TEDxBritishSchoolManila

Speakers

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

• Anechka Estrada

  Performer

  Anechka Estrada is a young artist who’s long time passion has been music. She heard her first pop song at 3, sparking a passion that would last forever. Since then, she has written many songs, her most recent being “Worth Crying For.”

• Audrey Sy

  Performer

  Audrey Sy is a Year 10 Music IGCSE student from the British School of Manila. She has played the piano and sang since she was 4 years old. Outside of school, Audrey is actively working through the Suzuki books and developing her confidence in performing. She is currently studying Suzuki Book 4, recognising the importance of discipline and dedication every time she sits down to play. Years of consistent practice has strengthened her appreciation for the value of music and the role it plays in our everyday lives. She hopes that her music will resonate with others beyond the performance itself.

• Aurelien Chu

  Co-Founder and CEO of Eskwelabs

  Aurelien Chu is CEO and Co‑Founder of Eskwelabs, a venture-backed education platform that equips professionals across Southeast Asia with in-demand skills in AI. Named to Forbes 30 Under 30, he leads Eskwelabs’ mission to democratize access to future-ready learning through hands-on, apprenticeship-style Learning Sprints that blend live workshops and industry mentors. Before founding Eskwelabs, Aurelien worked as a management consultant focused on economic strategy for governments, development agencies, and private clients across Africa and Asia. He has led large-scale programs to align education with employment, advised public-sector reforms, and helped organizations design scalable workforce initiatives. For TEDxBritishSchoolManila, Aurelien will explore how data science and artificial intelligence can “ignite” personal and collective potential — accelerating how we learn, solve problems, and turn curiosity into meaningful action.

• Clara Kho

  Founder of SOS Cosmetics + Student

  Clara Kho is the founder of SOS Cosmetics and a fierce advocate for transparency in the personal care industry who, upon discovering that mainstream beauty products didn't sit right with her, did what only the truly ambitious do — she stopped waiting and built an alternative from scratch. Driven by the belief that people deserve natural cosmetics they can genuinely trust, and inspired by a growing wave of like-minded founders who refused to let big brands set the standard, Clara has made it her mission to reshape the relationship between consumers and the products they reach for every single day. Now taking that mission to the TEDx stage with her talk, "Chemicals Before Breakfast: What's Really in Your Personal Care Products?", she is challenging audiences everywhere to stop trusting blindly, start reading the label, and demand better — because our skin, she argues, deserves nothing less.

• Edwin Samson

  Scuba Diving Instructor

  Edwin Samson spent 15+ years doing community development, including partnering with fishing communities on disaster preparedness across coastal and remote Philippines. As a U.S. military veteran who served as a combat medic in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, he found a more powerful way to serve: by recognizing the good already present in communities rather than arriving as a problem-solver from the outside. He currently leads as Executive Director of the International Service Corps of Asia, teaches at Mindanao State University–Tawi-Tawi College of Technology and Oceanography, and directs Safety Stop Adventure Learning Center. He helps Sama-Bajau students learn to dive as a way to become in control of your body and thoughts. Trained in intercultural studies, international development, and leadership, his conviction is simple: when education, access, and opportunity come together, transformation follows.

• Kristen Ng

  Performer

  Kristen Ng is a young violinist and Assistant Principal Second Violin of the Philippine Suzuki Youth Orchestra. She began playing at three and a half, developing strong discipline and a deep love for music. She has performed in major venues such as the Manila Cathedral and the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Kristen has earned recognition at the Music Singapore International Competition, winning First Place in the ABRSM Grade 5 category and Second Place in the Open Solo category.

• Lynn Pinugu

  Educator + Social Entrepreneur + Founder of She Talks Asia + Founder of Mano Amiga Philippines

  Lynn Pinugu is the co-founder and Executive Director of Mano Amiga Philippines, a school providing education to underprivileged children, and currently impacts more than 3,000 individuals. When she was in university, her parents underwent a financial crisis, and a journalism scholarship enabled her to continue her studies. Years later, while volunteering in Mexico, she encountered the Mano Amiga network of schools, which helped children who grew up in poverty. She spent years raising funds to give Mano Amiga a permanent home in the Philippines, and now 96% of its graduates are going on to higher education. Her work has earned her recognition as part of the Asia Society's Asia 21 Young Leaders cohort, a UN Alliance of Civilisations Summer Fellow, and an Obama Foundation Fellow. In her TEDx talk, "Create with Empathy," Lynn challenges changemakers to stop imagining the realities of those they serve — and start living alongside them instead.

• Myrna Yao

  CEO & President of Richprime Global Inc. & Commissioner of Business and Industry

  Myrna Yao, Commissioner of Business and Industry at the Philippine Commission on Women, is the President and Founder of Richprime Global Inc.. A leading Filipina entrepreneur, she began as a micro-entrepreneur and built a portfolio representing global brands such as Goodyear and Barbie, alongside Fisher-Price, Hot Wheels, and VTech. Her journey was shaped by growing up in the Bicol region, where she witnessed inequality—fueling her mission to use business for empowerment. Starting young in male-dominated industries, she built her career through resilience and risk-taking, rebuilding even after setbacks. She later served as Chairperson of the Philippine Commission on Women (2004–2010), leading the GREAT Women Project and helping advance the Magna Carta of Women. In her TEDx talk, “Be Different, Be Daring, Be Determined,” Yao emphasises creativity, courage, and perseverance, inspiring young people to lead with purpose and create meaningful impact.

• Pauline Gaston

  Professional Volleyball Player

  Pauline "Ponggay" Gaston is a Filipino professional volleyball player currently competing for the Capital1 Solar Spikers in the Premier Volleyball League. Known on court for her infectious energy and signature smile, she is far more, and, by her own definition, she is defiant. She has built a professional career across multiple clubs, bringing that same fire to every new team. She stopped asking how many points she scored and started asking whose spark she lit up instead. Her TEDx talk, "The Reignited Heart: Why Your Purpose is More Than Your Performance," is a call to anyone caught in the endless sprint to choose joy as an act of rebellion and to treat purpose as a discipline, and to remember that a torch doesn't lose its light by lighting another one. Off the court, Ponggay has also co-hosted The Score on One Sports, proving that her voice extends well beyond the volleyball arena.

• Paulo Campos

  Founder of Kaya Founders

  Paulo Campos III is a venture capitalist and entrepreneur. As he puts it, running a VC fund is one of the most entrepreneurial endeavors in the world of business. What ignites his fire is supporting founders and entrepreneurs who are building the Philippines' next generation of transformational companies, a mission that recently took on new meaning when he found himself meeting founders from across the country. From Tarlac in northern Luzon to Catbalogan in Samar, he is building generational businesses from the ground up. On the TEDx stage, Paulo brings that energy to his talk, "Supporting a New Wave of Philippines Entrepreneurs," where he tackles the question at the heart of his work: what does it take to build a world-class, technology-enabled company? For Paulo, the answer matters beyond boardrooms — Filipino entrepreneurship contributes to nation building and levels the playing field for all. In his words, the founders he backs are simply "building the future we want to see."

• Sheila Valderrama & Simone Martinez

  Actors & Singers

  Shiela Valderrama-Martinez is a Filipino musical theatre actress and singer known for her work on both Philippine and international stages. She began her career with Repertory Philippines and has since starred in major productions such as The King and I, Shrek the Musical, and Passion, where she won a Gawad Buhay Award for Best Female Lead. She was also part of the opening team of Hong Kong Disneyland, performing multiple principal roles, including Nala in Festival of the Lion King, highlighting her versatility and global calibre. Joining her is Simone Martinez, a British School Manila student and rising performer who has appeared in Sister Act and Shrek the Musical. In their TEDx talk, Shiela reflects on her journey and emphasises the importance of discipline, humility, vulnerability, and hard work in achieving success. Together, they share a powerful message about pursuing dreams with passion, perseverance, and belief in oneself.

• Stephanie Brown

  Performer

  Stephanie Brown is a musician and an author who draws much inspiration from the musical textures of post-war jazz and indie music. A storyteller and writer first, she writes songs that are deeply personal to her—songs rooted in her favourite memories, myths, and moments—everything that shaped her.