TEDxTrafford

Speakers

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

• Aboubacarr Aboubacarr Bah

  Baka Bah is a film producer who leverages cinema as a means to shift perceptions and open hearts. A second-year film student at Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU), he is diligent in his pursuit of compelling narratives. Baka has worked on numerous projects, from documenting the work of local organisations in Manchester to amplifying the voices of the city’s artists. He is the founder and director of See No Evil Studio, a Community Interest Company (CIC) established to reclaim local storytelling from larger media organisations entities that have consistently demonstrated neither the skill nor the ethical commitment required to honour their subjects. The studio’s debut long-form documentary, The Success of Moss Side, Produced by Bah and Directed by Elmi Ali seeks to reframe the infamous and hotly contested narrative of this neighbourhood through the eyes of those who call it home.

• Aboubacarr Bah

  Baka Bah is a film producer who leverages cinema as a means to shift perceptions and open hearts. A second-year film student at Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU), he is diligent in his pursuit of compelling narratives. Baka has worked on numerous projects, from documenting the work of local organisations in Manchester to amplifying the voices of the city’s artists. He is the founder and director of See No Evil Studio, a Community Interest Company (CIC) established to reclaim local storytelling from larger media organisations—entities that have consistently demonstrated neither the skill nor the ethical commitment required to honour their subjects. The studio’s debut long-form documentary, The Success of Moss Side, Produced by Bah and Directed by Elmi Ali seeks to reframe the infamous and hotly contested narrative of this neighbourhood through the eyes of those who call it home.

• Cordie Gwilym

  Cordie was born an adoptee in a small, white, German town, struggling with identity and belonging she rebelled against authority, norms and injustice. Her determined nature turned into a relentless drive to challenge the very systems prevented her from feeling seen and supported. With a career in complex behavioural change, she has led interventions for those navigating domestic abuse, addiction, criminality, and mental health struggles. Cordie is a qualified Social Worker, a Positive Intelligence (PQ) Coach, and a specialist in trauma-informed coaching and leadership development.

• Dianne Richardson

  Once described as a social butterfly who creates a hurricane Dianne is passionate about connecting people and organisations. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute and holds a degree in Business Management and a Masters in Corporate Social Responsibility. She believes in the importance of regions in national and international conversations and takes every opportunity to shout about the achievements of Cumbria and the North of England. She is currently the CEO at Britain's Energy Coast Business Cluster bringing together people and businesses to collaborate and in 2024 was the joint recipient of the Robin Burgess Lifetime Achievement Award at the InCumbria Awards with her husband Gerard.

• Dr Erica McInnis

  Dr Erica McInnis is a Chartered and Consultant Clinical Psychologist born and raised in Manchester to Jamaican parents who met in Trafford in the 1960s. With over 20 years’ experience across NHS, academic, and community settings, she specialises in African-centred psychological healing and community-rooted care. A visiting university lecturer, Dr McInnis teaches on how to embed psychological practice within cultural and community contexts. In 2025, she addressed the psychological legacy of enslavement at an international Restorative Justice forum in Nantes, France, and previously spoke at the High Commission for Trinidad and Tobago on the Windrush Maafa. Founder of Nubia Wellness and Healing CIC, Dr McInnis delivers culturally syntonic therapy, healing groups, and wellness tools inspired by African Psychology. Her work honours ancestral wisdom while empowering collective resilience, grounded in heritage, rising toward wholeness.

• Dr Penny Trayner

  Chartered Paediatric Clinical Neuropsychologist & Clinical Psychologist

  A Clinical Paedeatric Neuropsychologist & Clinical Psychologist based in Manchester, with over two decades’ experience supporting children, young people, and families to adapt and thrive after life-changing events. In 2009, I founded a specialist community-based rehabilitation service for children with acquired brain injury, serving families across the UK. I am an award-winning innovator, having created Goal Manager®, a platform for goal setting and outcome tracking in rehabilitation, and co-developed BPM Rehab, the first DJing for rehabilitation programme for brain injury recovery. As Co-Academic Director of the University of Liverpool Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, I train future psychologists and share my expertise at national and international conferences. My life’s work has shown me that a community’s health is reflected in the wellbeing of its children. This talk brings together my professional insight, personal heritage, and a simple question that could change how we live.

• Jane Dennnison

  Founder and CEO of the MileShyClub

  Jane Dennison is a social entrepreneur, community leader, and the founder and CEO of the MileShyClub, a charity launched in 2017 to make movement accessible for all. Born in Essex and raised in Leeds, Jane moved to Trafford in the mid-2000s to rebuild her life after experiencing homelessness at 16, marriage at 18, and becoming a single mum by 21—alongside significant mental health challenges. Today, Jane is a well-known force for good in Greater Manchester. Her charity now runs 26 clubs across Trafford, Salford, Manchester, and Stockport, with plans to expand into all 10 boroughs. MileShyClub—featured on the BBC—champions inclusion with its “no one gets left behind” ethos. Jane is a qualified Personal Trainer, Run Coach, Exercise Referral Instructor, and aerobics teacher. She’s also a stand-up comedian and a Non-Exec Director at Beyond Empower C.I.C, supporting disabled people to lead active lives.

• Mohammad Shehadeh

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• Razia Shaikh-Patel

  Razia is the Founder and Director of WETA Community Services CIC, a grassroots organisation dedicated to engaging, educating, and empowering women from diverse backgrounds. My professional journey began as a science teacher in India and carried on in London in 2007, but moving to Manchester in 2009— and later working as a key worker with The Big Life Group — connected me deeply to the realities of migrant communities. I witnessed language barriers, cultural shock, family pressures, and unconscious bias shaping people’s lives. Drawing on my qualifications in education, sociology, and Islamic psychology, I integrate cultural sensitivity into all my work, ensuring support is meaningful and relevant. In six years, WETA has engaged hundreds of families, challenged stigma, reduced inequalities, and built resilience. My mission is to honour our roots while empowering communities to rise.

• Samantha Lubanzu

  Multi-award-winning, best-selling author, career coach specialising in diversity and inclusion, and former Chair of CIPD Manchester.

  Samantha Lubanzu is a multi-award-winning, best-selling author, career coach specialising in diversity and inclusion, and former Chair of CIPD Manchester. A mother of seven with Caribbean roots, she draws on her lived experience navigating race, faith, neurodiversity, and systemic barriers to empower women of colour to rise confidently into leadership roles. Samantha is dedicated to creating inclusive workplaces where everyone can thrive and lead authentically.

• Tim Nash

  Tim F Nash is a linguist, teacher and entrepreneur who has worked across continents with schools and universities, charities and government agencies, multinational companies and startups. For more than 30 years, he has been turning barriers into gateways in a variety of contexts. Tim co-founded Wo Hui Mandarin, which turned a 90% drop-out rate from Chinese classes in international schools into an 87% retention rate, with digital innovations that have been patented in both the US and China. Wo Hui Mandarin is also the provider of HSK Mock, the only official preparation platform for the world's most popular Chinese language proficiency tests. Tim has taught English, French, German and Chinese as foreign languages. He has a BA in Intercultural Studies, an MA in Chinese from Oxford University and a PGCE in Modern Foreign Languages from Cambridge University.

• Wayne Bennett

  CEO Made4Techglobal

  Wayne is a Manchester-born UK entrepreneur and community leader with 30 years in technology recruitment. As founder of Made4Tech Global, he has built businesses worth over £3.7 million and served as one of only three people of colour in director roles out of 47 directors globally at a PLC. He served as Chairman of a Manchester charity (Nov 2021-April 2022), transforming governance and securing financial recovery during organisational change. He recently pioneered Manchester's first corporate engagement event for ethnic minority-owned businesses, which sold out to 200 attendees. After his 2022 ADHD diagnosis, he transformed from shame to strength, now advocating for neurodivergent leadership in business. Married 21 years with two children, he's the eldest of 10 siblings and uncle to 47 nieces and nephews. His journey from childhood trauma to community leadership demonstrates the power of asking transformative questions.