TEDxKlagenfurt

Speakers

Speakers may not be confirmed. Check the event website for the latest lineup.

• Adam Roa

  Spoken Word Artist + Transformational Coach

  Adam Roa is a globally recognized spoken word artist, transformational coach, and creative visionary. His viral poem “You Are Who You’ve Been Looking For” has inspired over 250 million viewers worldwide. Blending art and personal development, Adam helps individuals and organizations unlock creativity, deepen relationships, and build aligned, purpose-driven lives. As founder of the CREATE Community and host of The Creative Path Podcast, Adam is an advocate of authentic self-expression and conscious leadership.

• Alexis Zen

  Transformation Coach + Author

  Alexis Zen is a holistic transformation coach and USA TODAY bestselling author who helps high-achieving professionals and businesses break free from burnout, reclaim purpose, and unlock sustainable success. With 25+ years leading global change in Fortune 500 companies and a rare spiritual awakening that reshaped his path, Alexis blends Eastern wisdom with modern neuroscience. He is the founder of Mindbodism and Basketble, and certified teacher of in yoga, qigong, meditation, fitness, and coaching. His mission is to help 1 billion people heal from within and live in alignment with their highest potential. Alexis empowers others to transform their lives, one second at a time.

• Caitríona Mclaughlin

  Artistic Director

  Caitríona McLaughlin is the Artistic Director of Ireland’s national theatre, the Abbey, where she has been leading a new chapter in contemporary Irish storytelling since 2021. Caitríona has a background in science and began her career as a drama facilitator for youth and in conflict resolution before directing acclaimed productions across Ireland, London, and New York. She is a Clore Fellow and has worked with LAByrinth Theater Company and the Royal Court, but is best known for her interpretations of works by Marina Carr, Brian Friel, Conor McPherson, and Frank McGuinness. Her direction of On Raftery’s Hill earned her Best Director at the Irish Times Theatre Awards. Catríona's work continues to push boundaries, bridging tradition and innovation, and creating space for voices that speak to Ireland’s evolving identity.

• Farayi Chipungu

  Adaptive Leadership Lecturer + Lawyer + Coach

  Farayi Chipungu helps people do hard things—together. A lecturer at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and Harvard Law School, she teaches leadership, change, and how to navigate the high-stakes, messy moments where clarity is rare and courage is required. With a background in corporate law and nearly a decade at McKinsey, Farayi brings real-world grit to every room she’s in, whether advising Fortune 500 leaders, coaching changemakers, or challenging students to ask braver questions and take smarter risks. Part strategist, part coach, part lawyer, part researcher, she’s known helping people lead with courage, clarity, and just enough chaos to disappoint people at a rate that they can tolerate.

• Gil 'The Grid' Gomes Leal

  Dancer + Founder & Creator of Amenti MoveMeant Method

  Gil “The Grid” Gomes Leal is the founder of Amenti, a community-rooted movement that blends dance, psychology, and ancient wisdom into a powerful method for self-awareness and transformation. A former professional dancer, Gil developed the Amenti MoveMeant Method to help people reconnect with body, mind, and spirit through a seven-layered psyche-somatic practice. Grounded in Jungian psychology, Kemetic knowledge, and symbolic archetypes, Amenti invites participants to explore their humanity, reclaim agency, and heal through embodied experience. Taught in groups, the method embraces the collective as a mirror for personal growth, because transformation thrives in connection. Gil’s work redefines movement as a path to deeper self-knowledge, helping people around the world remember who they are, move beyond trauma, beyond ego, and in tune with the wisdom within.

• Gottfried Prinz

  Entrepreneur + Transformation Coach

  Gottfried Prinz is a serial entrepreneur, transformation coach, and helps people and businesses reinvent themselves. Since 2007, he has led over 80 successful corporate restructurings, built a thriving superfoods brand with Dattelbär, and coached more than 800 executives and entrepreneurs toward purposeful change. Gottfried blends sharp business acumen with deep human insight. He’s also an author, speaker, self-healer, farmer, and actor and above all, a proud father of three. His mission is to leave a meaningful mark on the world through courage, clarity, and gratitude. Whether in the boardroom or on the farm, Gottfried lives what he teaches: transformation is not just possible—it’s a practice.

• Jonathan Brill

  Business Futurist

  Jonathan Brill is a business futurist and transformation architect ranked the #1 futurist in the world by Forbes and hailed by Harvard Business Review as “the world’s leading transformation architect.” He helps leaders focus on the five year future by showing how social, technological, economic, and geopolitical trends collide to shape disruption and opportunity. A former Global Futurist at HP and inventor behind 325+ products generating $27B+, Jonathan advises boards, Fortune 100s, and governments on how to spot, prioritize, and invent What Happens Next™. His book Rogue Waves helps leaders to navigate radical change and design resilient futures. From CERN to CNBC, Samsung to Stanford, Jonathan brings pragmatic foresight to audiences worldwide, helping them turn disruption into a strategic advantage.

• Mary Fellowes

  Fashion and Media Executive + Sustainable Fashion Innovator

  Mary Fellowes is a fashion and media executive and sustainability innovator, with 25+ years at the intersection of creativity, innovation, and purpose. A former editor for 11 global editions of Vogue and stylist to A-list talent like Olivia Colman and Phoebe Waller-Bridge, she now channels her expertise into sustainable transformation. As founder of GreenWith Studio and an Executive Fellow at King’s College, she bridges fashion, biotech, and materials innovation, helping brands future-proof through impact-driven design. From Oscars red carpets to bio-based innovation labs, her career spans continents, cultures, and conversations and she's redefining what leadership looks like in the age of conscious business.

• Molly Burke

  Molly Burke is a motivational speaker, disability advocate, author, digital creator and changemaker redefining what it means to be seen. Diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa at four, she lost most of her vision by 14 but gained purpose. Today, she’s a bestselling author, speaker, model, and digital pioneer with 5M+ followers, known for her honesty, humor, and unfiltered insight. From the UN in NYC to L.A. Fashion Week, from Audible originals to beauty campaigns with Dove, Aerie, and Google, Molly blends advocacy with art. She’s the first blind content creator to pass 1M followers and a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree. Her memoir UNSEEN explores what it means to be truly visible in a world that often overlooks difference.

• Oskar Pernefeldt

  Designer + Creative Director

  Oskar Pernefeldt is a Swedish designer and creative director known for creating The International Flag of Planet Earth, a shared symbol of unity for all humankind. Oskar's work explores how design can spark shifts in mindset, shape culture, and inspire a sense of global citizenship.

• Sabine Singer

  Entrepreneur + AI Ethics Engineer

  Sabine Singer is an AI ethics strategist, business owner, and international advocate for value-based innovation. She is the founder of Sophisticated Simplicity and Austria’s first business academy for ethical AI. Sabine's work turns complexity into clarity, as she supports enterprises and public institutions in leading responsibly with AI. From award-winning frameworks to custom GPT ecosystems, Sabine’s work bridges standards, strategy, and social impact as she guides leaders to reclaim AI as a force for human-centered transformation.

• Zara Asatrian

  Singer + Songwriter

  Zara Asatrian, is a musician, singer, and performer redefining the sound of a new generation. Born in Klagenfurt into a family of musicians, her father a jazz pianist and mother a classical violinist, she began classical piano at four and has been dancing and singing ever since. Now based in Paris, she studies at IMEP and the CRR de Paris, where her music fuses jazz, pop, electronic, and groove. Her 2025 debut EP Ende/Anfang is an independent project created with her brother. It showcases her signature mix of German lyrics and genre-expanding sound.