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

Nina Schneider

Co-Lead

A product specialist with a background in business strategy and international relations, Nina is currently working as a Product Lead at Appway. As a personal project Nina is supporting andina, a Swiss brand for the production of quality handcrafted design furniture. She holds a degree in Strategy and International Management from the University of St. Gallen. When she is not doing gymnastics, Nina spends her spare time recharging on sunlight in Ticino, following world politics and trying to find her voice as a passionate supporter of women in leadership.

Fareena Chaudhry

Co-Lead

Born and raised in Kenya, with strong Pakistani roots and having spent a significant amount of time in England, Fareena is a true third culture child. Currently an international development consultant her interest lies in social enterprise and development for Africa. Fareena’s work experience spans the public and private sectors in Kenya and England. She holds a Masters Degree in Development from SOAS (University of London). In her spare time when not baking, Fareena enjoys the Swiss mountains in the winter and the lakes in the summer, exploring new cities and listening to Moncole Podcasts.

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.

Xavier Kohll

Location

Originally from Luxemburg, Xavier is a technology enthusiast and loves to discover and develop new things and concepts. During the week he is busy pursuing a PhD at ETH Zürich. He has a background in chemical- and bioengineering. On weekends he enjoys the quietness and farsightedness of the Swiss mountains.

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 at Appway, 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.

Joel Wong

Audience Experience

Joel is some kind of chameleon. You can meet him as the Accounting Manager EMEAI for Skullcandy Int. GmbH – a specialist in numbers and figures or on the stage as “Maverick Beau” his artist name when he shares his passion for music. He holds 2 master degrees in International Business and Business Administration from Bond University, Gold Coast, Australia and ESG, Paris, France. For TEDx, he has one goal: WOW the audience! He combines creativity and a strong sense of originality to create all the surprising experiences at TEDx, he is not afraid of the bizarreness. Born and raised in France, Joel is an outdoor fan with surfing, snowboarding, skateboarding, and dog-walking!

Celeste Urech

Salon

With his background in legal, tech and event planning, Celeste has been working at a leading business law firm and as a legal consultant for undocumented migrants in Switzerland. His passion for technology and communication has now brought him to Coople, where he is a product marketing manager. His biggest weakness is saying no, which is why he ends up with a broad range of projects in his spare time ranging from social media consulting to running music festivals. He enjoys practising yoga and teaching snowboarding.

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.

Simon Schmid

Legal and Finance

Simon has the humour of an Australian, the energy of a Madrileñan and the friendliness of a Colombian. He likes to break down silos and incentivise collaboration, currently in the area of “access to medicines”. Previously, he has safely steered the EFTA intellectual property team through many choppy free trade negotiations with emerging markets. Simon is an astute negotiator because he values people over positions and prefers storytelling to legalese. He also has a passion for outdoor activities: in winter you’ll find him on or off the alpine slopes and in summer above, in or under water. He is part of TEDxZurich because he believes that looking at all three sides of a coin is key to solving the world’s challenges.