Ann Makosinski was named one of Glamour Magazine’s top ten College Women of the Year, one of seven of Teen Vogue Global Earth Angels, one of Entrepreneur Magazine‘s “Young Millionaires”, and Popular Science’s “Breakout Young Inventor of the Year.” Ann appeared with Miley Cyrus for Converse, was named the global brand ambassador for the clothing brand Uniqlo and their unique heat-retaining fleece technology, in addition to endorsing many other brands including the Google Pixel 2, where she worked with Vice to create the campaign. She is also part of executive Julia Middleton’s global expedition to find a definition of leadership that resonates with women.

Since 2023, Andini has been presenting her own online show titled, ‘Your World On Money’; a series that focusses on financial literacy for Gen Z’ers. Particular topics discussed include money anxiety, budgeting, investment, homeownership, retirement, salary negotiations, building good credit, and taxes, amongst many others.

Ann Makosinski – Global Reach

Ann has frequently travelled the world delivering keynote talks, ranging from events hosted by McCann Erickson in NYC for their major clients, a private event at the Pictet Bank in Geneva, and the King Abdullah’s University for Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia where she presented talks to the university students, as well as local high school students.

Ann Makosinski – Ambassadorial Work

She also had the honour of being invited as a Youth Ambassador on the Canada C3 Expedition, where she sailed through the NorthWest Passage on an icebreaker, while talking to the students in remote Inuit communities. Ann was honoured to be one of Canada’s five chosen representatives at the I7 in Turin, Italy, an innovation focused committee that reported their feedback on the Future of Work to the annual G7 conference. She also spoke at the Y20 Summit in Cordoba, Argentina, which was held in conjunction with the G20 conference.

Ann’s role as a speaker has led her all over the world, ranging from the AtlanTec Festival in Ireland, an EF Leadership Summit in Berlin, Forbes Impact Summit in NYC, the Congreso Futuro in Chile and an innovation summit in Timisoara, Romania. Ann received the Rising Star of the Year award at the first Greentech Festival, which was held in Berlin by F1 race car driver Nico Rosberg, and she returned in June 2022 to speak on a panel and interview other companies exhibiting at the event.

Ann Makosinski – Influencer

She has also worked with a variety of brands, ranging from the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) in their Future Launch Campaign, Hewlett Packard Enterprises on their supercomputers, Tradlands’ sustainable clothing line, and most recently Ann became one of the faces of Maybelline New York’s new Green Edition makeup line, a step forward towards more eco friendly packaging.

Andini has been a campaign ambassador and model for many brands, including Maybelline New York, Converse, Uniqlo, Five Star, Merrell Korea, Google Pixel etc.., and she most recently walked her first New York Fashion Week at the United Nations.

During 2019 and 2020, Ann worked on a collection of children’s toys that all ran off of green energy, which was profiled on CNN. She also studied acting for a year at the prestigious Herbert Berghof (HB) Studio. Right before the COVID-19 pandemic began, Ann managed to speak for the Lili’uokalani Fund in Honolulu, a Girl Scouts event in Omaha, at the International Project Management Forum in Dubai, the final event for Red Bull Basement University in Toronto, and at Zurich International School (ZIS).

Ann Makosinski – Speaking Topics:

“In general I tell the story of my life as a young inventor, my passion for tinkering beginning quite early, loving both the sciences and arts, alternative energy, how to make an idea in your head into a physical invention in front of you etc. I am very flexible and can cover many topics or whatever the client has in mind”.

Combining Science and Art: Andini discusses the combination of art and science in the world around us. She encourages the audience to rethink the stereotypes that the media has perpetuated over the years around people who pursue STEM subjects versus art. Andini questions why we pit these fields against each other, instead of celebrating the ways in which they are intrinsically linked. She believes that if we start showing the synergy between them at an earlier age, it would cause a radical shift in society.

Andini’s Life Story: One of Andini’s most requested talks, she focusses on her unique growing up experience – infused with classical opera, silent movies from the 1910s, inventing using garbage, taking old electronics apart, eating insects, collecting bones, filming and editing with her dad on documentaries, and beginning her science fair journey. She explores the various science fairs she competed in as a teenager, and how her infamous inventions came about whilst she was still at school.

Project Based Learning: The standard setup of a teacher lecturing in front of a room of students is vastly outdated in today’s world. This long-used method makes learning a resented chore, rather than something to get excited about. How can we encourage and enable teachers to bring their methods up to date, thereby inspiring their students to become curious, life-long learners? Andini believes that project based learning may be the key to what 21st Century Education looks and feels like. She pulls experiences from her own childhood to explore how you can create an appropriate environment for Project Based Learning to foster a passion within your students.

The Future of Education: Most educational systems around the world are nearly 100 years behind when it comes to preparing their young students for the modern, technology, and AI filled world we now live in. When we are passionate about a subject, learning becomes easy. When we are approached with a subject we initially find uninteresting, and are then being taught it in an unappealing manner, we might as well be pouring water onto a duck’s back. All the information will roll right off. The future of education is one where teaching leans towards our students’ individual passion and skills, allowing them the freedom to express what they’ve learned in a format they choose.

STEAM Education: Andini is a big believer in the crucial, yet oven overlooked, combination of science and art, and that the world would have more proactive problem solvers and inventors if we radically change the way we introduce science and art in society. Andini dives into the many ways science and art can be taught together in the classroom – and the power of combining one’s own unique talents and interests in the sciences and arts to not only live a more fulfilling creative life, but also a more successful one.

Communicating Your Ideas: Having good communication and storytelling skills are more vital than ever, especially with the advent of social media and AI. Now there are billions of voices (not all human) on the internet, so how can you ensure your ideas stand out? Andini reflects on her own 10-year journey as a public speaker and presenter – as well as an inventor pitching her ideas – and gives advice on how to strengthen this skill in the audience’s own lives.

Tech – Tool or Terror?: Andini is a Gen Z’er who grew up with a smartphone, and then chose to own a flip phone at college. While, like the rest of us, she now struggles with her relationship to social media and her phone, Andini believes we all need to rethink our relationship with technology. As new tech gets thrown at us on a daily basis, it becomes hard to draw the line: what to adopt, what to learn, what to ignore? How can AI be used in our personal and professional lives as a tool to make things easier, versus a crutch that weakens our creativity and imagination.

Social Media and Teens: Andini’s viral TEDx talk titled ‘Why I Don’t Have a Smartphone’ was something most people thought they’d never hear from a 19 year old. She goes into her unique upbringing when it came to her interaction with technology and social media, and why she now does have a smartphone. Andini debates if there is a way forward for us to healthily use social media, technology, and AI as a tool in our creativity and work.

The Inventing Mindset: Andini’s first book, due for release in Spring 2025 with Knopf Canada, discusses the idea of inhabiting what she likes to call ‘The Inventing Mindset’; a unique problem-solving approach to life that encourages constant creativity.

Give Your Kid Garbage: With everyone’s eye towards sustainability, Andini firmly believes in kids – and adults – innovating from whatever you have. When you have less distractions, it allows your mind to experience boredom – and daydreaming, where some of the very best ideas are born.

Typical Takeaways from inviting Ann Makosinski to speak at your event:

Feeling inspired to be creative in whatever fields of interest or hobbies they have (that aren’t their jobs, just yet!), feeling empowered to take ideas in their head and actually follow through and make it into something physical in front of them, more knowledge on the crucial yet often overlooked combination of science and art – and how they can incorporate these areas more in their own lives, feeling inspired that they (the audience member) can invent and create a positive impact in the world – no matter what age, race, education or socioeconomic background. EXCITED FOR LIFE!!

Call +44 1753 439 289 or email Great British Speakers now to book entrepreneur, STEM, and UN Youth Ambassador Ann Makosinski for your next event.

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