Mentors & Participants

<Speaker>

Abby Tomlinson

Student & activist

@twcuddleston

Talk:"I don't see phones and social media as a 'prison'"

Abby Tomlinson was one of the main drivers behind the #milifandom phenomenon during 2015 General Election. She writes for The Guardian, Huffington Post and runs her own YouTube channel 'WestminsterAbby'. Oh, and she's tipped to be PM by 2050... In her talk she discusses how social media can be used as a positive tool for change for young people.

<Panelist>

Abi Wilkinson

Freelance journalist, The Guardian

@AbiWilks https://www.theguardian.com/profile/abi-wilkinson

Discussion:"How can we make sense of politics in the digital age?"

Abi is a freelance journalist writing about politics, inequality, gender and popular culture. She joined Gemma Styles and other online journalists from BuzzFeed, gal-dem and Vice to tackle the hugely complex issue of politics in the digital age.

<Speaker>

Alejandra Traspas

Astrophysics student

Talk:"Other life-form is out there. Finding them is a matter of 'when'"

Astrophysics students Alejandra and Wenna Pei will explore BIG galactic questions around what could be the most significant discovery in human history.

<Mentor>

Alessandra Zanetti

Strategy Manager - Accenture

@_a_zanetti LinkedIn

Focus:"How far can you go?"

Alessandra works in Products, Consumer Goods industry group in London. An active member of the Strategy Accent on Gender team - a network that promotes gender diversity and equality within the workplace - she leads their Communication agenda. She also mentored young women for "How far can you go" - Accenture's International Women's Day event with ThinkNation, held at the IET in London.

<Speaker>

Alexandra Wajayanti

Student

LinkedIn

Talk:"We need to take away the hierarchy of science over art"

Using Leonardo De Vinci as inspiration, Alexandra explored what can we learn from the Renaissance and creativity, challenging present education expectations and highlighting the power of learning more than just a few ‘focused’ subjects.

<Speaker>

Allan Darter-Bragg

Warehouse assistant

@Darter_Bragg

Talk:"Will AI diminish our humanity?"

Warehouse assistant Allan is fascinated by Artificial Intelligence: from supercomputers such as IBM's Watson to the augmentation of the human body, he discussed the possible advantages AI will bring to the human race.

<Mentor>

Amanda Leacy

Accenture Global HR Managing Director – Inclusion and Diversity

LinkedIn

Focus:"How far can you go?"

Amanda is Global Inclusion and Diversity HR Lead at Accenture. She and her team seek out new, innovative solutions to help create change in Accenture’s Inclusion and Diversity journey. She also mentored young women for "How far can you go" - Accenture's International Women's Day event with ThinkNation, held at the IET in London.

<Panelist>

Anna Rose Barker

Chair, British Youth Council

@AnnaRoseBarker http://www.byc.org.uk/

Focus:“Should politics be taught at secondary schools?”

Anna is Chair of the British Youth Council , the National Youth Council of the UK. A youth-led charity, they empower young people aged 25 and under to influence and inform the decisions that affect their lives. A panelist at Use Your Voice election event, she explored whether politics should be taught in schools.

<Mentor>

Annie Gardner

Managing Director - Accenture

LinkedIn

Focus:"How far can you go?"

Over her 25 years at Accenture, Annie's role has evolved from coding and testing, to managing large-scale projects that help Accenture clients achieve their goals. She now focuses on client relationships and leads a talented global team of 350 people. She also mentored young women for ThinkNation's Accenture "How far can you go?" International Women's Day event at the IET in London.

<Panelist>

Areeq Chowdhury

Chief Executive, WebRoots Democracy

@areeqchowdhury https://webrootsdemocracy.org/

Discussion:“Shouldn’t politics belong to everyone?"

Areeq is CEO of WebRoots Democracy (the Institute for Digital Democracy), a think tank aiming to modernise and future-proof democracy in the UK. Previous to WebRoots, Areeq was Parliamentary Assistant to Graham Allen MP. At Use Your Voice, he and panelists discussed why politics needs to be more inclusive and open to all.

<Speaker>

Ashton Peters

Hospitality industry

Talk:"The idea of space exploration is freedom"

Ash Peters is fascinated by the night sky. In his ThinkNation talk and using the power of poetry, he argues why the concept of space exploration is important to inspire everyday people - wherever they are in life.

<Speaker>

Ben Towers

Young Entrepreneur & Investor

@TowersBen https://bentowers.co.uk/

Focus:"Don't let your age hold you back"

Ben Towers has been making waves since the age of 11 as a multi-award winning young serial entrepreneur. In his inspirational talk he explained why age or background should never be a barrier.

<Speaker>

Bethanie Fentiman

Programming and technical apprentice

@bfentiman http://kentraspberryjams.co.uk/

Talk:"We’re going to go as far as we need to... one starfish at a time”

Bethanie Fentiman is a Raspberry Pi Jambassador and organiser of Kent Jams where she teaches young people the basics of programming. Currently a programming and technical apprentice, Bethanie has a strong interest in wearable tech which she hopes to pursue. In her ThinkNation talk, she and Jade Emmons explored how their ‘can do’ mentality helped forge their way into STEM-related work.

<Host>

Billie JD Porter

Writer, filmmaker and TV presenter

@billiejdporter

Passionate about empowering young people and giving them a voice on issues that matter to them, Billie is a critically acclaimed writer, documentary film maker and presenter for organisations including BBC, Channel 4 and Vice.

<Speaker>

Billie Sequeira

Engineering Technician - BAE Systems

@billieseq LinkedIn

Talk:"Brain augmentation - an interface between AI and the brain - will become a matter of reality"

Posing the question “are we losing our minds?” Billie explores to what extent might artificial intelligence replace human intelligence - and if robots replace people in their job roles, what will this mean for all of us?

<Speaker>

Calum Chace

Writer & commentator on AI

@cccalum‏ http://www.pandoras-brain.com/

Talk:"We cannot stop the progress of Artificial Intelligence"

Calum Chace is a futurist who writes and talks about the likely impact of artificial intelligence on people, economies and societies. In his ThinkNation talk he highlighted the amazing opportunities of AI plus explains why it's one of the few genuine threats to mankind's existence...

<Speaker>

Cara Ellison

Video games critic and developer

http://caraellison.co.uk/

Talk:"Generation Cyborg is now a living reality"

Cara Ellision is a writer, game critic and video game narrative designer. She co-wrote Charlie Brooker's "How Videogames Changed the World" for C4 and was one of The Guardian's Top Ten Young People in Digital Media 2014. Drawing on her personal journey and experience, Cara argues that because billions of us are instantly connected to one another, Generation Cyborg is now a living reality.

<Panelist>

Carly Maling

Student

Focus:"Is screen time helping or hindering us to live in the moment?"

What does it mean to be 'in the moment' when you have a phone in your hand? And how much of our head space is being used up to be 'there'? Carly, alongside other panelists, discuss the real impact of those little blue screens...

<Mentor>

Caroline Hopkins

Development Director (UK & Ireland) ENGIE

@ENGIEgroup https://business.engie.co.uk/services

Focus:ThinkNation Hacks Energy

Caroline is responsible for the coordination and development of global energy company, ENGIE, in the UK, increasing brand awareness, spreading best practice and identifying opportunities for innovation.

<Mentor>

Catie Manning

Rally Driver

@catierallye1 http://www.catiemunnings.com/

Focus:"How far can you go?"

Catie is a British Rally Driver as well as Peugeot UK Ambassador. She took the 2016 FIA Ladies European Rally Champion title and is continuing to compete in European races. An advocate of women in tech and engineering, Catie participated in Accenture's "How far can you go" IWD event as a mentor and panelist.

<Mentor>

Connor Byrne

Poet and writer

Connor is a poet from Brighton whose work looks at politics, youth and gender identity. He performs with Poets Vs MCs and is supported by New Writing South to develop his poetry, and playwriting.

<Speaker>

Dan Simpson

Poet, performer and producer

@dansimpsonpoet http://www.dansimpsonpoet.co.uk/

Poet and writer Dan Simpson dives into Artificial Intelligence and the collision of the creative mind with the power of computers. Along the way he surfaces some challenging, and potentially uncomfortable realities, mixing in pretty amazing human and AI-created poetry for good measure... and possibly the worlds first ever emoji poem.

<Speaker>

Dan Thompson

Artist and writer

@artistsmakers https://mrdanthompson.wordpress.com/

Social artist Dan Thompson draws on his incredible experiences of the 2011 London Riots. Explaining how social media enabled him to spearhead a phenomenal example of real-world community cohesion, #riotcleanup mobilised tens of thousands of people in London, helping them work together after the destruction: small acts of kindness that collectively made a huge difference.

<Speaker>

Dani Osaba

Student

Talk:"Step back, stop, think, be mindful... and live in the moment.”

Student Dani Osoba deconstructs what it really means to be 'living in the moment". While technology, screen time and a plethora of messaging apps - from Snapchat to WhatsApp - aren't necessarily the cause of a lack of being 'present', sometimes these things can hinder us from living in the most beneficial moment. As such, Dani argues that it might be a good idea to now and again step back, stop, t

<Panelist>

Danny Fahey

Founder at Thirty Pound Gentleman

@thirtypoundgent http://www.thirtypoundgentleman.com/

Discussion:"Shouldn't politics belong to everyone?"

Danny is Founder at Thirty Pound Gentleman. Thirty Pound Gentleman delivers cultural and creative experiences, the opportunity for young people to lead.

<Mentor>

Dave Smith

Managing Director Europe at Ricardo plc

@RicardoMedia LinkedIn

Focus:ThinkNation Hacks Energy

Dave leads the 1200 person Ricardo Automotive Engineering Consulting businesses based throughout Europe, with sales teams in Japan, India and Korea. He is Chair of the IET Policy Panel on Innovation and Emerging Technologies.

<Panelist>

David Wood

Chair at London Futurists and Principal at Delta Wisdom

@dw2 https://deltawisdom.com/

Discussion:"Is death a bad thing?"

Futurist David Wood, Dr John Troyer and three young people from Art31 were part of an audience Q&A session hosted by ThinkNation's Rick Edwards. They discussed whether death is a bad thing, what the social impact of immortality could be and how our concept of living and dying has changed over the past few hundred years.

<Speaker>

Dean Atta

Spoken word poet and writer

@DeanAtta

Talk:"Adele, Trigger Warnings and a McDonalds Cup"

Spoken word poet, Dean Atta, was commissioned to create a poem inspired by the question, "Is screen time helping or hindering us to live in the moment?" Here is the stunning result entitled "Adele, Trigger Warnings and a McDonalds Cup".

<Speaker>

Dr Alan Penny

Honorary Reader and Visiting Scientist in the Astronomy Group of the School of Physics and Astronomy in the University of St Andrews, Secretary European Astrobiology Network & Coordinator UK SETI Research Network

Talk:“Intelligent life would be a billion years more advanced than us.”

With missions to Mars and detailed studies of Earth-like planets, Dr Alan Penny argues we have a good chance of deciding if simple life is common outside the Earth. If this is so, it will thrust the public into thinking about the place of Humankind in the Universe. We might soon be in contact with immensely more advanced civilisation and the human race will start its first day at school.

<Speaker>

Dr John Troyer

Director of the Centre for Death and Society at University of Bath

http://www.bath.ac.uk/sps/staff/john-troyer

Discussion:"Is death a bad thing?"

Dr John Troyer, futurist David Wood, and three young people from Art31 were part of an audience Q&A session hosted by ThinkNation's Rick Edwards. They discussed whether death is a bad thing, what the social impact of immortality could be and how our concept of living and dying has changed over the past few hundred years.

<Panelist>

Ebenflo

Rapper

Focus:"Will PC Drone be the law enforcer of tomorrow?"

The use of drones in everyday life is on the rise. But, if drones rule the skies, what might the future hold for our privacy, and security? ThinkNation Host Rick Edwards is joined by Poets vs Rappers, Police Superintendent Matt Newton and Justin Pringle from DroneOps to tackle these very important, but highly emotive questions.

<Speaker>

Elizabeth Parrish

CEO of US-based bio-tech company BioViva

@ParrishLiz LinkedIn

Talk:“We’re working on a cure for the grandest disease on the planet: biological ageing”

For most of history the average human rarely lived beyond 35 years, but today the average Briton lives beyond 85 years. Liz argues that this luxury of time helps us realise that we must live with the consequences of our actions - which facilitates caring about our environment and each other.

<Panelist>

Ella Dorman-Gajic

Spoken word poet

@EllaDormanGajic https://elladgpoetry.wordpress.com

Focus:"Will PC Drone be the law enforcer of tomorrow?"

The use of drones in everyday life is on the rise. But, if drones rule the skies, what might the future hold for our privacy, and security? ThinkNation Host Rick Edwards is joined by Poets vs Rappers, Police Superintendent Matt Newton and Justin Pringle from DroneOps to tackle these very important, but highly emotive questions.

<Speaker>

Emma Deacon

Technologist

LinkedIn

Talk:“Invest in taking risks”

Emma has her own hardware technology company through UCL’s accelerator programme. She's also a teacher and curriculum contributor to Code First Girls and a blogger for SheCanCode. She didn't have a direct path into tech. She had to fight her way in. She had to take risks. Her “How far can you go?” highlights the power of curiosity, and determination.

<Speaker>

Estéban Fourmi

Dancer and performer

@AoiEsteban http://www.aoiesteban.com/

Talk:"We are constantly creating movement in space"

In his ThinkNation talk, Estéban drew on his latest AΦE project where they are merging physical theatre and Virtual Reality to bring audience closer to the performance. What happens when the 'reality of the performance' collides with the 'virtual' world; are we really living 'in the moment' when we're in virtual reality, and can audiences live in the physical and digital world at the same time?

<Speaker>

Fatima Kissi Traore

Application Developer

LinkedIn

Talk:"Be someone's lifejacket"

Fatima's personal story shows how self-belief (and incredible support from others) can change a life: When she arrived in the UK in 2012 as a teenager, Fatima was unaccompanied and unable to speak the language. In under six months she learned English, studied hard and now works in tech as an Accenture apprentice. She's committed to inspire young women to go wherever their determination takes them.

<Mentor>

Gavin Young

Senior Manager at Accenture

@gavinayoung LinkedIn

Focus:"How far can you go?"

Gavin works in Accenture’s Communications, Media & Technology (CMT) Sales Team. He focuses on leading and negotiating high-value, complex projects. He's also the deputy lead for Accenture’s African and Caribbean Network, with over 250 members. He also mentored young women for ThinkNation's Accenture "How far can you go?" International Women's Day event at the IET in London.

<Panelist>

Gemma Styles

writer

@GemmaAnneStyles

Discussion:"Use Your Voice: Event wrap up"

Gemma is a writer and online influencer with a following of millions on Twitter and Instagram. She was a panelist on "UseYourVoice" screening, a short film that explores political disenfranchisement of the younger generation. The film was followed by a series of short interviews live on stage, mixed with talks and audience discussions with thought leaders across media, education, politics.

<Mentor>

Gen Ashley

Director of Women Who Code London

@coderinheels

Focus:"How far can you go?"

Gen a Lead for Google Women Techmakers, NASA Space Apps Challenge and Twitter Developer Community London. She is also part of the leadership committee for Ada's List (a network for women in technology). An advocate of women in tech and engineering, Gen participated in Accenture's "How far can you go" IWD event as a mentor and panelist.

<Panelist>

Hannah Clare

Co-chair of the Young Green Party

@hannalytical

Discussion:"Use Your Voice: Event wrap up"

Hannah was a panelist on "UseYourVoice" screening, a short film that explores political disenfranchisement of the younger generation. The film was followed by a series of short interviews live on stage, mixed with talks and audience discussions with thought leaders across media, education, politics.

<Panelist>

Isaiah Hall

Poet and rapper

Focus:"Why do young people feel especially disconnected from politics?"

Isaiah is a writer from Manchester. A member of Manchester-based poetry collective ‘Young Identity’ since mid 2010 his growth as a performance poet has been noted by the likes of poet rock-star Kate Tempest as well as Grimes own overlord Skepta. Drawing on his personal experience, he tackled the question at Use Your Voice: “Why do young people feel especially disconnected from politics?”


<Speaker>

Jade Emmons

Freelance writer/marketer

@jadeemmons

With a background in science and data marketing, Jade is passionate about encouraging young people to take up STEM subjects. She delivered a ThinkNation talk alongside Bethanie Fentiman. Together they explored how their ‘can do’ mentality helped forge their way into STEM-related work.

<Panelist>

Joe Hayman

Author

@JoeHayman http://britishjourney.org.uk/

Focus:"Should politics be taught at secondary schools?”

Former Chief Executive of the PSHE Association, a national charity specialising in life skills education for young people, Joe is a British writer. His book 'Brexit Britain' is a portrait of the UK from the perspective of its people. In 2012, he published the acclaimed 'British Voices', which looked at the state of UK society in the wake of the 2011 riots.

<Mentor>

Lara Longhurst

SuccessFactors & SAP HCM UKI Lead at Accenture

LinkedIn

Focus:How far can you go?

In addition to working on technology projects for clients across multiple industries, Lara is Accenture’s Accent on Gender sponsor within Accenture Technology in the UK, responsible for creating a community and support network focused on the retention and advancement of women within Accenture Technology. Lara was a mentor at ThinkNation's Accenture "How far can you go?" International Women's Day.

<Panelist>

Leah Cowen

Journalist and playwright

@La_Cowan https://t.co/cNE56jMAUc

Focus:"How can we make sense of politics in the new media age?"

Leah Politics Editor at gal-dem, a creative collective and magazine (online and in print) comprised of over 70 women and non-binary people of colour. She is also an activist and playwright, and was a panelists at Use Your Voice, tackling the question "How can we make sense of politics in the new media age?"

<Mentor>

Leigh Walters-James

Managing Director at Accenture

@leighwj LinkedIn

Focus:How far can you go?

A mentor at ThinkNation's Accenture "How far can you go?" International Women's Day, Mark brought with him a broad range of experience through his work at Accenture including teaching negotiation skills to executives across the whole of Accenture.

<Mentor>

Mark Insch

Managing Director Energy, Utilities, Chemicals and Natural Resources at Accenture

@Markinsch LinkedIn

Focus::How far can you go?

Mentoring young women for ThinkNation's Accenture "How far can you go?" International Women's Day event at the IET in London, Mark works with clients to help them transform their business. He focuses on Energy, Utilities, Chemicals and Natural Resources companies.

<Mentor>

Martin Willis

Comedian, writer and educator

@martiniswillis

Focus:How far can you go?

Armed with a diverse range of experience in education, the performance arts and comedy, Martin supported young people at "How far can you go?" as part of Accenture's International Women's Day efforts.

<Mentor>

Mary Firth

Head of Content & Marketing Services at ‎Accenture Interactive

LinkedIn

Focus:How far can you go?

Mary helps clients use digital to transform, grow and innovate. She was a mentor for ThinkNation's Accenture "How far can you go?" International Women's Day event at the IET in London.