On Wednesday 13th March 2024, the London-based TEDxESCPLondon society hosted its 3rd annual TEDx event.
The theme of the event was 'The Butterfly Effect: Small Actions, Global Impact'.
The direction of the theme was set by almost a unanimous vote of the ESCP student community, when the Society was registering for the licence in November. "Students wanted to hear motivational talks and inspiring life journeys, which led the team to explore the concept of the Butterfly Effect," shares Henriette Fiskum Ranum, an MSc in Digital Transformation Management & Leadership student and the president of the TEDxESCPLondon society. "It really was an easy choice for us as it covered what students wanted to hear, and focused on showing how small actions can actually be a part of bigger change - something that all people can relate to."
Comprising 11 students from the Master in Management, MSc in Marketing & Creativity and MSc in Digital Transformation Management & Leadership programmes, the TEDxESCPLondon team started their journey with a strong desire to embrace the diverse student community at ESCP London Campus and provide them with the opportunity to participate and share their unique stories.
To facilitate this, the team hosted a student speaker event to identify the best orators in the student community and invite them to share the stage with external speakers at the main event in March.
The Student Speaker event was judged by Harry McDonough, Senior Manager of the Blue Factory at ESCP London Campus; Rohan Malhotra, Senior Manager for Corporate Relations and Careers Services at ESCP London Campus; and Gaia Granata De Giorgi, a Master in Management student and Event Manager at TEDxESCPLondon Society.
"We wanted to give students the chance to have another arena to challenge themselves and step out of their comfort zone," says Henriette. "I know it is scary to talk in front of everyone, but we felt it was important to give the students the platform to share their stories. That was the whole point for us."
With both the jury and the audience votes taken into consideration, three students were put forward to the main TEDx event:
- Darshi Shah, an MSc in Marketing & Creativity Class of 2025 student, with an inspiring talk on her mother-daughter relationship, growing up with certain expectations to start a family young, and how her decision to pursue studies abroad at ESCP has transformed her and her mother's lives.
- Zoe Cao, an MSc in Digital Transformation Management & Leadership Class of 2025 student, who shared an inspiring story about how a simple purchase of an iPad put her on the path to building a successful international business.
- Luna Raad, an MSc in Marketing & Creativity Class of 2025 student, who shared her journey of following a dream of becoming a CEO, despite prejudice and hardships she faced along the way.
With three strong student speakers elected, the TEDxESCPLondon society was ready to make the main event a success. "It was important to host the event off campus to immerse ourselves in the London ecosystem," says Henriette. Once the date was set, the team reached out to the community via an app called Venue Scanner and managed to secure a great venue Lumiere London Underwood, where they hosted the 95 attendees of the event from around London.
"Straight after listing the event on the TEDx site, we received a lot of responses, emails and positive feedback from people wanting to participate," says Henriette. "We had to carefully pick the best external speakers."
After reviewing all applications, the team decided to narrow their speaker choices to four external candidates coming from different backgrounds.
- Henry Azubuike Ojuor, a Startupbootcamp Director of Programs, and a Venture and Ecosystem Builder, who delivered an inspiring talk on managing turbulent times, challenges and opportunities of migration and movement, and the cultural wars he encountered on the way.
- Paola Millet, a Founder, Business Mentor and Coach, who spoke about the power of authenticity for success and the great impact small social entrepreneurship activities can have.
- Yogesh Gupta, a Food-tech Founder and Health Advisor, who spoke about the impact of small healthy lifestyle choices on life longevity around the world.
- Tarek Anwar, a Founder and ESCP Faculty member, who spoke about the transformative power of traits like curiosity and observation, and the great impact a simple act of listening and taking a step back has on transforming the way we can all experience the world.
Each of the seven speakers had a unique, inspiring story to share that reinforced the overall message that even the smallest actions can transform lives and lead to positive impact on the world.
"Organising an event for the ESCP network and providing a platform for people to share stories, where listeners were encouraged to reflect on their practices and contributions to society, was incredibly rewarding," says Henriette. "TEDx is dedicated to inspiring others, and I believe we achieved that goal."
The full TEDxESCPLondon team contributing the event success includes:
- Gaia Granata De Giorgi - Event Manager
- Serena Cimino - Event Manager
- Udit Arora - Head of Events
- Rishiraj Vats - Marketing Manager
- Tanvi Malhotra - Head of Marketing
- Daniela Sancho Mazzara - Head of Sponsorships
- Elena Mura - Curator Manager
- Atharva Pharande - Head of Curators
- Siddharth Srinivasagan - Treasurer
- Nandita Ranasaria - General Secretary
- Henriette Fiskum Ranum - President
More about all ESCP London Campus student societies and their upcoming events can be found at: escpsocieties.eu
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