TEDxAsia Pacific U

Speakers

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

• Alex Tan Thean San

  Founder of Global Fiducia Group

  Alex Tan is the Founder of Global Fiducia Group, a platform dedicated to legacy planning, trust advisory, and developing the next generation of advisors. With a background in corporate business development, he has spent years helping professionals and families navigate wealth, risk, and long-term planning. A turning point came when Alex was diagnosed with cancer at a young age, an experience that reshaped his perspective on time, control, and what truly matters. He realised that many people, regardless of success, are unprepared when life takes an unexpected turn. Today, Alex speaks across Malaysia on the importance of structure in both life and legacy, helping people move from assumption to clarity and from intention to action. He believes legacy is not defined by how much we leave behind, but by how well we prepare it for those who matter most.

• Amaresh Raam Murali

  MISTERTWOFIVE

  MISTER TWO FIVE is a 21-year-old artist crafting a sound rooted in hip-hop and shaped by jazz, neo-soul, and R&B. His music thrives on tension: gritty, distorted drums and basslines cutting against lush chords on keys and guitar. This contrast is matched by thoughtful songwriting, with verses that explore self-worth, ambition, and philosophy through a deeply personal lens. As part of the rising Kuala Lumpur-based collective Out The Middle, MISTER TWO FIVE is building locally while reaching globally, creating music that feels both playful and volatile, grounded yet unafraid to push beyond borders.

• Amir Theodis Ward

  Creative Philosopher & Author

  Amir Theodis Ward is a Creative Philosopher & Author exploring how music, energy, and human perception shape the spaces we inhabit and the connections we create. He uncovers patterns in culture, creativity, and consciousness, translating them into ideas and experiences that provoke reflection, insight, and action. A multidimensional thinker and creator, Amir moves fluidly across music, ideas, and artistic expression, revealing how sound, rhythm, and presence influence thought, emotion, and interaction. His work challenges assumptions, inviting others to notice, inhabit, and shape the world around them. Amir’s approach blends abstraction with accessibility, combining philosophy, creativity, and observation to inspire curiosity and depth. He encourages audiences to pause, reflect, and engage with life intentionally, revealing the subtle forces that shape experience, meaning, and human connection.

• Anuradha Mishra

  Founder and Managing Director of MidLane Media and TechSetGo Sdn Bhd

  Anuradha Mishra is the Managing Director of Midlane Media and founder of TechSetGo, a digital skills academy that empowers corporate professionals, SME owners, employees, students, and women returners across Malaysia. With expertise in software engineering, entrepreneurship, training, coaching, and marketing, she combines technical knowledge with people-focused leadership. She holds ICF Coaching Certification, HRDC Trainer Accreditation, and a VETASSESS-certified Marketing Specialist qualification equivalent to an AQF Bachelor’s Degree, and is an official Pearson Partner. Her achievements include the Malaysia Favourite Award for Web Design, Malaysia Website Awards, and International Women Icon Award. As G100 Malaysia Country Chair for E-Commerce and Digital Branding, she has represented Malaysia at ASEAN summits and advised the Ministries of Finance and Human Resources on digital empowerment and women’s talent development.

• Chan Seet Leng

  Founder | DCC Present Sdn Bhd

  Chan Seet Leng is a regional tax leader, entrepreneur, and advocate for women’s empowerment. She believes true empowerment is not about outward strength, but about having the support, space, and dignity to thrive. Her journey is shaped by resilience, reinvention, and quiet determination through uncertainty. She has built a career across Southeast Asia in high-responsibility leadership roles, navigating complexity and change. Beyond corporate life, she founded a sustainable event management company and creates platforms that uplift women through confidence, visibility, and purpose. As a single mother, leader, and builder, Chan Seet Leng speaks from both experience and conviction. She believes empowerment must go beyond appearances and be felt in systems, spaces, and opportunities. Through her TEDx talk, she invites a more honest and human conversation about what it truly means to create room for women to rise.

• Dr Manju Appathurai

  Leadership Psychologist

  Ts. Dr. Manju Appathurai is a licensed Leadership Psychologist and Technologist, and the founder of Mahat Advisory, the strategic partner for ASEAN's leadership. Holding dual postgraduate qualifications in Crisis Economy and AI, she is a rare advisor in ASEAN combining clinical psychology practice with 21 years of active advisory across the World Trade Organization, World Bank, Indian Ocean Rim Association, Bursa Malaysia, and five Malaysian government ministries. Her work sits at the intersection of clinical psychology, AI governance, and geopolitical strategy, the precise combination that ASEAN's C-suite requires in 2026. She is the author of three books including The Identity Collapse and ASEAN Unbound, host of The Centered Edge podcast, and the researcher behind the first ASEAN doctoral study on AI-augmented leadership. She has delivered over multiple international keynotes across continents.

• Evelyn Ang

  University Lecturer | Data Literacy Advocate| Data Storyteller | Public Speaker

  Evelyn is a full-time lecturer at NUS, Office of the President, where she teaches data science and data literacy to internal and external stakeholders. With over 15 years of experience as an NIE-trained educator and an ACLP-certified professional, her expertise enables her to create meaningful and learner- centric experiences. She believes anyone, regardless of background or job role, can unlock the power of data with storytelling and use it to create meaningful impact. Her passion is to help people become more effective and confident data communicators through data storytelling. Evelyn has also presented on topics focusing on Adult Education, Data Literacy and Data Storytelling with Generative AI at local and overseas conferences. She is a Presentation Mastery certified communicator who has received multiple awards in speech contests. Passionate about public speaking, she continues to refine her craft through moderator and emceeing roles as part of her learning journey.

• Faheem Ahmed

  Spatial Strategist

  Faheem is a technologist dedicated to exploring the harmony between technical precision and human intuition. Currently pursuing a degree in Information Technology at Asia Pacific University, he has built a reputation for dissecting complex systems to find clarity within. Beyond the screen, Faheem is a firm believer in the power of physical and mental discipline. Whether he is navigating high-maintaining a rigorous athletic lifestyle, he seeks out the "Room to Breathe" that allows for true innovation. His talk challenges the digital status quo, urging a shift toward a future where technology serves as a bridge to clarity rather than a barrier to it. By blending a cinematic aesthetic with a strategist’s mind, Faheem offers a refreshing perspective on how we can all reclaim our space in an increasingly crowded digital world.

• Faith Tang Pui See

  Global Marketing Leader | UNIDO Panel Speaker | Sustainability Strategist

  Faith Tang is a global branding and sustainability strategist and APAC marketing leader at Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Solutions. With over 20 years of experience across media, healthcare, and industrial technology, she specialises in integrated marketing across complex B2B and B2C environments. A former current affairs producer at Channel NewsAsia, Faith brings deep expertise in storytelling and narrative strategy, complemented by executive training at Harvard Medical School. She has spoken at forums including the United Nations Industrial Development Organization and Women Economic Forum ASEAN 2025, and serves on the executive committee of Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs. Faith co-authored work on ESG and mindful marketing, co-founded Singapore's first NGO in Chile, and lectures MBA students on business strategy and cultural insight. Fluent in five languages, she bridges science, sustainability, and leadership in everything she does.

• Monique Koe

  Monique Koe is a Psychology student at APU in Kuala Lumpur who is dedicated to child development, childhood trauma, and children's digital well-being.

• Nikki Mark

  Founder of TM23 Foundation | Author of 'Tommy's Field'

  In 2018, Nikki Mark’s healthy 12-year-old son, Tommy, went to bed and never woke up. Doctors still do not know why. In the wake of that loss, Nikki transformed her grief into a mission of healing, service, and community impact. She is the author of Tommy’s Field: Love, Loss, & the Goal of a Lifetime, praised by Publishers Weekly as an “inspirational debut” and by Laura Dern as “a gift to a world in need of healing.” Nikki is also Co-Founder and President of the TM23 Foundation, which has raised more than $3.5 million to build three state-of-the-art athletic fields for the City of Los Angeles, and a fourth in Africa. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Oprah Daily, Katie Couric Media, Maria Shriver’s Sunday Paper, TODAY, and other national outlets. She has also been featured in People and on national television, including The Kelly Clarkson Show. Through NikkiMark.com, she offers resources to help others navigate grief and heal their hearts.

• Qi Zhai- McCartney

  Founder of Atlas Therapy & Coaching | Finance Professional turned Psychotherapist

  Qi Zhai-McCartney is a psychotherapist, coach, & founder specializing in Relational Intelligence, the "human technology" required for today’s hyper-rational world. A Stanford-educated ""cultural chameleon,"" Qi spent two decades in global finance at institutions including Capital Group, Credit Suisse, and the World Bank. Her career transition was sparked by a profound realization: that over-indexing on technical performance at the expense of our humanity actually caps our potential for making real impact. As founder of Atlas Therapy & Coaching, Qi works with global leaders, high-stakes teams, and multicultural families to bridge the gap between technical wealth and emotional poverty. Her approach combines the pragmatism of finance with deep clinical insights to help people move from output-based survival toward a life of purpose. A media guest expert for Bloomberg and other media outlets, Qi is also VP of the Stanford Alumni Club of Singapore and a mother of four in a blended family.

• Roger Hurni

  Author of Outthink. Outperform.

  Roger Hurni is an innovative entrepreneur and a highly regarded Behavioral Marketing expert. Over the course of his career, Roger has helped brands decode consumer behavior and transform insights into results-driven strategies. As the author of Outthink. Outperform., Roger has developed a practical framework that blends behavioral science and behavioral economics into a unified Behavioral Marketing approach. His methodology empowers people to confidently analyze situations, identify motivational drivers, and craft effective strategies that outperform traditional approaches. An international keynote speaker, Roger has delivered dynamic and entertaining presentations in 23 countries. His keynotes are known for being energetic, thoughtful, and transformational by combining inspiration with real-world storytelling. Whether addressing the future of AI or human behavior change, Roger equips audiences with tools to think more critically and act more intentionally.

• Vui Kit Tay

  Influence Coach & Founder of Speakers' Valley

  Vui Kit is the founder of Speakers' Valley, a Malaysian communication training company focused on helping individuals think better, speak better, and lead better. A 7-time Toastmasters national-level podium finisher and National Speaking Champion, he believes communication is not just a speaking skill, but a thinking skill. Growing up, English was not his first language, and he struggled with speaking for years. Over time, he discovered that when thoughts are structured clearly, communication becomes natural. Today, he coaches leaders across Malaysia and beyond, helping professionals communicate with clarity, confidence, and influence. He has trained leaders from organizations such as London Stock Exchange Group, Intel, Petronas, Shell Malaysia, PDRM, MDEC, and IJM Corporation. Through his programs, podcast, and communities, Vui Kit continues empowering individuals to express ideas clearly and lead with confidence.