Theme: NEXT: A sky of possibilities

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized (subject to certain rules and regulations).

Philharmonic Orchestra
Bul. Goce Delchev br. 2
Skopje, Centar, 1000
Macedonia

Alexandra Foster

Director of Manufacturing, Digital Industries and Financial Services at BT

Alexandra Foster is the Director of Manufacturing, Digital Industries and Financial Services for BT. In this role, she helps customers use technology like 5G Private Networks, IoT, Cloud and Edge Computing to solve, simplify and transform their business securely. She has over 25 years of experience working in a variety of industries including technology, insurance, and banking. She is a global business owner with responsibility for a £Multi-Million P&L and has a proven commercial ability to expertly translate technology products and services into innovative business solutions. Alexandra is a frequent speaker at industry events and has been featured in publications such as Financial Times, Computing, Insurance post and Cyber. Alex has been recognized as one of the most influential and creative women in technology. She inspires others to be confident and deliver innovation beyond expectations with commercial value --and is a Prince’s Trust mentor!

Alketa Vejsiu

Serial Entrepreneur/TV Host & Producer

Alketa Vejsiu is a Serial Entrepreneur, TV Host and Producer based in Albania and Italy. She was brought up in an art-loving family, where parents “nourished” her with love for art and beauty, believing that good things come when deciding to pursue dreams and passion. When the era of the rise of private radio stations arrived in Albania, Alketa Vejsiu found herself in Top Albania Radio, where she conducted the first musical programs that brought revolution in the concept of music and presentation in Albania. It was soon proved that television and stage would be her safe “terrains”, where she would be affirmed as one of the most prominent Albanian screen presenters over the years. Her career would only recognize climbing, because within a while, she proved that presentation and television were the way to a safe and consolidated success thanks to hard work, sacrifices and above all, unconditional love for television.

Ardita Zekiri

Head of Solutions Mapping - UNDP

Ardita Zekiri is born and raised in North Macedonia and speaks 5 languages fluently. She loves to read, and travel and has dedicated her life and career to social services. She graduated with a B.S. in Communication Sciences and Technology, completed the MA in Social Sciences at Jacobs University Bremen, and currently completing the degree in Master program on Artificial Intelligence in Public Sector at Univesidad Politecnica de Madrid. Ardita is currently working as the Head of Solutions Mapping, at the Accelerator Lab in UNDP North Macedonia. Her work focuses on innovation and how we can learn from the collective knowledge in order to design better, and impactful initiatives to tackle wicked challenges, and complexities in development work. Her past employers include UNICEF, OSCE, REC, Hochschule Bremen, Crown Relocations, SPARK (former Academic Training Association).

Besian Mehmeti

Architect - BMA

Besian Mehmeti founded BMA in 2012 after many years of collaborative and free-lance experience in the fields of architecture, urbanism and design. He graduated from the Faculty of Architecture in Skopje and ever since he has been engaged in numerous projects and winning competition designs including the Scanderbeg Square in Skopje, The City Library and Theater in Tetovo and most recently a new Primary School in Skopje, which was awarded the National Grand Annual Architecture Award for 2019. Last year, the Macedonian Chamber of Architects and Engineers granted the award named prof. Boris Chipan for 2020 for contribution to the development of the architectural profession. His works have been nominated for the EU Mies van der Rohe Award, the Aga Khan Award for Architecture and the Archdaily Building of the Year Award. Besian has participated in several exhibitions, including the Venice Biennale in 2012 and an exhibition in New York in 2019 called “Visions of green urban infills”.

Damjan Nikolovski

Activist/President of the Einstein Dyslexia Association

Damjan Nikolovski is a graduate economist and president of the Einstein Dyslexia Association since 2015. He started his work experience as a volunteer in several civil society organizations, and in 2015 he became actively involved as a volunteer in the Einstein Association. At the very beginning, the Association started with active organization of educational seminars in order to educate the teachingstaff about dyslexia, which at that moment is an almost unknown situation in the country. At the end of 2015, he was elected president by the assembly of the Association. In his work experience he was a project coordinator of 25 internationally funded projects for specific learning difficulties and brings the greatest credit for the significant raising of public awareness about specific learning difficulties in the Republic of Northern Macedonia. He is the author and co-author of several publications related to dyslexia and specific learning difficulties.

Ece Ozturk Dogan

Head of GMP - Google Turkey

Ece is leading the Google Marketing Platform in the Turkish market, aiming to increase the digital maturity of the ecosystem via consulting companies and agencies on their digital transformation journey. Also, she is a diversity activist, focusing on the representation of women in the ad tech industry. Before joining Google, Ece was the Director of Performance Marketing at Garanti BBVA Payment Systems where she built and led digital marketing teams. Prior to this, Ece worked as Global Digital Marketing Manager at a fintech startup and as Account Strategist at a digital agency. Ece is an Industrial Engineer, and has a masters degree in Information Systems.

Enas Daeki

Published Author of Beauty of Pain, Refugee Advocate

Enas Daeki, is the founder of Arabela Beauty Agency, a UK-based agency that facilitates and establishes beauty brands; a refugee advocate; and author of Beauty of Pain. Born in Libya, into a culture where women, though educated, often leave behind that education and potential, in order to become mothers and homemakers. A tradition that she wholeheartedly respected and understood, yet, her ambition, as a little girl growing up in this culture, was to be all that she could be in her life. Wherever that would take her. Her determination and dedication to others embracing their internal and external beauty are fierce. She wrote her first book designed to inspire and empower people, especially women, that they can do and achieve anything they put their mind to. Not in spite of the pain and challenges of life, but because of those challenges. She has learned, there is POWER in pain.

Enzo Maria Le Fevre

Project Manager - European Comission

Professor Enzo Maria Le Fevre has always cultivated two passions: innovation and international relations. His versatility has led him to work in very different sectors, from diplomacy to artificial intelligence, He is a Project Manager in the European Commission, but also Member of the Board of the Adriano Olivetti Foundation and Adjunct Professor at LUISS Guido Carli University. He leads the collaboration platforms in the European Commission and contributes to the research in the field of artificial intelligence at the Laboratory on Innovation and AI of the University of Buenos Aires. He was among the authors of the White Paper on the use of artificial intelligence at the service of the citizen published by the Italian government in March 2018 and coordinator of the OECD’s working group on emerging technologies in the public sector. Between 2010 and 2017 he has also been the director of the Budapest Center for Mass Atrocities Prevention.

Ermal Mamaqi

Motivational Speaker, Comedian

Ermal Mamaqi is well-known as a businessman, producer, showman, singer, actor, a very successful comedian, and recently, also as a motivational speaker. Ermal is one of the most followed Albanians on Social Media worldwide. Ermal has set an audience record in each of his projects such as "6 Days without Ermal" "XING with Ermal", the movie "2 fingers honey", the movie "I Love Tropoja" and recently the series “H.O.T”. Ermal has been trained in more than 100 trainings, for 12 years by the greatest Trainers on the Planet. His mentors are Brian Tracy, Tony Robbins, Grant Cardone, John Lee, Avinash Ananda, Vasil Naçi and others. He has now created his own learning academy “EM Trainings” where he has included trainings that have motivated thousands of people in their road towards success. Ermal owns some very successful businesses in Albania.

Katerina Angelovska

Author/Reiki Master/Motivational Speaker

Katerina Angelovska is a well-being coach, energy therapist, author, Mindfulness teacher and public speaker. During her professional career, she was recognized as true team leader and people always followed her adventurous and positive spirit. This opened her path to dedicate her life towards helping people having a better future. In 2015 she founded her own company Cosmic Center for personal and spiritual development. The program for personal development that has brought Katerina recognition is based on a holistic model of growth and development and encompasses all the segments of human existence. She has led various training programs and seminars, mindful meditation groups, individuals, and is completely dedicated to motivating, inspiring and exercising the present-day generation so that they can find greatness and power within themselves and become creators of their own lives. Katerina is the author of two bestselling books 333 Affirmations and Awakening Consciousness.

Mersiha Smailovic

Lawyer, Human Rights Activist - Legis

Mersiha Smailović is human rights activist, lawyer and president of NGO LEGIS. Mersiha is active in the field of advocating for the rights of refugees and migrants, discrimination against Muslims and Islamophobia, gender equality, rights of ethnic groups etc. Her research papers on the refugee rights, islamophobia, women rights were published in several local and international publications. She was actively involved in numerous humanitarian missions globally. Mersiha graduated from Ss. Cyril and Methodius at the University of Law, and currently doing her master's study on International law, at the same University. Mersiha is born in Skopje, married and mother of two daughters. She is a co-owner of the company for finance and legal services NAHLA KONSALTING, since year 2006.

Mirela Sula

Best Selling Author/Speaker/Entrepreneur

Mirela Sula has worked in media and education for the last 20 years and has speaking experience all around the world. Her background takes in psychology and counselling, journalism, coaching, women’s rights and media training. Mirela is CEO and the founder of Global Woman magazine and Global Woman Club which is active in 26 cities around the world. In the last 4 years Mirela has travelled the world in more than 30 countries, speaking in front of thousands of people and sharing the stage with world class speakers and coaches. She has appeared on “London Live TV”, “BBC Radio 4 Women’s Hours”, “Sky TV”, “Channel 5” and also featured at the “Evening Standard” and “The Guardian” and Forbes. She is also author of several books. Her last self-help book ‘Don’t Let Your Mind Go’ was a best seller and is also published in America and Turkey. She also has created Migrant Woman Talks, a platform that invites women to share their stories and experience of life in a new country.

Nderim Nexhipi

Retired Soccer Player/Sports Director at FC Ballkani

Nderim Nexhipi is a retired Albanian soccer player from Skopje, Macedonia now retired from soccer and working as a Sports Director at the current Champions of Kosovo FC Ballkani in the Kosovo Superliga. After a 17 years of professional soccer and more than 300 games in some different countries of Europe he decided to stop with his soccer activity. He had an impeccable international career playing soccer from his start at Sloga Jugomagnat and advancement to Hertha BSC -- Wolfsburg, from Rabotnicki to Lierse, Lierse to Qarabag, he had some great teams during his career.

Orhan Bagashov

Innovator

Orhan Bagashov is the 19-year-old founder and CEO of the medical technology company eBionyx. He and his team are focused on creating a new generation of bionic arms (advanced prosthetic arms) and their mission is to provide a choice for a bionic arm for everyone in the world, regardless of where they live. At the age of 14, he designed a new type of 3D printer that he called a “Rotary 3D printer”, which pushes the limits of 3D printing technology and makes the process faster and easier. With the help of his innovations in additive manufacturing technology, he was able to create his new project - a robotic arm, as part of a life-sized humanoid robot. The robotic arm inspired him to start working on bionic arms, and at the age of 16, he founded eBionyx with his co-founders Teo Kitanovski and Boris Nocheski to help millions of people who have not had the chance to have a bionic arm previously.

Osei Gyamfi

Recruiter - Meta

Osei Gyamfi was born in Alexandria, Virginia in the United States to two Ghanian parents, Peter and Monica Gyamfi. The youngest of 4 children (and only boy) Mr. Gyamfi went to St. Stephens and St. Agnes high school where he studied government and political science. Upon graduation, he was accepted and attended the University of California, Berkeley where he studied Political Science, focusing on governments in the US, Europe, and Africa. Mr. Gyamfi graduated from Berkeley in 2003 and then moved to Los Angeles, California. One day he stumbled into a staffing agency and, upon speaking to the recruiters, was offered a job with their firm. He hasn't looked back since, becoming Division Director and a Branch Manager for major firms, and is now a recruiting specialist for Meta (formerly known as Facebook) finding premier talent to fuel the Metaverse. He obtained his Masters in Business Administration in 2015 and has a passion for helping people achieve their career goals and dreams.