Theme: Life in Transition

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).

Durdans Auditorium
3, Alfred Place
11th Floor
Colombo 03, Kŏḷamba, 00300
Sri Lanka

Dinesha Senaratne

Head of the Empower Program - Avinya Foundation

Dinesha Senaratne is a passionate educator with a background in teaching Drama, English as a Second Language and Special Needs Education. She has over a decade of teaching experience, ranging from Preschool to Upper Secondary levels. She is currently the Head of the Empower Program at Avinya Foundation where she works with her team to build and deliver a PBL curriculum that develops 21st century skills. Previously, she has held positions at reputable institutions such as the British Council and several leading international schools in Colombo. Prior to her teaching career, she worked as a Newscaster and Journalist, developing her skills in effective communication and storytelling. Her main interests in education are Curriculum Development and using Cooperative Learning methods to enhance the learning experience. She holds an M.A. in Education from the University of Nottingham, CELTA and an ATCL in teaching Speech and Drama from Trinity Guildhall.

Dr Avanthi Jayasinghe

Counselling Psychologist / Visual Artist

Dr Avanthi Jayasinghe is a counselling psychologist by profession and a visual artist by passion. She has won several awards for her creativity, and her art works are in the possession of local and international art collectors. A sculpture done by her is now on display at the Embassy of the United States of America in Sri Lanka. She has participated in local and international group art exhibitions and held her 2nd solo exhibition titled ‘Imago Sui’ at Prana Lounge – Colombo, recently. She often likes to combine her therapeutic practice with art as she sees it as a vehicle that can be used for profound inner healing. She has also held workshops for the National Child Protection Authority in Sri Lanka with the aim of furthering this idea, especially with children. Avanthi holds an honours degree in Counselling & Psychology from Aquinas University Colombo, MPhil & PhD from the University of the Visual & Performing Arts, Colombo.

Dr Gamini Goonetilleke

Consultant Surgeon

Dr Gamini Goonetilleke is a consultant general surgeon with four decades of experience having worked in many hospitals across Sri Lanka including those in the combat zones during the North-East conflict. He has been an undergraduate and postgraduate teacher and examiner for many years. In 2001 he was elected the President of The College of Surgeons of Sri Lanka. Gamini has presented his surgical experiences at numerous academic conferences locally and overseas. He is the recipient of 13 medals of excellence for his academic work. His main surgical interest has been trauma including war surgery. He is the author of two books, the first being a memoir, titled “In the Line of Duty” and the second titled “the Extra Mile: a surgeon’s experiences” wherein he describes with illustrations his experiences in the war front. Gamini’s wide surgical experiences are documented on his website titled ‘A Surgeon’s tales”

Love Yadav

General Partner, Mountain Lion Ventures

Love is an investor and venture builder with over 25 years of experience. He has a proven track record of success in global investment banking and asset management, having held regulated positions with leadership roles in the financial services industry. He has also been actively involved in the Islamic finance space. In recent years, Love has turned his focus to venture building, launching Mountain Lion Ventures, a holding company that invests in a variety of high-growth sectors, including digital community management, electric mobility, digital wealth management, facilities management, and the medicinal marijuana sector. Love is passionate about making mobility technology affordable and accessible in South and South East Asia. He spends most of his time as an affordable E-mobility crusader in these regions.

Ramla Wahab-Salman

Researcher

Ramla is a researcher in the fields of History and International Relations. She current research focuses on global urban histories and its connections to Colombo. She is Executive Director of the American Institute for Lankan Studies in Colombo (AILS) which runs academic programming in the Humanities and the Social Sciences and digital preservation projects focusing on endangered historical material from a Sri Lankan context. Ramla is on the research team for ‘Project 72’ – a Netflix style documentary on the post-independence history of Sri Lanka directed by Sarah Kabir and produced by ROAR Media to be released in 2024.She has previously worked at the International Centre for Ethnic Studies in Colombo, Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute of International Relations and Strategic Studies and projects with the British Museum. Ramla holds an M.A. in History from the School of Oriental and African Studies (London) and B.A.(Hons.) in History from Lady Shri Ram College for Women (Delhi).

Rochelle Stephanie Christopher

Biomedical Student and the Co-founder of PROCYM (PVT) LTD

Rochelle Stephanie Christopher is dedicated to a career in biomedical Sscience. She pursued a Higher Diploma in Biomedical Science at Amrak Institute of Medical Sciences, where she's the Vice President of Amrak Science Society, registered with the National Science Foundation of Sri Lanka. She's a graduate of the HackaDev Enterprise Incubator for Social Innovations, Cohort-04, by UNDP in Sri Lanka. Rochelle is the Co-founder of PROCYM (PVT) LTD, a UN-registered company, highlighting her commitment to global impact at the intersection of biomedical science and social innovation.

The Soul

Alternative Band

The Soul is a Sri Lankan based original music band that finds inspiration from the society we live in. Oftentimes that leads them to a distressing premise but sometimes they climb out of it. Their themes ask us - Why are we here? What are we supposed to do? How have we lost touch with reality? What technology are we too dependent on? Who are the corrupt that lead us? Maybe these questions have no answers or maybe we can find the answers together, because according to them - We too are The Soul.