gain access to specialist services and support networks, and connects medical professionals with the diverse needs, experiences and cultures of families affected by autism.

Ricky Reid

Alrick “Ricky Reid” is a Jamaican born writer, mentor, chef and father of two, who currently lives in the U.K.