TEDxThonglor Women

Speakers

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

• Anna Downs

  A former British Army officer and competitive biathlete, Anna has spent her career redefining how women prepare for and recover from life’s biggest physical transitions. After facing her own experiences of traumatic birth, injury, cancer, and hysterectomy, she transformed her expertise into a mission: to empower women with the knowledge and tools to understand, trust, and strengthen their bodies. Now based in Bangkok, Anna is the founder of Move Well with Anna, a specialist consultancy and training practice supporting women through pregnancy, postpartum, peri-menopause, and menopause. Her evidence-informed approach bridges the gap between medical, physical, and emotional wellbeing, blending science, movement, and education to create lasting change.

• Isabel Vallejo Echavarría

  As a systems engineer, business development manager, and digital strategist across three continents, Isabel kept encountering the same puzzle: Why do brilliant people feel inexplicably stuck? After navigating her own journey as an expat mother managing competing priorities across countries and cultures, she discovered the answer: We're anchored by stories about our past that we’ve mistaken for truth. Now an EMCC Senior Practitioner and founder of Motiva Coaching & Supervision, Isabel specialises in helping driven professionals courageously face their personal history and rewrite it as aprendizajes—transformative wisdom that opens the path to fulfilling relationships and prosperity. Her innovative approach combines neuroscience-backed frameworks like "Energy Economics" and "Boundaries as Bridges" with creative methodologies including LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® and systemic mediation.

• Natalie Glebova

  Natalie Glebova is a best-selling author, inner beauty coach, and a former Miss Universe. Through her own extensive spiritual journey to attain self-love and deeper self-awareness, Natalie started a coaching practice that focuses on energetic aspects of personal development to help her clients become winners in both life and love. Specializing in using healing and transformational approaches and modalities from all parts of the world, Natalie helps her clients achieve deeper and longer-lasting levels of inner peace and happiness.

• Nienke Nina Benders

  With a background in finance, technology, and business development, she has built a career at the intersection of strategy and sustainability. Before founding Brightwise, Nienke held leadership roles in fintech, climate tech, and maritime industries across Europe and Asia, including as Head of Strategy & Business Development at Sirius Technologies, Country General Manager for Bakker Marine Electric (Pon holding) in China and founder of Venture IQ Asia. Nienke is passionate about driving impact businesses and forging connections between people, technology, and climate. She has successfully led fundraising efforts, market expansion strategies, and cross-border partnerships for innovative solutions such as hazardous wastewater recycling and B2B SaaS. A natural connector, she thrives on bridging cultures and industries to accelerate the transition to a sustainable future.

• Paul Ark (Polapat Arkkrapridi)

  Paul is a venture capitalist focused on sustainability and inclusive climate solutions in Southeast Asia. He is also pursuing a doctorate in business administration, doing research on gender funding gaps in startup and venture capital ecosystems. In addition to his work in venture capital, Paul is an active philanthropist and passionate advocate for girls’ education. He is a co-founder and active board director of the Amazing Maasai Girls Project, a U.S.-based 501c3 non-profit organization that aims to fight child marriage by sending Maasai girls in Kenya to high school. Since its founding in 2011, the organization has raised over US$750,000 in scholarship funds and has sent over 120 girls to school.

• Rupali Babu

  Rupali Babu is a strategic leader passionate about driving impact through innovative leadership.With over 20 years of experience spanning social impact organizations, global networks, the banking sector, and advisory services she has consistently championed positive change. Rupali Babu's current work as a Cofounder of BCX Design, an applied behavioural science consultancy, is informed by her extensive background in strategy. She has successfully designed and implemented strategic frameworks and performance measurement systems for international non-governmental organizations (INGOs), and has a proven track record in resource mobilization, including leading multi-million dollar fundraising campaigns and building high-value partnerships. Certified in behavioural design, she leverages this expertise along with strategy, change management, and inclusive design practices to drive thoughtful solutions across the private and social sectors.

• Sara D’Anzeo

  Originally from Italy, Sara D’Anzeo is a multifaceted professional with over thirteen years of experience in international development, spanning the United Nations, non-profit, and private sectors. She currently leads the establishment of a platform for capital markets in Asia with UN Women, advancing gender-responsive finance across financial marketplaces. Previously, as Partnership Specialist with the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), she fostered collaboration between public and private actors to accelerate women-led innovation and close the funding gap for women entrepreneurs. As Business Engagement Specialist with UNDP, Sara led the FairBiz diversity and inclusion hub, developing strategic partnerships with the private sector to promote gender equality and responsible business practices across ASEAN.

• Shannon Kalayanamitr

  Shannon Kalayanamitr is the Co-Founder of The CrestHaus, www.thecresthaus.com, a private membership platform for executive leaders focused on mastery, mentorship, and access to opportunity for women. She also leads TeamCxO, www.TeamCXO.com, a platform connecting companies with fractional C-suite talent across Asia, and serves as a Venture Partner at Hive Ventures, helping bridge innovation between Southeast Asia and Taiwan. Previously, she co-founded and exited Orami, Southeast Asia’s first women-focused e-commerce platform, after helping launch Lazada Thailand—marking her as one of the early pioneers in the region’s digital economy. A long-time advocate for women’s leadership and equality, Shannon continues to appear as a Shark on Shark Tank Thailand, mentoring and investing in entrepreneurs across the region. She is also a mother to twin girls of Scandinavian, Thai, and American heritage—an identity that anchors her belief in empathy, courage, and purpose-driven leadership.