Theme: Building Bridges

At TEDxGVAGrad, we present a unique opportunity to bring together Geneva’s academic and non-academic realities while stimulating the spread of varied viewpoints on contemporary issues affecting our society. With nearly 1,000 students hailing from over 100 countries, the Geneva Graduate Institute (IHEID) has a legacy of promoting diverse perspectives and ideas, with notable alumni such as Kofi Annan and Micheline Calmy-Rey. By tapping into the diversity of the Geneva Graduate Institute and Geneva as an international hub, TEDxGVAGrad embraces diverse perspectives to explore new paradigms through creativity, openness, and dialogue.

This year, we’re all about Building Bridges. We highlight the power of crossing divides, breaking barriers, and transcending boundaries in creating opportunities for collaboration and innovation to tackle global challenges. Across every field—be it the arts, technology, social justice, politics, or business—building bridges help us face challenges together and develop fresh ideas for a more connected, inclusive future.

Maison de la Paix
Chem. Eugène-Rigot 2
Genève, Genève (fr), 1202
Switzerland

Agnès Aubert

Founder, Art for Peace

Founder of Art For Peace and expert in Art Therapy, Agnès uses art as a transformative way to foster resilience, social healing, and women’s empowerment. With a Master’s in Peacebuilding & Conflict Transformation through the arts, she has dedicated her career to supporting vulnerable populations and advocating for indigenous nations. Her project, The Forgiveness Door, explores forgiveness, as a pathway to personal and collective transformation especially after the #METOO era. Through her work, Agnès bridges art, therapy, and activism, inspiring individuals to reconnect with a sense of peace within themselves and the world.

Claudia Comte

Artist

Claudia Comte (b. 1983, Grancy) is a Swiss artist based in Basel, Switzerland. Her practice is guided by a longstanding interest in teasing out the history and memory of biomorphic forms through traditional hand processes, industrial and machine technologies. Comte’s site-specific installations bring together monumental wall paintings and sculptures playfully inspired by organic patterns and morphology, paying testament to the intelligence and transformative capacities of the ecological world.

Jasmine Simperingham

Program Director for Forced Displacement, PILnet

Jasmine Simperingham is a feminist, a lawyer and a global leader on refugee rights pro bono. With over two decades of international experience in the humanitarian, human rights, and justice sectors - including roles with the UN Refugee Agency and the governments of New Zealand and the UK - she now leads a global movement of lawyers committed to leveraging the law to empower refugees, stateless individuals, and other displaced people. As Program Director for Forced Displacement at PILnet, a global NGO, Jasmine cultivates collaborative partnerships between legal professionals and civil society organizations to advance refugee rights. She champions a people-centered and holistic ecosystem approach to legal work, ensuring that the legal needs, rights, and lived experiences of displaced people are at the forefront of legal advocacy and action.

Jennifer Parlamis

Professor of Organization Development, University of San Francisco, Executive In Residence Fellow, Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP)

Jennifer Parlamis is a Professor of Organization Development at the University of San Francisco, holding a Ph.D. in Social and Organizational Psychology from Columbia University. Her scholarly work examines technology and emotions in negotiations, leadership discourse, and global governance. Her research has been published in leading journals such as International Journal of Conflict Management and Negotiation Journal, and she serves as Associate Editor at Group Decision and Negotiation. Jennifer teaches courses on negotiation, workplace diplomacy, and leadership. In addition to her academic role, she is an experienced organization development consultant, leadership coach, and certified mediator, advising organizations across diverse industries and sectors. She is currently an Executive-in-Residence Fellow at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy focusing on United Nations Security Council reform.

Lucien Rappaz

Coordinator, Association La Farce

Lucien Rappaz is the coordinator of Association La Farce, épicerie gratuite pour étudiant·e·x·s, a free grocery shop for students living in precarious conditions. Lucien holds a master's degree in Environmental Science from the University of Geneva.

Natael Fautrat

Youth Council Coordinator, EU Strategy for the Alpine Region (EUSALP)

Natael is an idea maker committed to empowering youth and society. Since 2019, he has created opportunities for youth participation within the EU Strategy for the Alpine Region (EUSALP). Born in the Alps, he was captivated by the mountains and their values. As a graduate of the Mountain Professions Training Center, he shaped his career around his passions. His travels reinforced the importance of intercultural exchange, fueling his curiosity about the world. After an Erasmus exchange, he founded the "Foreigners Association Chambéry" to connect internationals and locals, gaining valuable skills and insights through this hands-on experience. Deeply observant of the evolving world and human connections, Natael values the guidance he received and is dedicated to supporting young people as they navigate challenges and societal change.

Neil Buhne

Development Coordination and Humanitarian Coordination Expert, Former Asia Pacific Regional Director, United Nations Development Coordination Office

Neil Buhne served the United Nations for 37 years across nine countries (1984–2021) before joining CCDP as a Research Associate and McGill University’s Institute for Studies in International Development as a Professor of Practice in 2022. In 2025, he joined the Advisory Board of the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) at the University of Oxford. Throughout his UN career, he focused on uniting its efforts for impactful development cooperation, humanitarian aid, and peacebuilding. He most recently served as Regional Director, Asia-Pacific, for the UN Development Coordination Office in Bangkok. Previously, he was the UN Resident Coordinator/Humanitarian Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bulgaria, and Belarus. He also led UNDP Geneva’s Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery and UNDP’s Integrated Geneva Liaison Office. He continues to engage as a consultant to help improve the UN’s work at the country level.

Zulykha Zainal

Senior Assistant for Digital Transformation, IFRC

Zulykha Zainal is a data scientist with expertise in turning complex data into actionable insights. She holds a Master’s in Data Science, specializing in data visualization and analytics for social change. With experience in both government and humanitarian sectors, she currently drives innovation at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Outside of work, Zulykha is passionate about books, cats, and unicorns—constantly in search of magic in the everyday.