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).

Eichenweg 2
Adliswil, Zürich (de), 8134
Switzerland

Philip Brink and Marieke van der Velden

Philip and Marieke are a Dutch couple from Amsterdam. Philip is creative director at his own advertising agency and a filmmaker. Marieke is a renowned photographer. Besides their everyday jobs they make one documentary project a year, together. In these projects they try to project a more nuanced image of the way we look at each other and the world around us. The couple’s most recent project is called The Island of all Together. For this project Philip and Marieke traveled to the Greek island Lesvos. Here they invited Syrian refugees and European tourists to meet each other and talk about life while sitting on a bench overlooking the sea.

Aniruddhan Balakrishnan

Aniruddhan is a 16-year-old student who takes on a lot of activities, such as debating in the MUN conference, paragliding and going to summer camp. Ani has chosen the simultaneous IB and Swiss Matura Diploma course, which means he will graduate with two trilingual diplomas. Besides school, Ani plays the Indian violin, Classical violin and the piano, tennis, chess and attends MUN at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH).

Markus Kramer

Markus is a recognized thought leader, speaker and facilitator in the fast paced world of cutting edge brand management. In his most recent undertakings Markus helped Aston Martin, Harley-Davidson and Ferrari build, scale and deliver their fascinating brands to more people in more places around the world. Markus holds an MBA from Oxford University and is an Honorary Senior Visiting Fellow at CASS Business School in London. He engages in workshops and lectures at conferences and leading business schools around the world.

Millian Gehrer

A young social entrepreneur, Millian Gehrer is captivated by the boundless opportunities at the intersection of technology and economics. Founder and CEO of collaborative education platform Ace Education, he applies his competencies in software and other types of engineering to find elegant and impactful solutions to pressing questions. An IB student planning on studying either Engineering or Computer Science coupled with Management upon graduating high school, Millian is excited by the opportunities ahead. In his free time, the 17 year old enjoys playing and coaching sports, travelling in the Nordic countries, and making music.

Richard Frackowiack

Richard, a former brain doctor, studied medicine at the University of Cambridge, where he first became interested in neuroscience. His work includes the development of new techniques for MRI, as well as a study drawing a connection between the enlarged hippocampus and heightened navigational skills of London taxi drivers. He now works for the Human Brain Project, where he is in charge of its medical informatics platform.

Robert Sumner

Robert is an Adjunct Professor at ETH Zurich and the Associate Director of Disney Research Zurich. He founded the ETH Game Technology Center and leads the Disney’s lab research on animation and interactive graphics. He also teaches a course called the Game Programming Laboratory in which students work in small teams to design and implement novel video games.

Silvia Frey

Silvia Frey is a conservation biologist from Switzerland and holds a Ph.D. in Neurobiology from the University of Basel. Her passion for the subject of aquatic systems and the interaction between living beings and their environment, especially those of marine organisms, made her also to complete a MS degree in environmental sciences. Silvia works for the conservation association OceanCare since 15 years where she acts as project leader for science & education.

Sofia de Meyer

Born and raised in Switzerland, Sofia pursued her higher education in England and graduated with a law degree. She started her career as a corporate lawyer but felt the urge to create her own company focused on sustainable development. Her most recent startup, Opaline, was founded in 2009. Opaline has recently been awarded the B Corp certification and the Swiss Ethical price for her efforts in sustainable and ethical development.

Suzie Boss

Suzie Boss is a writer and educational consultant who focuses on the power of teaching and learning to improve lives and transform communities. She is the author of several books on education and innovation. She is a regular contributor to Edutopia and the Stanford Social Innovation Review, and a member of the Buck Institute for Education National Faculty. A frequent conference presenter, she consults internationally with schools interested in shifting from traditional instruction to technology-rich, project-based learning.

Urs Eberhard

Urs Eberhard started his career at Switzerland Tourism in 1989 as District Manager in Dusseldorf, Germany. From 1990 to 1995, he was in charge of Switzerland Tourism Amsterdam (The Netherlands); he then was elected Director of Switzerland Tourism London, responsible for the UK and Ireland, a post which he held till 1998. As of June 2004 he is back in Zurich, at Switzerland Tourism’s HQ, responsible for the department Markets & MICE. Prior to his career at Switzerland Tourism, Urs Eberhard worked with the Arth-Rigi-Railway Company in Goldau, Switzerland as Director of Marketing and later as Deputy Director.