TEDxStormont Women returns to Belfast, with support from Ulster Bank

TEDxStormont Women returned to Parliament Buildings, Stormont, last week to recognise the power of women to be creators, innovators and change-makers.

Organised along the theme of ‘It’s About Time’ and supported by Ulster Bank, the event featured 14 leading thinkers, innovators, artists, politicians, philosophers and entertainers from the UK, Ireland and the United States, representing such diverse fields as technology, entertainment, visual and performance art, design, politics, music and education, among others.

The event was compered by former broadcaster Sarah Travers and featured talks and performances from a wide range of acclaimed speakers and performers, who each took their place on the iconic TEDx red dot:

• Claire Sugden MLA, Northern Ireland Minister for Justice
• Niall Downey – Doctor, Surgeon, Airline Captain
• Eileen Mullan – Launched Strictly Boardroom, Chair of Age NI
• Kaja Choma – Fitness Trainer, Health Advocate and Personal Growth enthusiast
• Lindsey Robinson – Perinatal Mental Health advocate. (Married to Gavin Robinson MP).
• Adele Doherty - Alzheimer’s Society, Regional Operations Manager
• Lady PortiaDi' Monte -  Belfast socialite and drag queen
• Carrie Montgomery, Deputy CEO, Contact NI 
• Julia and Jean-Paul De Villiers – (Julia) Creator of the Julia Cameron lifestyle brand and (Jean Paul) Peak performance coach and best-selling author
• Joyce Rankin – Award Winning Photojournalist, Off to Antarctica in 2017
• Nuala Davies – Actor, Singer, Burlesque Dancer, Writer, Teacher
• Dorcas Crawford – Senior Partner at Edwards &Co Solicitors and launched #BelfastHour
• Amanda St John – Singer-Songwriter

This event marked the second time TEDxStormont Women has taken place, and due to popular demand the event took place in the larger space of The Great Hall, Parliament Buildings, Stormont, attracting over 175 guests.

Eva Grosman, Curator of TEDxStormont Women 2016, said:  “This is an event that provides a platform for women and women's issues at the home of decision making in Northern Ireland. Bringing TEDxStormont Women to the wonderful setting of Parliament Buildings is the perfect place to listen to the ideas and inspiration of the wealth of speakers participating this year.

"Through the power of our ideas we can overcome the challenges of the 21st century and TEDxStormont Women presents a wonderful opportunity for us to hear from some fantastic women from the worlds of politics, business, and entertainment and beyond as they share their ideas.

“The event has been made possible with the support from our main sponsor, Ulster Bank, who has had the vision to support TEDxStormont Women”.

 Richard Donnan, Head of Northern Ireland at Ulster Bank, the lead sponsor of TEDxStormont Women 2016, said:  “We’re proud to support our local communities and TEDxStormont Women is an excellent way to do that – we have a strong history of supporting female entrepreneurship, and through initiatives like our Focused Women’s network, we provide a platform for women to share ideas and achieve success.

“This event provides people with the opportunity to hear from some truly innovative and insightful speakers and build on the energy and enthusiasm generated by the most recent event at the MAC.”