TEDxAmsterdam

Speakers

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

• Cindy de Koning

  Police Officer / Ambassador Wij Zijn M

  Cindy de Koning is a police officer and ambassador for Wij Zijn M dedicated to combating sexual violence. With her talent for connecting people and building trust, she has become a leading voice for women’s safety.

• Freek Wallagh

  Night Mayor of Amsterdam / Poet & Community strategist

  Freek Wallagh is a poet, nightlife organiser and community strategist. He began his career as a young teenager in Amsterdam's club scene and Red Light District. He first started performing and hosting events in the local punk, squat and rave scene, before becoming a represenative and community strategist for nightlife organisations throughout town. He went on to study political science, specialised in the politics of nightlife and urban culture. After working on supporting nightlife both in his city and abroad, he ran for the Amsterdam Night Mayor elections in 2023, becoming the youngest to ever hold the office.

• Jo Sarah Garcia

  Founder of Umaversity

  Jo Sarah is the Founder & CEO of Umaversity, a global education platform revolutionizing women+’s mental, body, and sexual well-being. Umaversity closes the knowledge gap every woman+ grows up with by delivering clear, culturally aware, science-based education without shame or taboo, powered by guidance from 150+ trusted international experts. Through expert-led masterclasses, immersive events, and a deeply supportive community, Umaversity helps women+ understand their hormones, cycles, bodies, pleasure, healing, and autonomy so they can take full ownership of their well-being. Jo Sarah leads Umaversity with impact, innovation, and unapologetic advocacy—redefining what women+’s well-being education looks like for this generation and the next.

• Naud van der Padt

  Founder of Leafy & Urban Green Advocate

  Naud van der Padt, co-founder of Leafy, draws on his background in sustainability and experience in construction to explore how technology, design, and nature can reshape our cities.

• Safi Graauw

  Filmmaker & Scientist

  Safi Graauw is a filmmaker and scientist. He brings together rigorous research and creative storytelling to explore identity, resilience, and the hidden power of words.

• Saraab Alfar

  Urban Beekeeper

  Saraab Alfar is an urban beekeeper and Global HR Social Impact Manager. In her work, she strives to inspire meaningful change, using storytelling to guide organisations and urban societies toward the cooperative, inclusive and resilient principles found in nature.

• Simone van Breda

  Chairman of the Union of Coffeeshop Retailers, the Netherlands

  Simone is the president of the Union of cannabis retailers in the Netherlands, working at the national and international level to advance regulation of cannabis and to professionalize the emerging industry. She is ons of the key figures who advocates on the legalisation on a European level.

• Tessa Cramer

  Futurist and Professor

  Tessa Cramer (PhD) is a futurist and professor who explores what it means to be human in a world changing at lightning speed. Rather than predicting flying cars or robots, she likes to ask deeper questions: who do we want to become? And, once we know, the real task begins: building a future that reflects it. Her work focuses on cultivating wonder as a powerful antidote to fear.