TEDxSydney Has Announced Its Remarkable Second Line-Up Of Speakers

Get ready for TEDxSydney 2017 and the chance to hear the latest propagation of ideas, innovation and creativity.

Here we share the new line-up of inspiring speakers who will be sharing their bold ideas on 16 June, 2017 at ICC Sydney in Darling Harbour, where they will take the stage alongside ordinary people with extraordinary stories.

“We’re thrilled to announce our next round of inspirational speakers and performers who will be joining us on the TEDxSydney stage,” says Fenella Kernebone, TEDxSydney’s Head of Curation.

“The dynamic mix includes an award-winning foreign correspondent who became a global headline when he was falsely arrested for terrorism charges in Egypt; a fearless advocate who champions the rights of minority groups; a journalist who is changing the way media portrays men’s violence against women; and one of the world’s only female Deans of Engineering.”

2017 Speakers:

Peter Greste
Peter is an award-winning foreign correspondent who spent 25 years working for the BBC, Reuters, and CNN on the front lines in some of the world’s most volatile places. Peter became a headline himself when he was arrested on terrorism charges in Cairo in 2013 while working for Al Jazeera. He managed to smuggle letters out of prison describing the arrest as an attack on media freedom. These letters helped launch a global campaign that eventually saw him released after more than 400 days in prison. His actions earned him awards from the Royal Television Society, the Walkley Foundation, the Australian Human Rights Commission and the Intl Association of Press Clubs.

Jane Gilmore
Jane is a freelance journalist with a strong focus on data journalism, feminism and violence against women. She was the founding editor of The King’s Tribune and now writes regularly for the Sydney Morning Herald. Her work has been published by the Guardian, Meanjin, The Age, SBS, The Saturday Paper, The ABC, news.com.au and Junkee, amongst many others. Jane is currently writing a book on the way media portray violent crimes committed by men against women, which is expected to be published next year.

Professor Elanor Huntington
Excelling in a predominantly male industry, Professor Huntington is one of the world’s few female Deans of Engineering and the first female Dean of Engineering at the Australian National University.

She holds a PhD in Experimental Quantum Optics from the ANU and has previously held roles at the Australian Defence Force Academy and the Defence Science and Technology Organisation. Professor Huntington’s current research interest is in the control of quantum systems, while her personal passion is attracting more young women to take up careers in STEM related fields

Mariam Veiszadeh
Recently named the Daily Life 2016 Woman of the Year, Mariam is a lawyer, diversity practitioner, advocate and social commentator. Proud of her Muslim refugee background and committed to championing the rights of minority groups, Mariam is an Ambassador for Welcome to Australia – which aims to provide a positive voice in the public conversation around asylum seekers, refugees and multiculturalism. Mariam is used to being both an advocate against and a victim of Xenophobia – she made global headlines in 2015 and endured months of cyber-bullying for speaking out against bigotry.

2017 Performers:

Cash Savage and the Last Drinks
Cash Savage and The Last Drinks are becoming known around the world thanks to their signature brand of country, blues, gut-wrenching honesty, and a live show hailed among Australia’s best. With three studio albums and back-to-back European tours under their belt, Savage bring their heart-pumping show to the TEDxSydney stage. Expect growling lyrics supported by shredding guitar, hammering banjo and more.

Andy Dexterity
Andy is a performance maker primarily recognised for his unique brand of movement, which fuses dance, physical theatre and signed languages. He is fascinated by the way we communicate and interact as a species and creates work with the intention to connect and empower. As an ambassador for Deaf Australia, Andy is passionate about introducing people to Auslan – Australian Sign Language at the University of Sydney and Macquarie University.

Airling
Airling (Hannah Shepherd) is fast becoming one of the most talked about young artists in the Australian music industry with her own unique twist on pop music. In 2014, she was crowned Triple J’s National Unearthed Splendour in the Grass Winner and has gone on to produce her debut album “Hard to Sleep, Easy to Dream” and grace the stage at festivals and venues such as Laneway, Falls Festival, The Opera House and The Forum.

This diverse group are set to join the current speaker line-up which includes:

· Mike Cannon-Brookes, co-founder and co-CEO of the software company Atlassian
· Uncle Jack Charles, award-winning actor, Aboriginal elder and musician
· Jordan Raskopoulos, comedian, actor, singer and co-creator of The Axis of Awesome
· Sarah Houbolt, Paralympic swimmer and circus performer
· David Hunt, award winning Australian historian, satirist and author
· Tom Griffiths, Professor of Psychology and Cognitive Science at Berkeley University
· Bronwyn King, Australian radiation oncologist
· Scott Griffiths, researcher of male body dissatisfaction and eating disorders
· Judy Atkinson, community worker and academic in the fields of violence, trauma and healing
· David Power, helping to end the threat of illegal fishing and overfishing to Pacific Island communities
· Sarah Blasko, acclaimed singer, songwriter, musician and producer
· Gawurra, award-winning Yolngu singer-songwriter
· Ngaiire, one of Australia’s most unique and fearless musicians

To register to attend, visit tedxsydney.com