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).

1 Convention Centre Place
South Wharf, Victoria, 3006
Australia

Deng Adut

33-year-old South Sudanese child soldier-turned-Blacktown lawyer, Deng Adut moved hearts in 2015, when a short video about his life went viral. The clip, which has attracted more than 2.5 million views to date, was produced by Adut’s alma mater, Western Sydney University. Deng, who was conscripted into the Sudan People’s Liberation Army at six years old, had never been to school. He came to Australia as a refugee aged 14, taught himself to read, write and speak English, and went on to win a scholarship to study law in 2005. He now has his own law practice with offices in Sydney, Parramatta, Blacktown and Redfern, and he spends much of his free time working with disenfranchised youth and refugees. Deng gave the 2016 Australia Day address, was painted for the 2016 Archibald Prize by Nick Stathopoulos and won the People’s Choice award and Deng was recently named NSW Australian of the Year for 2017. Deng’s book Songs of a War Boy written with Ben Mckelvey was published by Hachette Australia in November 2016.

Dr Catherine Ball

Dr. Catherine Ball is an author, founder, and ethics advocate working across global projects where robotics and new technology meet environmental protection. A sought after voice in industry, Dr. Ball is now working with the application of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) aka drone technology across remote communities, schools, industry, and citizen scientists. Dr. Ball is leading the call for discussions around the ethics of spatial data, and commercial drone operations. Dr. Ball’s biggest passion is found working on projects that have a humanitarian aspect, ranging from the use of RPAS for emergency response, to recording cultural heritage, and agricultural assessments. Dr. Ball has travelled and worked globally on cutting edge projects that combine science, entrepreneurship, empowerment, education, and training. Dr. Ball’s latest passion project is #SheFlies (www.sheflies.com.au; www.facebook.com/shefliesau) whereby women and girls get a chance to fly and try drone technology. She Flies aims to reach 100,000 Australian women and girls by 2020, and is already expanding internationally. Dr. Ball continues to support Australia as being the world leader in the non-military application of drone technology, also known as “drones for good”. As such, Catherine has co-created a new, global congress to be held annually in Brisbane starting in August 2017 www.worldofdrones.com.au. The World of Drones Congress will run annually and will be the first significant global drone conference to focus on all parts of the drone economy, and the future of the industry.

Dr James Martin

Dr James Martin is a senior lecturer and criminology program coordinator at the Department of Security Studies & Criminology at Macquarie University. His award-winning research monograph - Drugs on the Dark Net: How Cryptomarkets are Transforming the Global Trade in Illicit Drugs - was the first scholarly book published on this topic, and introduced key concepts regarding the growth and impact of the darknet on the practice and policing of illicit drug markets. Dr Martin's research is funded by both the Australian Institute of Criminology and the National Health and Medical Research Council. He is also a founding member of the Cryptomarkets Research Hub, a transnational network facilitating scholarly collaboration and research into the darknet drugs trade.

Dr Justin Coulson

Obsessed with what makes relationships flourish, Justin has spoken to tens of thousands of people about relationships in leadership, education, and especially in family life. Justin is the author of two best-selling books: 21 Days to a Happier Family, and 9 Ways to a Resilient Child, as well as numerous empirical book chapters and peer-reviewed journal articles. Justin has worked with The Commonwealth Bank, American Express, theOffice of the Children's E-safety Commissioner, The Federal Government's Department of Social Services, Life Education, and dozens, if not hundreds, of schools. Justin is an Honorary Fellow at the Centre for Positive Psychology at the University of Melbourne's Graduate School of Education, and a Senior Associate at the Positive Psychology Institute. In addition, Dr Coulson writes a weekly parenting advice column for Sydney’s Daily Telegraph, appears regularly on The TODAY show and he isthe parenting expert at kidspot.com.au – Australia’s #1 parenting website. Most importantly, Justin is an expert in wrestling (his) children, reading Dr Suess, sliding down steep hills on cardboard boxes, and teaching his children to ride bikes. He and his wife Kylie are the parents of six childrenand live in Brisbane.

Ed McManus

One of Australia’s leading regular commentators on energy, renewables, consumer trends, technology, and innovation, Ed McManus is the CEO of renewable energy generator Meridian Energy Australia and energy retailer Powershop Australia. Driven by a desire to make a contribution in a growth sector which is pivotal to ongoing economic prosperity, and efforts to decarbonise the economy, Ed sought out an opportunity in renewable energy - a decision that led to his appointment as CEO of one of Australia’s most innovative energy companies. Part of the largest 100% renewable generator in Australasia, Meridian Energy Australia is an energy company focused on developing new electricity from environmentally sustainable renewable resources. A long standing investor in Australia, Meridian Energy is the owner-operator of the Mt Mercer and Mt Millar wind farms and has invested over a billion dollars in generation and retail activities in recent years. Meridian Energy is also proud to have launched and grown Powershop in Australia to give Australians the choice of a better power company. Ranked by Greenpeace as Australia’s greenest energy company (2014 & 2015), Powershop is a 100% online energy retailer, driving a unique service that gives customers transparency like they’ve never had before over a key part of their household budget - their energy bill. Serving customers in Victoria, New South Wales, and South East Queensland, Powershop is Australia’s only electricity retailer to be certified 100% carbon neutral by the Australian Government, and now retails electricity to over 100,000 customers including homes and businesses around the country. Ed was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Meridian Energy Australia and Powershop Australia in January 2016, having previously been the General Manager of Powershop from 2014-2016. Under Ed’s leadership, Powershop has grown from 10,000 to 100,000 customers and has been ranked the #1 retailer on Canstar Blue’s Most Satisfied Customer - Electricity Providers Victoria for two years running (2015 & 2016). With 15 years of prior experience in commercial roles, Ed has a deep understanding of consumer trends and industry disruption. Prior to his work in the energy sector, he worked for REA Group’s realestate.com.au in roles across sales and marketing, operations and pricing strategy, and began his career as a medical research scientist with several years working for one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies, GlaxoSmithKline. Ed holds a Bachelor of Science from Trinity College Dublin and a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Dundee.

Electric Fields

Electric Fields is a potent new music bringing together the brilliance and creativity of music producer and composer Michael Ross, with the mesmerising sensitivity of Zaachariaha Fielding - whose rare and beautiful voice has been described as 'taking soul to the stratosphere'. These two feminine brothers are creating a striking and memorable merging of living traditional culture with electronic music. Co-creating music and delivering a memorable live performance - Electric Fields bring moments of breathtaking beauty and power to the stage. Often featuring Zaachariaha's traditional language of the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara people, Electric Fields music ranges from soulful pop to epic-scale electronic works, through to intensely intimate story-songs

Geraldine Coy

Mediator, Conciliator, Facilitator, Human Right Activist Author of Brave Truth - a story of the ugly complexity of crime, violence and retribution in poverty stricken communities, born in the Apartheid regime of South Africa in the 80’s and 90’s. As a result of her work in a Commission of Enquiry, Geraldine found herself in urgent need of a new country to call home. Having served in senior executive roles in both the Private and Public sectors, Geraldine now works with her board game, Brave Truth, with these teams coaching in the development of deeper relationships of trust, based on Truth. Her passions include the desperate need to Save the Rhino’s but her presentation will share her deep affinity for the plight of migrant refugees.

Iona Macgregor

Half Scottish, Half French, Iona found her way into advertising after studying Philosophy at Oxford University and Political Sciences in Paris. After 14 years at creative agencies overseas, she finally made it to her dream destination, Australia, and is currently Chief Strategy Officer of Marcel Sydney, a Publicis communications agency. Her work involves steering brand strategy (aka. fighting indifference and apathy) for the agency’s local and global clients who range from beer to banking via luxury goods and coffee. The rest of her life includes learning a great deal about bugs, patience and the universe with her four-year-old son

Jaida Simone

As a relationship therapist with a private practice in Melbourne, Australia, she has travelled the world teaching, educating and evolving human interactions and sexual relationships. Bridging the nets between spiritual ecstasy, neuroscience, Quantum Physics and Psychoanalysis Jaida Suheyla Simone has formulated the evolutionary process of human relationships by utilising cognitive blueprints, love and the Brain.

Laura Youngson

A global traveller, Laura Youngson recently led a group of women to the top of Kilimanjaro to set a soccer world record for the highest altitude match. She co-founded the Equal Playing Field project to shine a spotlight on the gender inequalities that exist in sport and inspire women and girls to challenge these norms. She recently moved to Melbourne to study a Masters of Entrepreneurship at the University of Melbourne having lived and worked in Brazil, Azerbaijan, Mozambique and the Middle East.

Lisa Leong

Lisa (The Diminutive Disruptor) is a former corporate lawyer and ABC Radio Breakfast Presenter, turned global leader in Client-Centred Legal Innovation. In 2015, whilst working at a global law firm, Lisa Leong and her partner-in-crime, Tristan Forrester, created the “Re-Imagine Legal” framework to co-develop a series of design thinking workshops and innovation sprints. This collaboration has so far resulted in a saving of more than 40,000 lawyer hours spent on unproductive work, and has won multiple innovation awards. Lisa’s unquenchable curiosity and appetite for lifelong learning has seen her graduate from the University of Melbourne (Science/Law) in 1995, the Australian Film Television and Radio School (Radio Broadcasting) in 2003, and the Stanford d.school/Stanford Graduate School of Business (Customer-Focused Innovation) in 2016 - plus earn her the title of “Queen of the Short Course” for attending numerous, seemingly random, short courses ranging from Fencing to Flemish.

Mo Qu

"Mond Qu is a designer, narrative animator and digital craftsman. He is the founder of United Make, an experimental think-tank and multi-disciplinary studio based in Melbourne, Australia. He explores design through the act of making; from deep materials research, visceral immersive experiences, interactive artworks, modular furniture to large-scale speculations. Mond works between the space of research, practice and teaches internationally from London, Melbourne, Shanghai to focus on the challenges of the 21st century."

Opal Ocean

After forming in late 2013, Frenchmen Alex Champ and New Zealander Nadav Tabak decided like many other great musicians to take to the streets busking, composing and crafting their original works in the heart of Melbourne, Australia. With their independent “Terra EP” enjoying great success, selling over 7000 physical copies. In late 2016 the duo released their highly anticipated debut album “Lost Fables“recorded with producer Dave Newington and critically acclaimed mixing and mastering engineer Mark Lewis. Lost Fables, creates a vivid portrayal of Champ’s and Tabak’s diverse music style and unique relationship with the guitar. The momentum from Lost Fable‘s release has brought attention to the duo online, going viral with millions of views and countless shares across social media in early 2017. Recently Opal Ocean performed the Melbourne Guitar Show 2017 and is now set to play festivals across Australia and Europe in 2018.

Patrycja Slawuta

Patrycja Slawuta, MA, PhD(c) Psych, is a New York based behavioural scientist. After spending 10+ years in academia, Patrycja founded SelfHackathon, a boutique consultancy that uses cutting edge scientific research for business innovation. As an expert on the complexity, nonlinearity and messiness of the human nature, Patrycja lectures globally and works with some of the most exciting and disruptive startups and organizations in the world. In her free time she runs marathons, reads scientific articles and meditates. In that particular order.

Sampa The Great

Sampa the Great (Sampa Tembo) is a poet and singer-songwriter. Expressing herself through music, poetry and visual art, Sampa captures listeners with thought provoking words, while encouraging people to enjoy the simplicity of creativity. Sampa The Great hails from Africa, the motherland. Born in Zambia, she was then raised in Botswana when her family decided to move there when she was young. Music was immersed within her family life and at the age of 22, Sampa left home and moved to Australia to further her musical studies. Sampa views music as the language of the soul, transcending borders and acting as an agent for positive change. Separating from her peers in Botswana, moving away from her family as well as her upbringing all inform her lyrics. Sampa has a penchant for poetry and weaves lyrical mazes with her verses, drawing listeners into a lush, imaginative world. Her music bonds from spoken-word to pure hip-hop rapping, with stops at psychedelic and blues along the way; it’s the sound of an adventurous young mind pushing out against all boundaries.

Sander van Amelsvoort

Sander is responsible for undertaking high-level policy and research work on key issues affecting Melbourne’s growth and development. In this role, he helps to formulate strategies for change that add value to the long-term development of Greater Melbourne as a major internationally competitive city. Sander joined the Committee in May 2014 and has a background in both the public and private sectors. He moved to Melbourne in 2009 to work in the regional strategy team of O-I Asia Pacific, which is a leading global glass container manufacturer. In 2012, he joined the Victorian Employers’ Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VECCI) where he undertook business and industry research projects to support VECCI’s advocacy efforts. Prior to his move to Australia, Sander worked in the Netherlands for Philips and interned at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Sander is also the President of the Netherlands Chamber of Commerce Australia, which is a networking platform for the Dutch business community in Victoria. He has proven abilities in strategy development, advocacy and shaping debates; he helped secure parliamentary approval for a number of high-profile cases in the Netherlands and was a member of the Dutch delegation that won the 2007 Harvard National Model United Nations. He speaks Dutch, German and English and is Green Belt certified in Lean Six Sigma. Sander graduated First Class Honours for his Master’s degree in Political Science at the University of Amsterdam while holding a Bachelor’s degree in Financial Services Management. During his studies, he helped organise an international debt prevention conference, was a member of a student investment association and participated in exchange programs to Portugal and Iran. In his free time Sander enjoys playing sports, travelling and anything food and wine related

Stef Kuypers

Stef Kuypers has a history in IT, creative thinking, improvisation and business interventions. He self studied on economics, monetary systems, complexity theory, human behaviour and sociology through diving into online research articles on the subjects and engaging with progressive thinkers. He got interested in monetary systems after discovering that the biggest hurdle to solving our climate change problem is actually our monetary system and more importantly the behaviour it creates. This launched him on a path to create a system which could lead to more sustainable economical and social behaviour. The end result is the Circular Money Economic Ecosystem model.