TED Speakers

While we live in an age of tremendous change, we’re also in an era of unbelievable opportunity. The future is ours to create. Are you ready? Named a leading female futurist by Forbes, Elatia Abate helps organizations thrive in the face of disruption, pre...

Yassmin Abdel-Magied is an engineer, author, broadcaster, and award-winning social advocate. Her powerful TED talk, “What Does My Headscarf Mean to You” has more than 2.5 million views and was selected as one of TED’s top 10 ideas. An internationally ren...

Is there a connection between happiness and success? Having spent over a decade at Harvard University as the Head Teaching Fellow in Positive Psychology, Shawn Achor is the world’s leading expert on the topic. His acclaimed TED Talk, “The Happy Secret to B...

If crisis were to strike your company tomorrow, would you be ready? Melissa Agnes helps organizations prevent and manage crisis before it becomes catastrophic, with the aim of never having it become catastrophic at all. Her powerful, customized presentations p...

The road to real leadership is rarely a straight one. Among Canada’s most successful entrepreneurs, few have faced more obstacles than Zahra Al-Harazi. With a no-holds-barred attitude, Al-Harazi helps people and organizations realize their potential for succ...

Chris Bailey provides audiences with practical and tactical advice for becoming more productive. Called “the most productive man you’d ever hope to meet” by TED Talks, a “productivity mastermind” by Fast Company, “a quirky a...

Voted the #1 body language professional in the world for two years running, Mark Bowden is passionate about giving people the most influential and persuasive communication techniques to stand out, win trust, and gain credibility every time they speak. Inspirin...

Kevin Breel’s TEDx Talk, “Confessions of a Depressed Comic”, has garnered more than four million views, making it one of the most watched TED talks ever on mental health. In the years since he delivered it, Breel’s been called one of the “most ...

One of the world’s leading business thinkers, David Burkus’ forward-thinking ideas and bestselling books are changing how companies approach innovation, collaboration, and productivity. He is a skilled researcher and inspiring communicator who has worked w...

In her bestselling book, Quiet, Susan Cain urged our society to cultivate space for the undervalued, indispensable introverts among us, thereby revealing an untapped power hidden in plain sight. With Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole, she once ...

Choir! Choir! Choir! has sung with Tegan and Sara at the Junos, performed at a David Bowie tribute in New York, and have even taken to the Radio City Music Hall stage with Debbie Harry and The Flaming Lips. A collective led by creative directors Nobu Adilman ...

Business is an adventure, and mountain-climber Jamie Clarke shows audiences how to strategize and succeed in their ventures. An acclaimed adventurer and entrepreneur, Clarke draws parallels between the dynamic environments found in business and nature to share...

Jamie Mason Cohen is a leadership development and resilience expert as well as a certified grapho-therapist. Forbes called his unique and unusual ability to quickly analyze people’s handwriting “impressive and a bit frightening”. He combines this with hi...

Erica Dhawan says we all have the power to drive innovation, but first we need to get past the roadblocks we create for ourselves: endless meetings, cross-team dysfunction, resource-wasting duplication, and a lack of real, meaningful inclusion. Drawing on her ...

Called one of the most inspirational TED speakers in the world, Drew Dudley is on a mission to redefine leadership. With more than five million views, his TED talk “Everyday Leadership (The Lollipop Moment)” proved that leadership is not a characteristic o...

Described as a “fresh voice on finance and investment strategies — and much more” by Thinkers50, Alex Edmans is a professor of finance at the London Business School (LBS). He graduated from Oxford University before working for Morgan Stanley in investmen...

Robin Esrock’s success as a global adventurer, travel writer, bestselling author, and international TV personality is no accident — although it did start with one. After a bike accident left him with a modest insurance settlement, Esrock quit his job to se...

Seth Godin is an internationally recognized speaker, popular blogger, and global thought leader in innovative business ideas and marketing strategy. Named one of the Top 21 Speakers For the 21st Century by Successful Meetings magazine, Godin draws on his bests...

Swish Goswami has built a multi-hyphenate career at the age of 25. He is currently the CEO of Surf, a tech company providing brands a better way to engage and understand consumers while compensating consumers for their data. His company works with some of the ...

Referred to as “the most famous astronaut since Neil Armstrong,” Colonel Chris Hadfield is a worldwide sensation whose video of David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” — seen by over 75 million people — was called “possibly the most poignant version of th...

Described as one of the most sought-after, engaging, thought-provoking, and truly transformative international speakers and scholars in her field, Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe is a multi-award-winning psychology and education instructor who specializes in resilienc...

Dan Heath helps audiences prevent problems before they happen, understand how to create extraordinary moments, and make better choices in life and work. Along with his brother Chip he is the co-author of four long-running bestsellers: Made to Stick, Switch, De...

More people have walked on the moon than have visited many of the places that Jill Heinerth has seen on Earth. From the most dangerous technical dives deep inside underwater caves, to searching for never-before-seen ecosystems inside giant Antarctic icebergs, ...

Having been viewed and shared millions of times, Mark Henick’s TEDx talk, “Why We Choose Suicide,” is among the most watched in the world. He has dedicated his life from an early age to opening minds and creating change when it comes to mental he...

For more than 25 years, Todd Hirsch has worked as an economist for such renowned institutes as ATB Financial, the Canadian Pacific Railway, the Canada West Foundation, and the Bank of Canada. With a front row seat to the key issues and trends impacting and tra...

Jamil Jivani tackles some of the biggest challenges in the world as a lawyer, community organizer, and teacher. With research and teaching appointments at Yale Law School and Osgoode Hall Law School, Jivani focuses on issues that impact youth, immigrants, and ...

As a globally recognized innovation and disruption strategist, Shawn Kanungo works at the intersection of creativity, business, and technology. He spent 12 years at Deloitte working closely with leaders to help them better plan for the opportunities associated...

Peter Katz is a Juno Award and Canadian Screen Award-nominated singer-songwriter who has spent the past 15 years touring internationally. He has been described by many of his fans and clients as “a thunderbolt for the soul”. A gifted storyteller, Katz ...

Sarah Kay uses the power of spoken word to inspire creativity and self-empowerment in others. In her famous TED talk–a talk that inspired two standing ovations and has been seen by over seven million people online–she tells the story of her metamor...

Jennifer Keesmaat is passionate about creating places where people flourish. A renowned urban planner, she was named one of the “most powerful people in Canada” by Maclean’s, one of the “most influential” by Toronto Life, and one of the top Women of ...

Hamza Khan is a multi-award-winning marketer, bestselling author, and global keynote speaker whose TEDx talk “Stop Managing, Start Leading” has been viewed over a million times. He shares actionable insights on resilience, productivity, and leaders...

A thought leader on agile business processes, digital transformation, and the future of work, Lital Marom is an expert at helping organizations unlock the potential of their business by leveraging exponential thinking, emerging technologies, and new business m...

Dr. Danielle Martin is on the frontlines of transforming the healthcare system. An internationally recognized health policy leader and executive, Martin is committed to revolutionizing healthcare to meet the demands of the 21st century. She speaks with passion...

Hailed by audiences worldwide as “life-changing”, “riveting”, “extraordinary”, “bold”, and “deeply moving”, Allison Massari’s message of courage, kindness, and resilience resonates with participants long after an event has finished. Liste...

Riaz Meghji is a human connection keynote speaker and author of the book Every Conversation Counts: The Five Habits of Human Connection That Build Extraordinary Relationships. He is also an accomplished broadcaster with 17 years of television experience, inter...

Nilofer Merchant is a renowned business strategist and innovator on a mission to reinvent work so that it actually works. A bestselling author, TED mainstage speaker, and recipient of the “Future Thinker” Award from Thinkers 50, Merchant says few companies...

Pamela Meyer’s mission is to help people get to the truth. Extensively trained in the use of visual cues and psychology to detect deception, Meyer teaches audiences how to go from lie-spotting to truth-seeking to trust-building. Her riveting TED Talk, Ho...

Jennifer Moss is an award-winning journalist and author, international speaker, and workplace culture strategist. Her book, Unlocking Happiness at Work, received the distinguished UK Business Book of the Year Award and her most recent book, The Burnout Epidemi...

As the #1 New York Times bestselling author of What Do You Want to Do Before You Die? and star of MTV’s high rated The Buried Life, Ben Nemtin uses keynote presentations to help empower and motivate groups to make a difference and live courageously. Nemt...

One of Time magazine’s “2021 Next Generational Leaders”, Dr. Chika Stacy Oriuwa is a medical trailblazer spearheading change in healthcare and beyond. She is an accomplished physician, spoken word poet, and advocate for racialized and marginalized popula...

A Harvard MBA, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning blogger, and one of the most popular TED speakers in the world, Neil Pasricha is “a pied piper of happiness” who dazzles audiences with ideas that skyrocket happiness into the stratosp...

In her globally acclaimed TEDx talk, Mel Robbins wowed the world with the science-backed secret to change: The 5 Second Rule. More than 17 million views later, the 5 Second Rule has become a bestselling book and a life-changing movement that challenges thinkin...

Jade Simmons is a creator of transformational experiences designed to activate audiences into becoming the biggest, boldest version of themselves possible. The world-class concert artist has been called a “musical force of nature” with an “un...

Simon Sinek is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together. Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Sinek teaches leaders and organizations how to inspire people, with a bold goal to help bu...

From living in a Syrian refugee camp to surviving on $1 a day in Guatemala and spending 10 years documenting the journey of an undocumented boy living in New York City, Chris Temple and Zach Ingrasci are award-winning humanitarians, activists, and filmmakers. ...

A globally recognized thought leader, bestselling author, and speaker, Eric Termuende brings a fresh perspective to workplace culture and the future of work. His actionable and entertaining keynotes combine research, storytelling, and case studies to help lead...

As president and vice-chairman of the Toronto Raptors, Masai Ujiri has led the team through its most successful period in franchise history, including an NBA Championship. In June 2019, the Raptors won their first NBA title with a six-game victory over Golden ...

Dave Wilkin turns all kinds of organizations into engagement engines. A celebrated social entrepreneur, he’s the founder of TenThousandCoffees.com, the world’s largest peer-to-peer mentoring service. With deep experience working with prominent brands, orga...

After escaping a decade of abuse living as a child bride in Canada, Samra Zafar has became a beacon of hope for many people facing exclusion, abuse, and gender-based violence. Now an award-winning international speaker, bestselling author, and social entrepren...

Ray Zahab wants people to know they are extraordinary. A former sedentary “pack a day smoker”, Zahab turned his life around in 1999 when he decided to get in shape and enter the world of ultra-marathons. Since then, he’s gone on to inspire millions of pe...