Kevin Skeens is a mental performance coach, author, and longtime leader in athletics who has spent more than 30 years helping athletes, coaches, and teams perform at their best. But some of his greatest lessons about mental toughness came from an unexpected place.

For more than two decades, Kevin has been involved with Casa Hogar Los Angelitos, a children's home in Manzanillo Mexico, where he began bringing groups of athletes to serve and connect with the children. What he witnessed there challenged much of what he thought he knew about resilience and performance.

Those experiences reshaped the way Kevin coaches today—focusing not only on external performance tools, but on the internal foundations of perspective, gratitude, purpose, and belonging. He is the founder of Advance Sport IQ and author of Shatter Expectations, a book inspired by the lessons that changed the way he sees performance—and life.

Founder of Veritel | Engineer at Booking.com

The Most Important Password You Never Chose

 Dany Kattouf works at the invisible layer of global communications. He is the founder of Veritel, a telecoms platform serving 130,000+ users across more than 90 countries, and an engineer building revenue-critical systems at Booking.com. He previously worked at Meltwater and a YC-backed startup that later exited, and is joining Entrepreneur First. He has been building software since he was eleven.

Abdullah Abu-Hassan is an AI engineer at Microsoft focused on implementing AI solutions for some of the largest UK clients.

He’s a passionate teacher and public speaker, with particular emphasis on the effects of AI on critical thinking and future generation. Whilst a technology optimist, he maintains a pragmatic outlook on life and is often not afraid to say things as they are.

Abdullah was born and raised in Jordan before moving to the UK in 2022 to pursue his career in AI.

ACA Accountant | Improv & Stand-up Comedian

Solomon is an ACA-qualified accountant with a decade of industry experience and a passion for public speaking and performance. Alongside navigating the complexities of financial reporting, he is an active Toastmaster, improv performer and student of stand-up comedy who brings analytical rigour and humour together through engaging storytelling.

Dr. Sohail Ahmed is a multi-award-winning doctor, community activist, mentor and transformation coach, Dr Ahmed has spent much of his life creating opportunities, opening doors and helping people realise what they are capable of. His work spans healthcare, community service, arts, media, sport and education, with an impact felt across Bradford and beyond.

He is passionate about mentoring and helping others discover their purpose-driven voice, giving them the confidence to speak with authenticity, clarity and impact.

🏆 GP of the Year Finalist
🏆 Founding Member & Chair of Bradford 4 Better
🏆 King’s Award for Voluntary Service
🏆 National Diversity Award
🏆 Yorkshire Changemaker Award
🏆 TEDx Organiser

But behind the achievements is a story few people know.

In his deeply personal talk, “The Boy Without a Voice: How Your Voice Can Define Your Life,” Dr Ahmed takes us back to a young boy who struggled to make himself heard — and reveals the remarkable journey that followed.

It is a story of identity, courage, transformation and purpose, and a reminder that sometimes the very thing we struggle with most can become the foundation for who we are meant to become.

“Our voice is more than the words we speak; it is the bridge between who we are and the purpose we choose to live.”

Join us at TEDxWibsey 2026 to hear a powerful story about finding your voice — and discovering where it can lead you.

Bukola Ogundipe, known as Peculiar Talker. Property, business and personal development are areas I’m incredibly passionate about. I love connecting with people, sharing knowledge and, most importantly, having honest conversations about how we can build wealth and create better opportunities for ourselves and the next generation.

I’m especially excited about this workshop because it’s not just about talking about property, it’s about making the knowledge practical. I’m looking forward to learning from everyone, hearing different perspectives and seeing the ideas and experiences each of you will be bringing to the event.

We also have some fantastic speakers joining us, and I’m excited for the conversations, the field trip, the networking and everything we’ll be able to take away from the two days.

If you’d like to connect or have a chat before the event, please feel free to message me. I’m always happy to have a conversation and get to know people beforehand.

Looking forward to seeing you all soon and making this a really valuable experience for everyone!

Dr. Osemeike Gloria Eyieyien is an accomplished Project and Transformation Leader, academic, researcher, mentor, and community leader with over 18 years of experience delivering complex, high-impact projects across Telecommunications, IT, Energy, Banking, Healthcare, Religious, and Public Sector environments.

She is recognised for her expertise in strategic leadership, project and programme management, stakeholder engagement, organisational transformation, collaboration, and delivering measurable outcomes. Her academic and research work contributes to professional knowledge and practice, while her leadership career demonstrates a consistent commitment to excellence, innovation, accountability, and sustainable impact.

Dr. Eyieyien has obtained several professional project management certifications and academic degrees, reflecting her commitment to continuous learning, professional excellence, and the development of expertise across both academic and professional disciplines. She continually applies this knowledge to successfully lead complex initiatives, drive transformation, and deliver sustainable organisational value.

Beyond her corporate and academic achievements, Dr. Eyieyien is passionate about people development, family relationships, inclusion, women’s empowerment, and community development, She is the Founder of Black and Interracial Women in Bradford (BIWIB), an initiative dedicated to amplifying women’s voices, celebrating their contributions, fostering connections, and creating opportunities across diverse communities.

Through her community leadership, mentoring, counselling, and volunteer initiatives in Africa and the United Kingdom, she continues to contribute to stronger, more inclusive, and resilient communities. She is also committed to empowering individuals and creating platforms where people can connect, learn, collaborate, and thrive.

Dr. Eyieyien has received several awards recognising her achievements in project leadership, transformation, community development, and social impact. Her leadership philosophy is centred on bringing people, ideas, and resources together to turn ambitious plans into meaningful and sustainable results.

Her work reflects a powerful combination of professional expertise, academic achievement, transformational leadership, and community impact.

Ghufrana is a trainer, facilitator, and a community builder with over 15 years expertise in the domestic abuse sector. Her specialized practice addresses root causes directly by facilitating behavior-change programs for individuals who cause harm to break cycles of violence and supporting victims and children by capturing their voices to get the right support Drawing on her experience as a court interpreter, former CIC director of international projects, and Kirklees Chapter Lead for the Indus Health Network, she builds bridges between justice, health, and community empowerment. On the TEDx stage, Ghufrana challenges conventional thinking by showing why engaging with perpetrators is vital for lasting safety. Driven by a passion for volunteering and networking, she remains dedicated to creating positive, grassroots social change.

Financial Reporting Manager | Finance & Financial Literacy Advocate

Shezad Ahmed is an ACCA-qualified finance leader and Financial Reporting Manager working at the intersection of finance, technology and strategic decision-making. In “Beyond the Numbers: How Financial Literacy Shapes Our Future,” he explores how understanding future financial commitments can strengthen resilience, flexibility and better decision-making.

Salli Galvin is a bestselling author and educational transformer working at the intersection of resilience, neuroscience and systemic education reform. Drawing on personal experience, sports psychology and child development, she champions “Mind Fitness” as an essential part of education, helping young people build the inner tools to navigate anxiety, uncertainty and an AI-driven future.

Meet Assoc. Prof. Pedi Obani

An academic. A climate governance expert. A UKRI Future Leaders Fellow.

Dr. Pedi Obani is an Associate Professor at the University of Bradford, where she leads a multi-country research exploring Gender Inclusive Climate Change Governance (GenCGov).

Her work asks an important question:

What happens when the people most affected by climate change are given a meaningful voice in shaping the solutions?

Through her research, Dr. Obani examines how inclusive climate governance can create more equitable and sustainable outcomes, particularly by empowering women and marginalised communities to play an active role in building climate resilience.

As a UKRI Future Leaders Fellow, she champions interdisciplinary collaboration and policy innovation, bringing together researchers, communities and decision‑makers to address critical climate change challenges.

She was recently recognised as one of the 100 African Women Leading Africa’s Water and Sanitation Future, and was also featured by the Institute for African Women in Law (IAWL) among the 25 Women Who Inspire in 2025.

Pedi, trained through the Advance HE Aurora Programme in 2023, combines academic excellence with a strong commitment to gender equity and inclusive environmental and climate change decision‑making.

At TEDxWibsey 2026, she will bring her expertise and perspective to the stage, where she will speak on There Are No Vulnerable People - Only Vulnerable Systems. Her talk reframes vulnerability as a design flaw in systems, not in people. And because systems are built by people, she believes they can be rebuilt to protect rather than expose us.

Digital Product Designer | Creator of Pidginary

Raymond Emamezi Okoro is a digital product designer and builder with over a decade of experience across fintech, mobility, education and consumer technology. He is the creator of Pidginary, a modern digital dictionary designed to make Nigerian Pidgin easier to discover, understand and preserve.

Senior Software Engineer | Technology Leader & Mentor

Moyinoluwalogo Mayowa is a Senior Software Engineer, technology leader and mentor. Through her TEDxWibsey talk, “The Future of Learning Lives in Our Communities,” she explores how the people around us shape what we learn, what we believe is possible and who we become.