About

The people behind the stage.

TEDxZurich is a day of wonder, inspiration and awe. You will meet and get to know interesting people and learn about topics you never thought about before.

The event is a series of short talks, ranging from about five to eighteen minutes length. In between speakers you will listen to amazing music and eat some great food.

About TEDx, x = independently organized event 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, TED Talks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection. 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.)

About TED

TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a four-day conference in California 30 years ago, TED has grown to support its mission with multiple initiatives. The two annual TED Conferences invite the world’s leading thinkers and doers to speak for 18 minutes or less. Many of these talks are then made available, free, at TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Nandan Nilekani, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Sal Khan and Daniel Kahneman.

The annual TED Conference takes place each spring in Vancouver, British Columbia. TED’s media initiatives include TED.com, where new TED Talks are posted daily; the Open Translation Project, which provides subtitles and interactive transcripts as well as translations from volunteers worldwide; the educational initiative TED-Ed. TED has established the annual TED Prize, where exceptional individuals with a wish to change the world get help translating their wishes into action; TEDx, which supports individuals or groups in hosting local, self- organized TED-style events around the world, and the TED Fellows program, helping world-changing innovators from around the globe to amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities.

Want to get involved?

Browse availability to help at TEDxZurich.

Core

Florian Bucher

Co-Lead

Originally planning to get a business degree after high school, Florian has spent his last two and a half years seeking out challenging enriching experiences, working a daycare center, as a sailing instructor, managing a small ice cream business, bartending, organizing parties and finally leading a Sales team for a Startup. Currently, he works as a Product Operations Specialist for Coople, while trying to biohack himself to live on 4 hours of sleep, so he can start his studies the way he has long promised his parents.

Christina Haupt

Co-Lead

Christina’s TEDx career started with organizing TEDxWooster at the College of Wooster, where she earned her BA in Studio Art and Philosophy. Returning to Switzerland, she continued her studies with a Masters of Art in, Public Spheres and Art Teaching, from the University of Luzern. But, just doing one thing has never been Christina’s style. In her free time, she practices the art of conjuring time out of thin air to satisfy the scheduling conflicts of her many diverse interests and hobbies. If she isn’t out running, climbing a wall, painting, writing poetry and blog entries, attending concerts, or reading books on philosophy, she’s probably connecting students, friends, and family with big ideas. That’s what first drew Christina to the TEDx community and has her excited about organizing TEDxZurich.

Chris McCall

Speakers

Christopher is working as the COO for Fotokite, a robotics ETH spinoff company in Zurich. Before living in Switzerland, Christopher worked as a development engineer at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and studied Engineering and Neuroscience at University of California San Diego. Outside of the office, you can find him in the mountains, on the waves, and playing on the Swiss National Lacrosse Team.

Urs Bucher

Host

Urs was born in Switzerland in 1964 and started IT back in 1984 (the dark age of punch cards, yes). He has worked in Microsoft, Namics and KPMG over his career. In 2018 he ran Amazee Labs, a Drupal web agency in Zurich, Austin and Capetown. In spring 2018 he joined Farner Consulting, Switzerland’s leading communication company as a senior consultant in the digital team. Being part of the birth of TEDxZurich back in 2009, he has stayed with the gang ever since. In addition, he organized a corporate TEDx event in 2012 and attended quite a number of globally organized gatherings in the meantime. A proud father and husband, who values meeting friends, good food and wine.

Reena Thelly

Host

Reena was the nightmare type of math student. Her teacher told her when she was sixteen: “Listen, dear: Forget the numbers – but you’re a very good talker!” Alright then, she thought, and started to work as a trainee in a local radio station in her hometown Basel. More than ten years later, she still works as a radio journalist, currently for the swiss broadcasting company SRF and can’t imagine doing another job. She loves the reportage and telling unheard stories worth listening to.

Esther Stella Bichler

Location and Co-Lead Salon

Stella loves ingenuity and trend scouting in all facets of life. Thus it is not surprising that she was burning to work with TEDxZurich. Stella has passed a post-graduate diploma for Cultural Management and continued her studies in Business Innovation at the University of Applied Sciences in Zurich. To support her passion in inventiveness and creativity she founded an international art network for artists, art lovers and galleries. She collected experiences in such field as marketing, event design and management in companies like KENZO, Lindt & Sprüngli or Zurich Insurance Company. Stella loves the company of “stretchers“, the thinking beyond the obvious and discover new solutions with friends. If she is not doing Yoga, visiting FCZ football games with her daughter (if she is allowed to join :-), going to living-room concerts, she loves culinary creations and going to the cinema.

Gintare Simkute

Volunteers

Born and raised in Lithuania. Given the name of Amber. Thought to live and love. Gintare is working as an IT Business Analyst in investment risk related topics. She truly enjoys the environment where technology enables change. Gintare holds a Bachelor in Mathematical Science from City University of London and Masters Degree in Innovation Management from University of Trento. She is in love with traveling and believes that “one’s destination is not a place but a new way of seeing things”.

Ralf Soboczinski

Production

Ralf engages himself in event planning and integrates modern technologies in IT, streaming, and recording. Ralf finds himself repeatedly in the curious corners of our world, where he takes his time to explore the countries and their people. Outside of business hours,Ralf drives long motorbike tours with his friends, and educates himself and others and takes passionate photos of ordinary life.

L.A. Worrell

Marketing

L.A. Worrell is a Marketing Communications Designer, where he crafts content that makes audiences tick. More than a creative, he approaches design analytically. He is fascinated by its application and how it can be used to build a more intuitive, user-friendly world. A British citizen, L.A. has Greek-Cypriot, Afro-Caribbean and Irish roots. Powerful concepts are his currency; he perfects his skills by seeking out inspiration in the people he meets and the places he visits.

Julia Sharonova

Co-Lead Salon

Hanna Brahme

Partnerships

With a passion for bold ideas and utopian visions, Hanna enjoys partnering with like-minded people and companies to try and move the needle. Before this Swedish engineer joined ETH to support spin-off companies, she lived and worked in six countries for organizations like ABB, MAN and the United Nations. Hanna is equally enthusiastic about astroparticles, gallery openings and mountaineering and will be happy to reveal her best tips on breeding geraniums.

Willow Rose Gahm

Participants

Born and raised in California. Willow Rose Gahm has spent much time abroad working in China, Switzerland, England, and Italy. Her passion lies in helping people through Biofeedback. She is a Biofeedback technician and specialist as well as an English teacher. She loves travel, swing dance, is continually gaining new information about natural and integrative medicine as well as psychology and coaching. Loves to open her horizons and good dark chocolate.