TEDxWolverhampton

Speakers

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

• Bilal Akram

  Poet

  Bilal Akram is a Birmingham-based British-Kashmiri writer, poet, and educator working across performance and the page. He holds a First-Class BA in English and an MA in Creative Writing with Distinction from Birmingham City University. His work explores language, psychology, and creative discipline, often shaped by rhythm and narrative. He is the founder of The Writer’s Psyche, a platform focused on artistic development, and a founding member of the Birmingham Poetry Network. His performances draw on both literary craft and hip hop influence, with an emphasis on clarity and intention. Bilal has worked with organisations including BBC Upload, Writing West Midlands, Punch Records, and Desi Blitz Literature Festival. He has also featured across grassroots platforms such as Poetic Unity, Hayati Open Mic, and Empower Poetry. His work engages with community and cultural discourse, including contributions to the Birmingham Race Impact Group.

• Caroline Clark

  Analogue Astronaut & Founder of Expansum

  Caroline Clark is an executive coach, psychology researcher and former senior technology leader with over 13 years leading in fast-moving, high-pressure environments. She is an analogue astronaut, having operated in isolated, confined, and extreme environments designed to simulate space missions. Caroline also mentors space entrepreneurs on the UK Space Agency’s startup accelerator, and is STEM Challenge Coordinator for the Cosmic Girls Foundation, which is running a global competition to send a girl aged 14–19 through astronaut training and into space. Her work focuses on leadership and human performance under extreme pressure and complexity.

• Dr Inna Sokolova

  Consultant Gynaecological Surgeon

  Dr. Sokolova is a renowned leader in robotic surgery, with extensive expertise in urogynecology, laparoscopic, and robotic-assisted procedures. As the Lead Clinician for Robotic Surgery in Gynaecology, she was instrumental in introducing robotic surgery to her NHS Board and has pioneered Same-Day Discharge Pathways for major gynaecological procedures, particularly robotic hysterectomy. Her passion for innovation and education is evident in her active role as an Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer at the University of Glasgow and a mentor in various surgical training programs, positioning NHS Ayrshire & Arran at the forefront of surgical excellence. She also serves on the BSGE Research and Innovations Sub-Committee, and her work in shared decision-making has directly contributed to national guidelines for improving patient education in women’s health.

• Dr Mhairi Aitken

  Research Leader in AI Ethics and Co-Founder and Director at Our AI Collective CIC

  Dr Mhairi Aitken is an internationally recognised expert in AI ethics and responsible innovation, with a focus on children’s relationships with AI. In 2025 she organised the world’s first Children’s AI Summit. Mhairi is a Co-Founder and Director of Our AI Collective, a community interest company dedicated to giving the public a voice in shaping the future of AI. Previously, between 2020 and 2026, she was Senior Ethics Fellow at The Alan Turing Institute (the UK’s national institute for AI and data science), where she led a groundbreaking programme of research on Children and AI including collaborations with UNICEF, the Council of Europe Steering Committee on the Rights of the Child, Children’s Parliament and the LEGO Group. Mhairi is a frequent contributor to media discussions around AI, and was included in the international list of “100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics”.

• Ed Sumner

  Magician and Comedian

  Ed is a magician and comedian, who brings people together, sparks curiosity and creates the stories and moments you’ll be sharing for years to come. With over twenty years of experience, he is equally at home performing close up magic mere inches away from you or dazzling audiences from the largest stages. Praised for his conversational comedy and easy rapport, for Ed magic is about connection and unforgettable shared experiences. He is especially at home as the host of his own regular show where each month a small group of curious souls join Ed, and specially invited guest performers, on a journey through the incredible world of magic.

• Lisa Johnson

  Global Personal Brand and Business Strategist

  Lisa is a Global Business Strategist and Sunday Times Bestselling author. She passionately believes that every business owner’s journey is unique, and that the “one size fits all” approach that dominates the online coaching and mentoring world is fundamentally flawed, inspiring her to take a stand at the forefront of ethical and integrity driven business strategy advice. Lisa has featured on numerous TV shows and has appeared in national newspapers and magazines including Forbes, The Telegraph, Psychologies, The Guardian and Fast Company. Her Podcast Making Money Online has been downloaded over 420,000 times, and reached number one in the business podcast charts. Lisa took herself from £30,000 in debt to become a successful entrepreneur making millions and helping thousands of people in just a few years. She lives in England with her husband and twin sons but spends as much time as she possibly can travelling.

• Luis Evitt

  Director of Social90

  Luis Evitt is a British entrepreneur, marketing consultant, and founder of several ventures including Social90, Agency Architecture, and nowhey. A former professional rugby player, Luis’s sporting career was cut short by injury at eighteen, a turning point that led him into the world of online business. With no degree or formal training, he taught himself marketing through YouTube and built a career working with global names such as Bear Grylls, the United Nations, and Anthony Joshua. Through Social90, he helps businesses grow through smart strategy and content. His product brand nowhey is redefining recovery nutrition with a clean, plant-based protein drink. He also mentors young entrepreneurs through Agency Architecture, showing them how to build careers beyond the traditional system.

• Mark Saxby

  Social Media Consultant and Founder of Status Social

  Mark Saxby is a former BBC and ITV journalist, award-winning speaker, and one of the UK’s first social media consultants. As founder of Status Social, Mark has helped businesses generate over £20 million through social media. He also created Positive Social, a national charity helping young people make safer, smarter choices online. With a unique mix of hard-hitting insights, laugh-out-loud storytelling, and practical takeaways, Mark leaves his audiences equipped with actionable strategies and a fresh perspective on the digital world. He’s a dad-of-three, husband-of-one and runs an international campaign against the world’s most evil foodstuff – quiche. He also helped Azerbaijan win the Eurovision Song Contest while disguised as a Moldovan and has performed (badly) on the flying trapeze at the Moscow State Circus.

• Michael Petrou

  Lecturer & Educational Innovator

  Michael Petrou is a sports lecturer and learning innovator at City of Wolverhampton College, where he has spent the past seven years helping transform the learning experience for students and teachers alike. He delivers CPD sessions, coaches new lecturers, observes lessons, and works closely with staff to introduce innovative approaches to teaching. Michael holds a Master’s degree in Education and is passionate about helping educators move beyond simply delivering content to creating meaningful, memorable learning experiences.

• Nicola Noel

  Founder of Brainworks Therapy

  Nicola Noél is the founder of Brainworks Therapy, a multi-award-winning online mental health clinic and global consultancy. She is a multi-award-winning, internationally recognised mental health consultant working at the intersection of mental wellness, EDI and leadership, as well as a Specialist Psychiatric Nurse, Clinical Hypnotherapist, Transformational Consultant and speaker. With over 20 years of frontline experience across community, acute, judicial and custodial settings. Nicola specialises in empowering professional women to rewire their brains, reset their mindsets, manage emotions, build radical resilience and thrive in both life and leadership. Her expertise covers complex trauma, PTSD, resilience training, perinatal mental health and forensic psychiatry. She designs and delivers high-impact wellbeing, transformation and resilience programmes, with a focus on ethical and radical leadership, connection, empowerment and habit transformation.

• Parisa Pirooz

  Founder & Executive Director of Creshendo

  Parisa Pirooz is the founder and executive director of Creshendo, a global nonprofit that centers refugee-led design in integration, storytelling, and economic empowerment. The daughter of parents who fled the 1979 Iranian Revolution, she grew up with an intimate understanding of displacement, resilience, and the quiet burdens carried by those startingover. Her career has spanned frontline work with refugee women in Jordan, legal advocacy for immigrant survivors of domestic violence through a Harvard Law School clinic, and service on a federal task force supporting Afghan families in camps across the United States. Across these experiences, Parisa witnessed the same pattern: systems built to help refugees rarely include their voices. She founded Creshendo to change that. Today, she leads a volunteer team of more than seventy people across twenty countries, working to ensure that displaced communities are not passive recipients but co-creators of the systems that shape their lives.

• Rhiannon Cooper

  Personal Trainer and Founder of Not So Typical Fitness

  Rhiannon Cooper is a personal trainer, podcast host, and founder of Not So Typical Fitness, specialising in neuro-inclusive fitness for people the industry has failed. A late-diagnosed autistic and ADHD individual, she creates gym experiences for anxious and neurodivergent clients who’ve been told fitness “isn’t for them.” At size 20 and training for strongwoman competition, Rhiannon challenges fitness culture’s obsession with weight loss, proving that strength and capability exist at every size. Her work recently gained international attention when fitness influencer Joe Fazer featured her in a viral video (964,000 views) asking “Can a fat PT effectively train me?” Rhiannon was featured in The Sun’s Fabulous Magazine, sharing her journey from weight loss “success” to discovering true fitness beyond the scale. Based in Wolverhampton, she’s building a movement—not just a business.

• Sam Weber

  Adventurer and Business Strategist

  Sam Weber is an adventurer, leader, and business strategist who rowed 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean in 53 days. After capsizing in 20-foot waves and being thrown overboard, he faced fear, loss, and doubt, yet discovered that resilience and leadership aren’t built in calm waters, but in chaos. By focusing on small wins, teamwork, and belief, his crew rebuilt from despair to triumph. Sam now shares how those same principles apply to business, leadership, and life — showing that whether you’re facing a storm in the ocean, your career, or your relationships, strength is found one stroke at a time.

• Sienna Ahir

  Youth Activist, Public Speaker, and Founder of Daggers Down

  Sienna Ahir is a 17-year-old youth activist, public speaker, and founder of Daggers Down, a youth-led anti-knife crime campaign reshaping conversations around violence in the West Midlands. As the Member of Youth Parliament for Wolverhampton, she has delivered speeches in the House of Commons on national issues from employment inequality to youth safety, championing the voices of thousands of young people. Her work spans policy, campaigning, and empowerment, including contributing to the UK Parliament’s Youth Select Committee inquiry on Youth Violence and Social Media. She has worked with councils, police, and local organisations to create real-world solutions, from bleed-control initiatives to youth voice projects. Sienna’s mission is simple: to ensure young people are not just consulted, but genuinely heard. Her work continues to build momentum across communities, inspiring other young people to lead change with courage, clarity, and conviction.

• Tamar Dixon

  Dance Educator, Writer and International Dance Facilitator

  Starting dance at four, Tamar found a powerful way to express herself beyond her early learning challenges. From this early start, her passion for movement grew into a lifelong mission to connect communities and celebrate cultural diversity and inclusion through dance. Tamar Dixon is a dance educator, writer, an international dance facilitator and founder of social enterprise, Unique Movez Dance Collective CIC (UMDC CIC). Guided by her own experience as a dyslexic and autistic dancer, Tamar has faced challenges and setbacks due to her disability, and is committed and driven to create safe, non-judgemental spaces where all voices are heard and valued; especially in the studio, and on and off stage.

• Tracy Turner

  Business Consultant, Coach and Founder of Plaintain Cosmetic Innovations

  Tracy Turner is the founder of two successful businesses, including Plaintain Cosmetic Innovations. She brings more than 33 years of experience across business, marketing and finance. She is a qualified Business Studies teacher and an accredited member of the UK College of Personal Development. As a proud mother of two, including a transgender child, Tracy combines professional expertise with personal insight and understanding. Having faced her own challenges and adversity, she knows how difficult it can be to change direction, rebuild confidence and challenge limiting beliefs. Tracy now empowers individuals and business owners to create positive change, achieve their goals and become the people they aspire to be.

• Violeta Saladiene

  Training Consultant and Communication Specialist

  Violeta Saladiene has a blend of academic, corporate, and communication expertise. She has seven years of experience lecturing in Sales and Marketing, a decade working in sales and business development, and seven years as a freelance interpreter for the UK Ministry of Justice. She is the Immediate Past President of Shilling Speakers and host of the Shilling Speakers Podcast. Violeta delivers workshops and talks focused on building and sustaining confidence and how to overcome Impostor Syndrome. In 2024, she placed 3rd in the District 91 Humorous Speech Contest and was a semi-finalist in the District 71 International Speech Contest. She holds an MBA and has completed three and a half years of PhD studies in Marketing, with her dissertation yet to be defended.