Make or Break | TEDxGlasgow Salon

Our founder Gurjit Singh Lalli interviewed Michael Simmelsgaard, Chief Operating Officer of Ramboll, at our May 2022 TEDxGlasgow Salon.

Michael and Gurjit discuss Ramboll’s long term perspective on sustainability, the competitive advantages that it provides and the ability to collaborate. As well as what he thinks will prevent us from accelerating the transition to becoming ore sustainable. The two things they focus on with their 16,500+w workforce is what it means to have a dialogue around making a difference on sustainability, and supporting those who wouldn't normally speak out to become experts with a purpose.

Make or Break

Ronald Vernimmen, Environmental Scientist and founder of Data For Sustainability at Asia Pulp and Paper, speaks to TEDxGlasgow curator Gurjit Singh-Lalli about the importance of tropical peatlands and his work on the multidisciplinary Integrated Tropical Peatlands Research Programme (INTPREP) hosted at the National University of Singapore Environmental Research Institute.

Make or Break

How sport can be a mechanism for climate action? Fiona was the mastermind behind the development of the SailGP Impact League where athletes race to win the ‘race for the future podium’ alongside the main competition – inspiring sustainability action on and off the water.

Hear from Fiona, Global Director of Purpose and Impact of Sail GP the worlds first climate positive sport, about how sport can be the podium for the planet and the work that Sail GP are already doing.

Make or Break

John Elkington is an award winning world authority on corporate responsibility and sustainable capitalism, a bestselling author and serial entrepreneur. John is the founder and chief-pollinator of Volans, which works with leaders to make sense of the emergent future to unlock the potential of their organisation.

Hear his talk on how we are all part of a caterpillar economy and the effects action and lack of action is having on future generations.

Make or Break

In Jarvis Smith two worlds collide with dynamic effect. On one hand a proud hippie, mystic, self-confessed tree-hugger and radical eco-warrior, Jarvis is also a thought leader, entrepreneur, speaker and renowned online retail businessman.

Hear from the Founder of People Environment Achievement Awards and online eco-conscious store My Green Pod talks about how our state of consciousness about the situation we are in is critical before understanding the problem and what we can do about it.

Make or Break

An environmental social scientist, technology theorist, and research fellow at RethinkX - an independent think tank that analyses and forecasts the scope, speed and scale of technology-driven disruption and its implications across society.

In this talk he tells us why he believes that we already have the technology and power to achieve climate change and that there is greater cause for optimism that ever before.

Conversations Worth Having

Join our host, former BBC presenter, journalist and current affairs specialist Clare English, and our panel of esteemed speakers for an hour of virtual idea sharing on 25 June as we consider whether our current experience of the coronavirus crisis can make for a better society in the future.

We’ll be discussing what kind of society we want and how we can create and maintain it. We’ll question what made us adapt to kinder ways during this pandemic and whether we are likely to revert back to our previous, everyday way of life as the new reality kicks in.

What good things should we keep if anything and can we - without changing the basis of our economy and society?

Join speakers Andy Haldane, Chief Economist of the Bank of England; Professor Paul Dolan, author and Behavioural Scientists from the London School of Economics, and Iman Amrani from The Guardian live on Zoom as we gather virtually to ask: What is the future of society?

Madeleine Black

“I remember wishing they would kill me to make it all end.”

It takes courage to speak the unspeakable. But for many years, Madeleine Black felt too afraid and too ashamed to utter a word of what happened to her.

Violently attacked at the age of thirteen, her story is one of pain – but also of recovery, strength, and forgiveness.

Laura Young

When you throw something away, where is ‘away’?

From straws and takeaway forks to coffee cups and cling film, around 40% of the plastics we use are single-use and a mammoth 91% of all plastic isn’t recycled.

It’s no wonder the world is choking on it.

Alarmed by the scale of the problem, Laura Young decided to kick her plastic habit and work towards a zero-waste lifestyle. In this entertaining talk, she shares how she went from plastic abuser to conscious consumer.

Fraser Smith

When you hear the expression ‘man up’, what does it make you think?

Is it about being tougher? More dominant? Or putting on a brave face?

There’s continued pressure on men to live up to a masculine ideal portrayed by the entertainment industry and on social media. In response, new initiatives call for men to acknowledge their vulnerabilities and ask for help, rather than play the hero. On the flip side, other social movements stigmatise men as being wired for aggressive and predatory behaviour.

Laurence Dodds

Facebook’s a videogame, and Mark Zuckerberg is hogging the controller.

This is how US tech reporter, Laurence Dodds, thinks of social networks – as giant videogames which we are all living inside. And like games, social networks manipulate our behaviour by prescribing the choices they offer to us. From how we eat, to how we find love, to how we do politics.

Sarbjit Nahal

We have two choices. Adapt or die.

Sarbjit Nahal believes we are living in the midst of the most remarkable demographic transitions in human history. But to survive it, we’ll need low-hanging and innovative solutions in immigration, social welfare, technology, training, and work-life balance.

Jude Ower

How do we solve humanity’s biggest challenges? Jude Ower has a game-changing idea.

Gaming gets a bit of a bad rep. Critics see it as addictive, a drain on time, and a cause of our sedentary lifestyles. But what if Pokemon Go could end ocean pollution? Or Angry Birds could ensure all children have access to education?

David Allfrey

As we pass the anniversary of Alan Turin’s death (7 June 1954) and with artificial intelligence, machine-learning and affective computing poised to recognise, interpret, process and simulate human affects, the need for emotional intelligence has never been greater.

Anand Menon

Are democracies rigged?

From mass demonstrations in France to Brexit in Britain, and the election of Trump in the US, peoples’ anger over the current state of democracy is fuelling protest and anti-establishment movements around the world.

Mark Logan

Only 15% of leadership positions are filled by women.

Despite corporate and educational initiatives to boost this figure, it remains stubbornly low. Why haven’t we made more progress?

Mark is the first male ambassador of Women’s Enterprise Scotland and has mentored many men and women towards executive leadership roles. In his talk, he reflects on his experience in the tech industry to address the tough question: what single change can each of us make to address this imbalance?

Baroness Helena Kennedy QC

Baroness Helena Kennedy QC is putting the law on trial. The charge? Failing to deliver justice for women.

Richard Shotton

Are you afraid of failure? Do you struggle to accept your imperfections? Does criticism leave you feeling discouraged? If the answer is yes, Richard Shotton has a simple idea that could help turn your weaknesses into strengths.

Anna Dominiczak

The one-size-fits-all approach to healthcare isn’t working. With an ageing population and the spiralling cost of patient care, Scotland urgently needs to find progressive ways to create a sustainable NHS for the future.

The solution may, surprisingly, lie within each of us.

Amar Latif

“If you want something that doesn’t exist, you have two choices. Either you do without, or you build it yourself.”

This is Amar Latif’s ethos in life. And one that’s paid off.

Losing his sight at the age of 18 was not going to stop Amar from living the life he dreamed of. He believes that no matter what personal challenges you are facing, through small actions and being aware of who you are, you can live a life without limitations. If you’re looking for a dose of motivation, this is it.

Pippa King

Everything, from our music tastes and shopping habits to our faces and fingerprints, is up for grabs in the business of big data. But who exactly owns this data? How will it be used? And what impact will this ever-increasing digital footprint have on our lives? These are questions that privacy campaigner, Pippa King, began to ask when she discovered that biometric data from her children was being collected by their school. As it turns out, this isn’t uncommon. Around 80% of schoolchildren will have had their fingerprint scanned by the time they leave school.

Andy Haldane

Public institutions, such as the Bank of England, were created by the public for the public. Yet public trust in, and understanding of, these public institutions has been eroded, including by the financial crisis. How can this be changed?

Catherine Heymans

Catherine has used the world’s best telescopes to map out the invisible dark matter in our universe and confront different theories on the dark universe. In her talk, she explores this dark enigma and explains why she thinks that in order to truly understand it we need some new physics that will forever change our cosmic view.

Kirsty Wark

The world of work is changing rapidly around us, but by present measures the UK’s productivity is woeful, and yet we work long hours. Clearly, something isn’t working.

Karen Dunbar

A deeply personal exploration of the dangers of humour when used negatively, the struggles of using it as a mask and the power of it when used to make connections and bring happiness into others’ lives.

Shona McCarthy

There is an urgent need to embed active, creative cultural inclusion into every aspect of our societies, education, health and well-being, economics, skills and jobs. Why is it that creativity and culture are what we turn to as the last resort when all else has failed?

Nick Earle

Today, it takes five hours to travel between Glasgow and London on the train. What if those 300 minutes were collapsed to just 50? Hyperloop could be the solution.

Sethu Vijayakumar

Sethu explores some daring ideas that are both out of this world and have a profound impact on our daily lives – ideas that would have been considered impossible just a decade ago but are now critical to the very survival of our race. Ideas that are being enabled through cutting-edge developments in robotics and artificial intelligence.

Simon Bowers

We need to rethink. And the rethink needs to start with some basic reflections on our own attitudes to tax. When we are clearer about the role tax plays in our own lives, then we can help politicians and multinational corporations reach for solutions that don’t work against our interests.

Roie Galitz

In this talk, Roie, a renowned wildlife photographer, shares the stories of endangered animals, as seen through his lens. Join him on exciting adventures across our amazing planet, discovering the secrets behind some of his greatest shots.

Dr Adam Rutherford

We’ve been thinking about sex and inheritance for ten thousand years. What this means is that there is a lot of cultural baggage that people carry when it comes to the ideas that genetics is beginning to unpick scientifically. And most of them are wrong.

Jean MacAskill Kerr

When it comes to change – getting started and taking those first steps can be the hardest thing to do. Jean talks us through her own journey of fear, discomfort, joy, setbacks and occasional minor victories.

Marcela Navarro

We only have a decade before catastrophic climate changes melt the polar ice caps, kill half of all species on planet Earth, as well as keystone ecosystems like the coral reefs or rainforests. What can be done?

Victoria Heaney

With her research into period poverty uncovering shocking statistics around the spread and depth of the problem right here in our country, Victoria wants to challenge us to not only rethink menstruation but to start talking about it.

Adam Kashmiry

From Alexandria in Egypt to Glasgow, Adam crossed borders, barriers and genders to find his true self. His talk exposes a deeply personal story alongside some stark facts, in the hopes of delivering a powerful message to rethink our own perspectives, bias and compassion.

Dr Jack Kreindler

Our approach to aggressive cancers and the diseases of ageing needs to be transformed. They are complex ‘systems biology’ problems, impenetrable to cure. They often leave patients and loved ones without hope.

David Webster

Every human is capable of being creative. Technology is now providing us with the most powerful tools in history. But, the world needs all of us to choose to do something positive with these tools.

Darren McGarvey

Talking from personal experience and reflection, Darren examines the role anger and other potentially toxic emotions play in undermining our wellbeing, as well as our ability to bring about broader social change.

Lucinda Bruce-Gardyne

After failing to find fresh and tasty gluten-free bread, suitable for her gluten-intolerant son, Lucinda set out on a mission to develop this badly needed product herself. From one woman in her kitchen, her company Genius Foods grew quickly and now turns over millions every year with 20 products selling worldwide.

Philippa Waller

You are a part of the performance of ‘life’ – which is not a pre-planned script, but an enormous emergent improvised scene. So, how can you make the most of the situations presented to you in order to shape your future?

Dr Diahanne Rhiney

Dr Diahanne Rhiney BCAe has developed groups, presented workshops and spoken extensively on self-esteem, body issues, children in care, abuse, emotional well-being and healthy relationships. In her talk she explores the power of social media.

Natalie Loh

‘Do you want to study the arts or the sciences? Is there a future in the creative industries? Is there a future in the sciences?’. Many of us have had to decide on these questions at some point during our education, be it in high school or upon deciding on a university or college course.

Christopher Andrews

Our phones have become more than just tools for life, but distractions from life. While we are hyper-connected to our devices, we crave real connection with each other and with ourselves. It is time that we disconnect to connect.

Kelly Knox

Kelly Knox is a fashion model and advocate for people with disabilities. In her talk, she challenges our idea of perfection and what we aspire to, aiming to open our minds to who we really want to be.

Reece Hayes

A traumatic real-life story about a young boy growing up caring for his mother who was struggling to cope with severe mental health issues. Reece explores how this impacted on his own life and his own mental health.

Hazel Wallace

What if we had a medicine that could lower your risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, various types of cancer, osteoporosis and the risk hip fracture, depression, dementia, and early death? Well, we do, and it’s free. It’s movement.

Mollie Hughes

In 2017 Mollie Hughes became the youngest woman in the world to climb Mount Everest from both sides. Mollie delves into the key factor she attributes to her success on both the north and south sides of Mount Everest, resilience.

Basit Rashid

Do you ever feel like there is something holding you back from being everything you could be? In his TEDx Talk, Basit aims to teach us how to stop negative self-talk and overcome limiting beliefs, allowing you to step outside your comfort zone.

Adam Purvis

What do you want to be when you grow up? This is a question we hear innocently asked thousands of times in our youth. We look around inside our head we analyse every aspect of our being and trust our brain to deliver the correct answer.

Richard Browning

In his talk, Richard illustrates how through creativity and dogged commitment, he has defied gravity, with his iron-man like suit. With pioneering technology, he is leading the way to becoming a true ‘rocket man’.

Dare to dream; dare to reinvent human flight.

Lee Craigie

During her time as an elite-level athlete, Lee learned to manage her pre-competition nerves but noticed how few other women compared to men chose to put themselves in that position. When she first began racing the anxiety Lee experienced pre-competition was almost overwhelming, but she slowly got used to managing it and realised that this anxiety was actually a performance enhancer.

Quentin Sommerville

War is complex, political. You have to feel it to understand it. War is about lives interrupted. BBC Middle East Correspondent, Quentin Sommerville, invites you to feel and understand how personal and intimate war truly is, explaining why we should let journalists into our living rooms.

Dr Liberty Vittert

Using astounding examples, this talk demonstrates why statistics is becoming such an important study and how we can spot disparity. From murder and other criminal trials where prosecutors and defence attorneys alike, use statistics to their advantage, to winning the lottery, and deciding if you are going to get dementia from living near a busy road, you will learn how to spot “the lies, the damned lies, and the statistics”.

Jonah Jones

How do you create an experience that works for megacities in Japan and dirt roads in rural India? How do you build tools that work just as well for a young woman in Japan as they do for an elderly man in India? Google Maps and Facebook lead designer, Jonah Jones, explores.

Dr Jane Bentley

As a musician, Jane discovered that the art of following is an essential practice if you’re going to be anything other than a solo performer. This is a call to reclaim the idea of followership from the stereotype of being seen as a passive and sheep-like activity and to re-engage with it as a skill that can be an engine of learning, collaboration, connection, and reaching for possibilities beyond our personal boundaries.

David Eustace

This talk highlights and references the unknown and its final related potential, importance, value and contribution to directly affect a time not imaginable in the future, in a world equally undreamt of and with a person who wasn’t even born at the initial time.

Janice Kirkpatrick

In the era of social media, political upheaval, fake news and fake information, everyone is looking for trustworthy leaders to help them build lives they can believe in. Brands have stepped into this territory leading individuals to define their place in society and to give them social and economic status. But how can you be sure your chosen brands have integrity and that you are making informed choices?

Terry A'Hearn

Since the 1960s, most environmental action has focused on improving the environment alone. This has delivered some success. But it is no longer enough. Terry talks about his experiences of how a change in mindset is possible and examples of where people have had the clarity and courage to act on this different way of thinking.

Gillian Docherty

Gillian talks about life in 2037, through the eyes of her daughter. By then, many aspects of technological innovation will have revolutionised how we live, how we interact with our bodies, family, colleagues and socialise. Through her talk she asks; Do we need to lead now, so that our children can lead in the future?

Helen Minnis

Expecting one person to hold all the knowledge makes their decisions impossible. This talk suggests that a true leader is someone who follows their nose, accepts uncertainty and stays curious. It is believing we know the answer that makes us blind.

Bob Keiller

After the near-meltdown of global financial systems a few years ago many organisations recognised that they needed to start living by their values. Yet many continued to get fined and sanctioned for corrupt practices after this time. So, why is it so easy to understand the benefits of living and breathing a strong and principled set of core values, yet so difficult to make it actually happen?

Jessie Pavelka

On a human level, vulnerability is the birthplace of inspiration and his work allows Jessie to see a person at their most vulnerable. He firmly believes that you can’t be inspired or become an inspiration without vulnerability. In his talk, Jessie invites you to find the subtle yet powerful moments of inspiration in the people and the world around us.

Wafa Shaheen

Some decisions take a long time to reach, even if their impact is not that significant. However, some life-changing decisions happen with no time to think at all. In her talk, Wafa tells her emotional tale of the decision to leave Iraq in 1996 with her husband and her three-year-old son, which ended up, unexpectedly, in Glasgow.

Jamie Cooke

The welfare state, built for a different age, is crumbling. Glasgow is leading the way on developing basic income pilots, radical schemes to change the way we envisage work, income and our place in society; and in which we fundamentally shift the relationship between the citizen and state.

Dr Graeme Malcolm OBE

If quantum science is now providing the foundations for the advancement of our scientific understanding of the world, where could this lead? And, how will the limits and boundaries of technology change? Graeme explains the nature of this new understanding of physics and how, thanks to this understanding, quantum technologies could take huge leaps forward.

Helen Sang

Over 50 billion chickens are hatched globally every year and soon poultry meat will become the most popular meat consumed in the world. If we are to manage the predicted increase in consumption, due to the increase in population and increase in wealth, we need to consider using all the tools available to us to improve the genetics of chickens and other farmed animals.

Mark Muller Stuart

The first decade of the 21st Century has witnessed an unprecedented increase in conflict and terror-related activities across the globe leading to the implosion of old world certainties in places like Europe and the MENA region. Yet traditional state-based diplomacy singularly failed to anticipate any of these events, including the Arab Spring, the rise of ISIS or the conflict in Ukraine, despite massive state surveillance capacities. Elsewhere international state-based attempts at stabilisation in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya have failed to produce sustainable peace. Join Mark Muller Stuart as he explores why this might be so as he charts the rise of a number of remarkable, new innovative non-state and small power mediators who have helped ameliorate some of the world’s most intractable conflicts by using soft power tools. Discover the power of non-state and small nation dialogue as Mark reveals just how powerful Scotland’s voice could be in the field of conflict resolution and international affairs more generally.

Laura Beveridge

Kids in care are one of the most marginalised and misunderstood groups in society. There are 15,404 children and young people in care now and many more thousands of people who have experienced care in Scotland. Whilst in care herself, Laura Beveridge felt different, was bullied and felt isolated. Throughout her working life, she has seen the barriers young people still have to face as a result of their time in care. This talk provides an insight into what life feels like in care and the real people behind those grim statistics. It invites you to be part of the movement that seeks to change care forever and it will leave you knowing that there are things we can all do to make the world a better place for those kids who are in care.

Ellis Watson

The older we get the more reserved we often become, taking less risks, totally under-utilising our potential and wasting opportunities. A million years of evolution made humans develop & evolve, but the last few hundred have taught us to conform, stay in our place and stay in our class. Using remarkable real-life examples, Ellis Watson demonstrated how to totally reinvent yourself by disrupting your life path – it’s like defibrillating your whole life in one massive reset.

Jason Leitch

When a person is admitted to hospital, they will have their vital signs measured. Vital signs are the most important signs that tell clinical teams about a patient’s life-sustaining functions and are taken to help assess the health of a person and give clues to possible illnesses. One of the biggest challenges facing local and global healthcare delivery is an absence of compassion. The continual focus on improved technical cures and the next new machine or drug has been at the expense of simple care, empathy and understanding. If someone asked you “What matters to you?” how would you answer? Jason Leitch considers this very question in his thought-provoking talk on compassion in the health service.

Anne Ellis

Anne’s talk explored the impact of disruption both spiritually and physically on Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s famous life and career. We considered the disruptive chapters in Mackintosh’s life and touch on events that have since come to play, including the effects of the catastrophic fire on his greatest masterpiece, the Glasgow School of Art. Anne looked at the building’s rise from the ashes and its rebirth using the most modern conservation technology to restore his most iconic building.

Luke Robertson

Modern cyber crime is a fascinating topic. And one that is growing in pertinence. From the offer of products and services online that make hacking easier to the impressive exploits that deploy malicious code onto systems silently, it is a space of constant innovation. Society today holds many stereotypes of what a scam looks like. James Lyne showed us just how far from reality these commonly held views are and how vulnerable this may make you.

James Watt

The best businesses are the ones who realise that the old internal-external divide no longer exists and the even better businesses are the ones who are able to advantage of this. In his talk, James Watt will explore how to foster a disruptive company culture, drawing upon his experiences from founding and growing BrewDog, one of the world’s leading craft drink businesses.

Pam Hogg

Although honoured with medals and scholarships from the GSA and receiving her MA from the Royal College in London, Pam is self-taught in fashion. Consequently, she is often seen as a rebel due in large to the unorthodox manner in which she works. She says It’s through disarray, disorder, disruption that her work finds life. In her talk Pam will give an insight into her world – how struggle is transformed into creative force, imperfections are honoured, chaos is embraced, and the insurmountable is seen as just another barrier to be lifted.

Ravinder Dahiya

Imagine you woke up with your capacity to feel objects completely gone. You wouldn’t be able get out of bed as your brain wouldn’t understand where your limbs were, even if you could see them. Such is the power of touch sensing in our lives. Why then have we created machines around us that are without such senses? What would the world be like if the inanimate world were able to feel just like us? This talk will focus on the importance of touch sensing, how it has changed our everyday lifestyle and what disruptive sensor and electronic technologies could emerge in the future. Dr Ravinder Dahiya will present some of the cutting edge research from the Bendable Electronics and Sensing Technologies (BEST) group at Glasgow University.

Steve McCreadie

The public and charity sectors will see continued pressure on funding, increasing demand and personalisation of services. Innovation is arguably less risky than the status quo, yet our ability to find new ways of working is constrained. Intrapreneurship is revolutionising the way many organisations do business and is already a feature of many leading companies. Steve McCreadie will consider ways in which mission driven organisations can use intrapreneurship to deliver greater impact and become future proof. Based on his own experience of creating and delivering The Lens, he will argue that we should create an intrapreneurial ecosystem in Scotland, realising the huge talent and capability in our organisations.

Brianna Robertson-Kirkland

The castrato was one of the most popular voices in eighteenth-century opera, but the voice was a man-made creation, formed out the barbaric act of castrating young boys. Yet, their popularity fashioned a standardised way of training and has shaped the sound of the modern opera singer. Briana Robertson Kirkland looks at the impact the castrato has had on opera singing and how the world of opera continues to be disrupted by the legacy of the castrato.

Ruairidh Wynne-McHardy

During the first 20 months of life, a baby experiences 10 major mental disruptions. These 10 disruptions form the foundation of the brain architecture and build our hierarchy of perception. Marco Plas explores in his talk that understanding these disruptions and helping a baby through them will drastically improve self-esteem, health, intelligence and creativity; elements that are crucial to furthering the human race.

Graham Hogg

Imagine a Scotland which no longer sits on the periphery of Europe but instead at the gateway to a new northern region; a gateway to the Arctic and the world beyond it. Taking inspiration from their current exhibition “Prospect North” at the prestigious Venice Biennale, Graham Hogg re-imagines our traditional perceptions of Scotland and look to the north and the Nordics for its future.

Craig Robertson

The medical device industry is overshadowed by huge companies which both stifle innovation and drain available resources. In the field of retinal imaging, there are just a handful of companies with revenues in the hundreds of millions of dollars but they make large and expensive devices that are inappropriate for the developing world. Dr Craig Robertson and his company, Epipole, make smart intelligent devices that address specific illnesses using robust, high quality but relatively inexpensive hardware and very intelligent cloud-based storage and computing. In his talk, he will look at what disruption means in the medical device industry.

Alice Rebecca Thompson

Alice is the co-founder of Social Bite – a Scottish based sandwich shop chain that operates as a social business, employing formerly homeless people as a quarter of their staff and donating 100% of its profits to charity. Here, she reflects on the lessons they have had to learn quickly in order to achieve Social Bite’s dream of eradicating homelessness wherever they have a presence.

Anne Richards

How can we create a new economic vision, that is right for our times? Building on stories from her experience as an engineer and investor and her own family history, she will demonstrate the extraordinary economic benefits that flow from a better use of the diversity of talents in our society. Anne Richards will explain what she believes we can do to create a New Inclusive Enlightenment.

Chris Hampson

Chris Hampson is the Artistic Director of Scottish Ballet and award-winning choreographer. He has previously won the prestigious Critics’ Circle Award and TMA Theatre Award as well as creating major works for English National Ballet, Royal New Zealand Ballet and Scottish Ballet. In this talk, Chris demonstrates how setting limits can unlock parts of one’s creativity that may have laid dormant. The sky really isn’t the limit.

Craig Clark

Imagine a world where a near-live map of the Earth is available online and where data is free to everyone on the planet. This is becoming a reality through the use of a new breed of satellites. Imagine a world where Scotland led the way in the space industry. Craig speaks about how that is becoming reality and how, through innovation, Scotland will lead the way in this exciting industry.

Jim Brewer

Professor Brewer has studied and remained fascinated by the immune system throughout his career. While working in vaccine research, it became increasingly clear how little we understand this critical part of the body. In this talk, Professor Brewer explores how each lymphocyte finds its exact partner and the role it plays in keeping our bodies on the move.

Jim Duffy

Jim Duffy explores the barriers in the human psyche that stop, inhibit or block entrepreneurship and how we can overcome these for success. This will include, our inner critic, our fear of failure, dealing with uncertainty and lack of confidence and of course, what we were taught at school.

Judy Murray

Scotland is home to some amazing world-class talent and leading creative, business minds. Judy’s talk is about how we can be even more successful if we believe in ourselves, aim high and invest in our own people. ‎Someone has to first recognise the talent and then create the opportunity.

Rachel Robbins Laird

Why should I give blood? Every 3 seconds someone needs a blood transfusion and currently only 4% of the population donates despite the fact that 1 in 4 of us will need a blood transfusion at some point in our lives. Rachel explores the myths surrounding blood donations as well as the incredible benefits that it can have on people through sharing her story.

Steve Waygood

Steve Waygood explains how the capital markets work, how they impact our lives, and what intermediaries our money flows through before being put to work by companies. Most importantly, though, it shows us how we can use capital markets to help shape the kind of future we really want to retire into.

Amos Miller

Inspired by fatherhood, 8 years ago, Amos corralled a group of people at the Guide Dogs for the Blind and Microsoft and together they set out on a quest to reimagine independence and mobility of blind people with technology in its fabric.

Sir Harry Burns

How can meaning and purpose contribute to one’s wellbeing? Sir Harry Burns explores the concept of salutogenesis and the impact it has on the most disadvantaged members of our community.

Katherine Trebeck

Are we focusing on the wrong goal? Are we letting the economy dominate too many corners of our life? Katherine Trebeck’s Tedx talk looks at how our economic model has failed us on too many counts and what it might take to start creating an economy that serves people and planet.

Mark Shephard

Avoid tipsy tweeting and tanked tweeting, and ideally… ‘don’t drink and digit’. Plus an illustrated humorous guide derived from research to help you avoid and spot the 5Fs online (foul; false; foggy; flannel; and flaming). Tweet responsibly.

Alex Willcock

In this inspiring talk, Alex paints a picture of the foreseeable future where the ‘Internet of Feelings’ transforms our interactions between each other and suggests that from it all will develop a far better connectivity and understanding between people, and a better value exchange between services and their users.

Colin Birchenall

If the future city opens up its data to provide you with new insight, what will you do with the empowerment? What will you do to create a common wealth?

Laura Montgomery

What does it take to build one of Europe’s most successful women’s football clubs and how can we build on these achievements to help impact positively on the life of every young girl and change attitudes towards gender in our culture.

Martin Hendry

Did you know that gravity can bend space and time, and that clocks run faster at the top of a skyscraper? Martin Hendry describes how Einstein’s theory of gravity shapes our modern world, and how lasers are opening a whole new way of studying the cosmos.

Calum Rodger

Glasgow Flourishes’ is a celebration of the culture of Glasgow in all of its joys and contradictions. While commentators talk about our success as the ‘Glasgow Miracle’, this poem looks elsewhere — to the streets, the people, the energy and the stories that make our cultural life so thrilling and vital.

Josh Littlejohn

The world is malleable. The systems and institutions we live with have been created by people no smarter than us. So if you can change and influence the world in any way you choose, what way would you change it? Josh talks about his experiences of working with the likes of President Bill Clinton and Sir Richard Branson, as well as his experience in tackling homelessness in Scotland through Social Enterprise.

Cam Donaldson

The life expectancy gap between best and worst off in the City of Glasgow is 28 years. And, 25% of boys born there will not live beyond the age of 60. Thus, we need to rethink the Common Health of Glasgow together with its Common Wealth.

Talat Yaqoob

In 2014, women are still treated as second class all over the world. Talat Yaqoob takes us on the life journey of women and explains the social injustice hurdles they face at different points from birth to adulthood; from being covered in pink at birth to be excluded from the boardroom. Talat leaves you with a challenge – what can you do to create a better world for women?

Will Mitchell

Many of the best ideas come from someone experiencing a frustration and turning that into a positive. Not many do… Most just accept that it didn’t work. In my world, frustration means a potential opportunity to fix it. This forms the starting point for the super curious.