TEDxUniversityofGroningen

Speakers

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

• Defne Saral

  Global Head of Sales Ofi

  Defne Saral began her career at a branded food company before transitioning into B2B. Over 10 years ago, she took on a leadership role in food ingredients and is now at her third company in the field. She has worked across a wide range of ingredients, from biotech to natural products, collaborating closely with leading food innovation experts. Through this, she has gained deep insight into how food is developed, what drives enjoyment, and how nutrition impacts health. She is passionate about nutrition, food, and the gut microbiome, constantly exploring how diet influences energy, well-being, and overall health. She enjoys applying science-based insights to daily life and often recommends probiotics and digestive enzymes to those feeling unwell. Her global travels have shaped her perspective, enhancing her appreciation for diverse lifestyles, cultures, and ways of eating.

• Geert Jan Groeneveld

  CEO of the Centre of Human Drug Research Leiden

  Geert Jan Groeneveld is a professor of clinical neuropharmacology at Leiden University Medical Center and CEO of the Centre for Human Drug Research in Leiden, where early clinical studies with new medicines are conducted. Alongside his scientific work, he has practiced Zen meditation since 2006. In his talk, he connects the theme Inside Out to growth as both a biological and human process: how attention shapes experience, how the brain’s “default mode network” can amplify rumination and suffering, and how practices like meditation, as well as emerging, carefully controlled therapies, may help create space around thoughts and emotions. This inner space matters not only for patients living with chronic pain, but also for anyone navigating stress, responsibility, or change. He is particularly interested in how daily habits can become lasting neural pathways and how inner training can translate into wiser action in the world.

• Kaumudi Goda

  People, Leadership & Culture Executive | Global L&D & DEI Executive | Organizational Development | Culture Transformation & Ethical Leadership | Executive Coach (ICF PCC) | EMEA/APAC/US | Board Director & C-Suite Advisor

  Kaumudi Goda is the founder of The Human Conversation, where she builds cultures of integrity, inclusion and inspiration for organizations. She serves on the AI Coaching Coalition Europe Council, the Global Diversity Council of the International Coach Federation, and as Country Leader for European Women on Boards, advancing responsible business and inclusive leadership across regions. A doctoral candidate at École des Ponts Business School and Fellow at École des Ponts Business School’s ReTech Center, she studies how emerging technologies and human‑centered leadership can drive shared value and sustainable growth for the future. Previously a practicing attorney in New York City, she holds an MBA from the Indian School of Business and an LLM from the University of Virginia. She is a ICF PCC executive coach, an international speaker, and published author.

• Leo van Woerden

  Neuroscientist

  Leo van Woerden is a neuroscientist, sleep expert, and speaker with more than 25 years of research experience on the brain, stress, performance, and recovery. His work focuses on a defining challenge of our time: as technology becomes more powerful, how do people remain clear, adaptive, and resilient under increasing pressure? In his TEDx talk, Leo explores why the real bottleneck is often not the technology itself, but the human system trying to keep up with it. This directly connects to the theme of growth. Real growth does not begin with more speed, more output, or more tools, but with the capacity to recover, regulate, and make sound decisions in complex environments. His message is clear: sustainable growth depends on how well we understand and train the brain and body that must navigate change.

• Roland Mees

  Professor Practice of Business Ethics @ RUG | previously Sustainable Finance @ ING

  Roland Mees is a Professor of Practice of Business Ethics at the Faculty of Economics and Business at the University of Groningen. Before entering academia, he was Director of Sustainable Finance at ING Wholesale Banking until mid-2025, where he worked closely with CFOs, treasurers, and sustainability managers of major global companies. He is the inventor of the Sustainability-Linked Loan (SLL), a financial product that links loan interest rates to a company’s year-on-year sustainability performance, measured through independently verified Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Alongside his role at ING, he completed a PhD at the Ethics Institute of Utrecht University in 2017, with his research monograph published in 2020. His work explores why it is so difficult to motivate action toward preserving the planet for future generations. At the RUG, he inspires students by showing how personal growth can develop along parallel paths that eventually converge to create positive change.

• Veroniek Vermeulen

  CEO of Silatha

  Veroniek Vermeulen is the founder and CEO of Silatha, a health-tech company dedicated to transforming how workplaces support women’s health and authentic leadership. An engineer by training with a background in male-dominated corporates, she combines rigorous business experience with years of inner work in monasteries. Her work centers on creating psychologically safe workplaces where women can lead from their full selves, instead of fitting into outdated systems that ignore their bodies, emotions, and life transitions such as endometriosis, fertility, and menopause. In her TEDx Talk in Groningen, “Becoming yourself is a leadership advantage,” Veroniek shares how missiles over Qatar, corporate pressure, and women’s untold health stories led her to redefine leadership and build Silatha as a catalyst for more human, future-ready organizations.