Pilot Barrington Irving was the star speaker at this year’s TedxJamaica (October 1), the other TEDx license held in Jamaica by businessman Chris Blackwell. Born in Jamaica and raised in inner city Miami, Barrington’s compelling story about his quest to become a pilot and to fly around the world moved an audience riveted to his every word.
The other speakers at TEDx Jamaica delivered mostly motivational talks on their own experience as entrepreneurs to demonstrate this year’s theme “The Sky is the Limit,” The packed Courtleigh Auditorium in New Kingston heard much about resilience, passion and drive as each presenter spoke of his journey to entrepreneurial success.
The speakers list:
- Barrington Irving, who at 23 years old secured his place in history as the youngest person and first black pilot to fly solo around the globe.
- Randall Pinkett - Founder, Chairman and CEO of BCT Partners, and winner of NBC’s hit reality television show, The Apprentice, with Donald Trump.
- Divya Narendra - CEO & founder of SumZero, the largest online community of buyside analysts in the world with more than 4,500 analysts and portfolio managers.
- Simon Benjamin – Jamaican-born New York-based Director and Designer.
- Andrew Simpson - Chief Operating Officer of CaseWare RCM Inc., a subsidiary of CaseWare International Inc., a global software company that provides technology solutions for finance, governance and audit professionals.
- JJ Geewax of Invite Media, one of the leading ad-buying platforms, acquired by Google in June 2010.