The 7th annual TEDx NYU Shanghai conference, held on April 13 at the New Bund campus, invited speakers from across industries to share their insights on reaching their ‘apex.’ This year’s conference, with the theme of “Unfolding Apex,” was the first to be open to the public, allowing audience members from both the university and the wider Shanghai community to be inspired.
NYU student Jenny Zhang ’25 opened the conference with Beside the Water, a traditional Chinese fan dance.
Unfolding Entrepreneurship
Marion Campan: Unfolding Company Cultures
Founder and Managing Director of INTANDID Marion Campan gives her take on the importance of company culture and how job applicants can learn about an organization’s values during the application process.
Marion Campan, Founder and Managing Director of INTANDID, a consulting firm dedicated to helping companies discover and refine their corporate culture, shared insights on how job applicants can learn about a company’s culture during the application process.
Growing up in a diverse community in Tahiti taught Campan about the importance and omnipresence of culture. In her talk, she urged students to carefully consider a company’s culture before accepting an offer.
For Campan, there are three questions any interviewee should ask their interviewer: “What kind of people get promoted here? What are your core values? When was the last time you received feedback here?” These questions, she said, will reveal the heart of the company’s culture.
Kirsten Johnston: Bettering Yourself Through The Culture of Others
Founder and CEO of JWDK Kirsten Johnston shares her journey with immersing herself in new cultures.
Founder and CEO of the branding agency JWDK Kirsten Johnston spoke about her experience learning and growing from immersing herself in new cultures. Johnston was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, and raised by Scottish parents. At age her family moved to Melbourne, Australia. As an adult, Johnston lived in Stockholm, Hong Kong, London, and now Shanghai.
Johnston spoke about her experiences with cultural assimilation, and encouraged attendees to step out of their cultural comfort zones. Speaking on the power of cultural exchange, she said, “During my life, I’ve come to learn that this gap or distance that sits in between two cultures is not only a rich space for learning, but it’s the very thing that can give us agency for growth and self-improvement.”
Founding Partner and CEO of The Orangeblowfish Natalie Lowe gives her take on what it takes to success as a leader.
Being a great leader isn’t easy, acknowledged entrepreneur Natalie Lowe, the founding partner and the CEO of The Orangeblowfish, a creative and branding agency. “To be a true leader, you must welcome real-world learning, put in the effort, and adopt a creative, more emotionally developed approach that fuels your “why,” she told the audience.
While most people associate good leadership with charisma and confident personas, Lowe emphasized the importance for leaders to be emotionally intelligent and empathetic. Lowe encouraged audience members to embrace their unique perspectives, saying “By being your authentic self, it becomes much easier for you to play with new ideas and put those ideas into action in ways that have never been done in quite the same way before.”
Following these TEDx Talks, students showcased their contemporary dance choreography for the audience.
Student choreography by (from left to right) Annie Lu ‘24, Tate Pan ‘24, Yayuan Yang ‘26, and Yuzhuo Sun ‘27, supervised by Assistant Arts Professor of Dance Yuting Zhao.
After the dance, additional speakers joined for two insightful panel sessions. The first panel discussion on “Unfolding Entrepreneurship” delved into the complexities and driving forces of entrepreneurship and digital trends in China. Adriana Gímenez ’26 moderated a spirited discussion with Kirsten Johnston, Marion Campan, Natalie Lowe, and Zak Dyckwald. The speakers reflected on how the Chinese business environment has shaped their entrepreneurial strategies, highlighting the importance of cultural integration, trust in local teams, and the pursuit of core competencies for global market relevance.
Unfolding Entrepreneurship Panel. From left to right, Adriana Gímenez ’26, Marion Campan, Zak Dyckwald, Kirsten Johnston, and Natalie Lowe.
Unfolding Beauty
Christina Yan-Hejazi: Reaching New Heights, Ascending Your Own Himalayas
Director of Communication and Engagement at L’Oreal Christina Yan-Hejazi addresses the audience.
Director of Communication and Engagement at L’Oreal Christina Yan-Hejazi encouraged attendees to be bold in chasing their heights. She shared her journey to her own ‘apex,’ discussing her path from a rural village to medical school, and then her risky pivot from a career in medicine to one in PR.
But finding ‘apexes,’ is not only about education or career, she said. Yan-Hezaji also spoke about how she often struggled with sports, until her husband finally convinced her to learn to ride a bike as an adult. This experience taught her that she has the power to set her mind to overcome challenges. “It felt like I broke free of my own limitations, both mentally and physically,” she said.
For Yan-Hezaji, success comes with the flexibility to imagine past limitations and a braveness to take risks. “Take risks,” she encouraged the audience, because “the great risk in life is not taking any risks.”
Jeffery Chang: 1% Better
CIO of Sephora (LVMH) in China Jeffery Chang talks about what it means to be “1% better, everyday.”
CIO of Sephora (LVMH) in China Jeffery Chang encouraged the audience to aim to be “1% better, everyday.” He shared his insights as to what it takes to succeed in an ever-changing business landscape. Business leaders need to be adaptable and flexible, he said, as well as have a constant awareness of emerging trends. Successful businesses constantly look both inwards and outwards and consider how the organization can change and improve.
But despite these difficulties, he added, future business leaders shouldn’t lose hope: “Disruptions can pave the way for innovation,” he shared. Chang also spoke to the importance of accepting feedback and staying adaptive. “In the world ahead, my advice is — stay curious, stay learning, and make ‘be 1% better everyday’ a lifelong habit.”
After the speaker program, a student group took to the stage and performed a long-sleeved Tibetan Yi dance.
Students from Assistant Arts Professor of Dance Siye Tao’s “Dances of Southern China” course perform a long-sleeved Tibetan Yi dance choreographed by Ciren Sangmu. From left to right: Fiona Shuang Hanzhi ’27, Vivian Wang ’27, Zipei Wang ’24, Mia Xue ’24.
Then, Assistant Professor of Interactive Media Business Emilie Takayama steered the “Unfolding Beauty” panel, with Jeffrey Chang, Carol Zhou, and Jonathan Taylor discussing the evolution of consumer-brand interaction, the importance of adapting to China's unique digital ecosystem, and the responsibility of companies to embrace sustainability. Speakers also offered pragmatic advice to aspiring professionals in the fashion and beauty industry, emphasizing the value of internships, networking, and being open to unexpected career paths, all while maintaining authenticity and a commitment to personal and corporate social responsibility.
TEDx NYU Shanghai’s annual conference has been held since 2017 and is organized by student volunteers from the TEDx NYU Shanghai club, this year led by Adriana Gimenez Romera ’26 (president) and Makayla Hsieh ’26 (vice president).