Sheree Atcheson among speakers announced for Inspirefest 2018

15 Jan 2018

Sheree Atcheson makes her return to Inspirefest. Image: Sheree Atcheson

Plethora of exciting new speakers unveiled ahead of Inspirefest 2018.

As we await the return of one of the most carefully curated sci-tech events in Europe, Inspirefest attendees can look forward to learning from some of the most fascinating and innovative people in science, design and technology.

Themes that will be explored at this year’s conference range across a wide spectrum, from artificial intelligence and the future of digital media, to space research and a deep view of blockchain technology.

Inspirefest will once again find its home at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre in Dublin, held from 21 to 22 June 2018, and four new speakers have just been announced to take to the stage over the course of the event.

Sheree Atcheson, UK expansion director at Women Who Code

Sheree Atcheson Inspirefest

Sheree Atcheson. Image: Sheree Atcheson/Twitter

Sheree Atcheson is a tech business consultant at Deloitte and UK expansion director at Women Who Code. She has been listed as one of the UK’s Top 35 Most Influential Women in Tech 2017 by ComputerWeekly, one of the Belfast Business Top 50 2017, and a finalist in the Women in Business NI 2017’s Young Business Woman of the Year category. A passionate advocate for women in the tech industry, Atcheson is a major force in eradicating the gender bias in STEM.

Atcheson is also the founder of I Am Lanka, a social responsibility project that shines a light on Sri Lankan innovators. During her search for her Sri Lankan birth mother, she received numerous messages from Sri Lankan people saying that she had empowered them to share her story. Acheson is no stranger to Inspirefest, having appeared on a panel at the 2015 event.

Tim Leberecht, co-founder and co-CEO, The Business Romantic Society

Tim Leberecht. Image: Beowulf Sheehan

Tim Leberecht is co-founder and co-CEO of The Business Romantic Society, a global consulting network focused on building companies with soul, and the author of the widely praised book The Business Romantic.

Having previously acted as the chief marketing officer (CMO) of NBBJ, a global design and architecture firm, and the CMO of engineering services company Aricen, Leberecht is a fountain of knowledge. From 2006 to 2013, he served as CMO for product design and innovation firm Frog Design, renowned for its work with Apple, Disney, GE and many other Fortune 500 brands.

Leberecht’s writing has appeared in publications such as Harvard Business Review, Entrepreneur, Fast Company, Forbes, Fortune, Psychology Today and Wired.

Leberecht has previously spoken at events such as TED, The Economist’s Big Rethink, the Silicon Valley CEO Summit and the World Economic Forum. His TED talk, ‘Three Ways to (Usefully) Lose Control of Your Brand’, has been viewed by almost 1m people to date.

Taylor Denise Richardson, advocate, activist, speaker and philanthropist

Taylor Denise Richardson Inspirefest

Taylor Denise Richardson. Image: Taylor Denise Richardson

14-year-old Taylor Denise Richardson, also known as Astronaut StarBright, attends The Bolles School in Jacksonville, Florida. As an advocate, activist, speaker and philanthropist, she has aspirations of becoming a scientist, engineer and an astronaut one day.

Richardson has attended four NASA space centres, including the US Space & Rocket Center (aka Space Camp) in Huntsville, Alabama, at the age of nine.

In June 2016, she was invited as a change-maker to attend the first ever White House State of Women Summit to focus on health, education, literacy and gender equality for girls and women. She was invited a second time to attend a special screening of Hidden Figures, and then successfully inspired national campaigns for screenings in 72 US cities.

In April 2017, Richardson was invited to speak in front of more than 100,000 people at the March for Science in Washington DC, where she spoke about her pride at being a black girl in STEM.

Richardson is also a role model for the Lottie Dolls Astro Adventures campaign, which is inspiring girls to dream big in STEM all over the world.

Thaler Pekar, founder and CEO of Thaler Pekar & Partners

Thaler Pekar Inspirefest

Thaler Pekar. Image: thalerpekar.com

One of the world’s leading experts on organisational storytelling, Thaler Pekar has been recognised by both the BBC and the Smithsonian Institution. As the CEO of Thaler Pekar & Partners, she has turned thousands of smart leaders into trusted and insightful communicators.

Her team has worked across the world, in 18 countries across five continents. Their work ranges from gathering close to 200 oral histories across four continents and six countries for Chuck Feeney’s The Atlantic Philanthropies, to finding and refining stories about integrity for Novartis senior leadership, to coaching a main-stage TED speaker. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has institutionalised the use of Pekar’s award-winning video on LGBTQ refugees in South Africa.

Inspirefest is Silicon Republic’s international event connecting sci-tech professionals passionate about the future of STEM. Early Bird Tickets for Inspirefest 2018 are on sale now!

Ellen Tannam was a journalist with Silicon Republic, covering all manner of business and tech subjects

editorial@siliconrepublic.com