Synergy Speakers 2022
LAIRA GOLD
Laira is a Leadership and Organisational Coach, and a UKCP Accredited Psychotherapist. One of the unique ways in which Laira coaches is through the medium of horses - Equine Facilitated Coaching. Exploring the horse’s silent language of gestures, the many subtle layers of communication and moments of human-horse connection has been a life long journey of discovery, which took her on a 4 year training to California to study the work of world famous natural horseman, Monty Roberts. She is one of 70 Certified Instructors, around the world, licensed to teach these methods.
Laira’s TEDxBanbury Talk will explore the natural synergy between horses and humans.
Favourite TED Talk:
Amy Cuddy - Your Body Language May Shape Who You Are
TIM CHERRY-JONES
Tim trained as a sculptor, specialising in stone carving. He has been a professional puppeteer for over 25 years - sometimes behind the puppets in Theatre, often under the puppets in a live TV studio and more often than not: on his knees for much of his working day.
Having worked with some of the finest storytelling media companies in the world, Tim has crafted a career in puppetry with a serious passion for comedy, a fascination for the monstrous as well as the downright funny-peculiar! From presenter / puppeteer work at CBBC (Tim puppeteered Emlyn the Gremlyn live on the telly) to Lead Puppeteer for the BAFTA & International-Emmy nominated 'Strange Hill High (even more enjoyable for the grown-ups, check it out!) Tim's performative creativity has brought him work as Character Designer and Puppet Maker for Nickelodeon, Channel 4 and Endemol as well as Director of Puppetry for Nick Jr's Becca's Bunch for Factory Create & Jam Media. Tim's 'Mr Fuggles' even trended on Twitter with a little help from Charlie Brooker.
Tim’s TEDxBanbury Talk will explore mastering the synergy between puppets & puppetry.
Favourite TED Talks:
Diana Nyad - Never, Ever Give Up
Justin Hall-Tipping - Freeing Energy From The Grid
TILA RODRIGUEZ-PAST
Tila was born in Chiapas, Mexico in 1982, where she spent most of her childhood. She went on to study in the USA and in the UK, where she received her Masters degree in 2006 at Wimbledon College of Arts, London. Her MA dissertation and artworks focused on the uneasy overlap between culture and nature, a recurrent theme throughout Tila’s life and work. She is a member of the Bridge Street Community Garden, where she heads up inspiring initiatives.
Tila’s TEDxBanbury Talk embraces her passion to collaborate with others, to improve our co-operation and synergy with the natural world.
Favourite TED Talk:
Ana Teresa Fernández - How art allowed me to erase borders
PROFESSOR CHRIS DORSETT
Chris trained at the Royal College of Art in the early 1970s and, a decade later, established a creative interface between his field of expertise, the contemporary arts, and the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford. The exhibitions he organised with Helene La Rue, the Museum’s ethnomusicologist, generated unexpected and alternative interpretations of this famous collection.
Chris’s TEDxBanbury Talk encourages us to identify the coincidental synergies that occur in our everyday lives, drawing on an interesting comparison between museum collections and genetic science.
JULIE MACKEN
After graduating with a Chemistry Degree and subsequent MBA, Julie spent 25 years ‘in corporate life' working in Sales and Marketing for global companies. Julie founded Neve’s Bees a family skincare business using only natural products and sustainable ingredients which donates per sale to wildlife e charities. Julie is committed to sharing the joys immersion in the natural world brings.
Julie will present a TEDxBanbury Talk looking at the synergistic lessons we can learn from bees.
ISAAC STUART
Isaac is a 22 year old singer-songwriter, pianist & multi-instrumental artist from Banbury, Oxfordshire with a number of high profile industry supporters including the likes of Tom Grennan, Gary Lightbody OBE & Chris Evans.
Described by Wonderland Magazine as “one of the UK's hottest emerging talents…” Isaac Stuart’s career has had a meteoric rise over the last year, with highlights including his live performance on the Chris Evans Breakfast Show on Virgin Radio, supporting Snow Patrol at The London Palladium and his latest release ‘Saved’ featuring on hit ITV2 show Love Island.
Isaac’s music has been continuously supported by BBC Introducing, which has quickly grown into national, commercial & BBC radio playlisting. Most recently Isaac had his first plays on BBC Radio 1. In February Isaac sold out his first headline tour to much acclaim, which culminated in a show at the prestigious Omeara in London.
PLACI ESPEJO
Placi has spent the last twenty years supporting and working with science, technology and innovative companies in a variety of roles and emerging sectors, and is a well-respected mentor.
Born in Spain she came to the UK for a year when she was just 19 years old, arriving from a small fishing village in South Spain to live a life of new experiences and what she calls her own accidental adventures in Oxford, a place she fell in love with. Connections, support, networking, human links with others have been at the centre of her life, heart and synergistic soul.
Placi’s TEDxBanbury Talk will explore the importance of moving towards a society where looking after your mental health is equally valued and accepted as your physical health, and the synergistic relevance in policy development for this in the world of business.
Favourite TED talk:
REBECCA RAPER
Rebecca is a researcher at The University of Vienna, specialising in the Ethics of AI. She is also a PhD candidate at Oxford Brookes University, looking into how we can build machines with morals. She received her BA, then MA in philosophy from The University of Nottingham in 2009-10, and prior to undertaking her PhD worked in IT on projects across industry and government.
Her interests span across cognitive robotics, psychology, logic and Ethical AI and she is a keen advocate for inclusivity, with an interest in disability advocacy. Rebecca's most recent academic project sees her looking at practical ways to embed ethics in AI software development, and she also worked as a social science consultant in Ethical AI.
In her spare time she enjoys keeping active; she is the co-founder of Wheatley Oaks FC - a football group for women over 30. She has had a longstanding obsession with technology since early childhood.
Favourite TED talk:
Reshma Saujani - Teach Girls Bravery - Not Perfection
JOSIE SEQUEIRA-SHUKER
Josie originates from Buckingham, and is currently studying Chemistry at St Andrews. She is also host of the HER AMBITION Podcasts, interviewing key female leaders in industry. Her passions lie in STEM, problem solving and empowering young women to 'ingnite and inspire real change in industries' where women are under represented.
Josie's interests include music, and she has achieved her ABRSM Grade 8 in both Piano and Voice with Merit.
Josie will be sharing her idea about the Synergistic relationship between women in leadership roles from the TEDxBanbury stage.
GAUTAM HAZARI
Gautam Hazari is a technology enthusiast and a futurist and works as a CTO in a Startup in the Digital Identity space. He works with the mobile operators around the world on emerging technologies, digital Identity, 5G security, cyber security & privacy, Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence and holds patents on Identity and access control. He led the implementation of the technology for the mobile identity initiative – Mobile Connect, across 30 countries. Gautam had also been advisor to startups in digital identity, healthcare, Internet of Things and Fraud and Security management. He is a thought leader in the Privacy and Identity area, works with Industry players advocating solving the identity crisis in the digital space and speaks on making the digital world a safer place.
Gautam grew up in Ranchi, a small town in India, and has done his education in Physics with specialisation in Quantum Mechanics, and in Computer Applications. When he wants to take a break from his regular activities, he picks up one of the eleven musical instruments he plays and retunes his mind.
Gautam’s TEDxBanbury Talk draws on examples in nature and his expert knowledge within the digital sector, as he looks to a world without the need for passwords.
Favourite TED talks:
Sam Harris: Can we build AI without losing control over it?
Riccardo Sabatini: How to read the genome and build a human being
SOPHIE JASMIN BIRD
Sophie is a writer based in rural Northamptonshire. She trained as an actor at the Independent Centre for Actor Training in London, broadening her understanding of how to honour words and seek connection with both them, and others.
As well as being a lover of stories and story telling, she believes the process of writing allows any individual to reflect, and safely explore the ‘self’ and vulnerabilities. As a creative art form, it allows a writer to revisit and develop works, enabling pieces to continually evolve, bringing a nexus between the writing, writer and audience.
Her written work has been published by the Hedgehog Press, Ariel Publishing, Popshot, City Lit and The Rialto.
Sophie is working on a debut novel, and a full length poetry collection. 'Synergy' has proven a timely theme, as what lays within is so greatly reflected by what is without. In her performance at TEDxBanbury 2022, Sophie will reflect on what those two states of 'being' mean, and what the act of bringing our disparate parts together does for a being.