As the first woman to hold the office of First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon is an important progressive and feminist voice in the governance of the United Kingdom.

Why you should listen

In November 2014, Nicola Sturgeon was elected as the first female leader of the Scottish National Party. Days later, she was sworn in as the country's first woman First Minister. Soon after her election, she appointed a cabinet boasting a 50/50 gender balance. 

As head of the Scottish government, Sturgeon is responsible for her administration's policies and for promoting and representing Scotland both at home and overseas.

Sturgeon entered the Scottish Parliament as a regional MSP for Glasgow in 1999. She is currently MSP for Glasgow Southside. Sturgeon served as Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing between 2007 and 2012, and then Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Investment and Cities until November 2014. Throughout this period she also served as Deputy First Minister of Scotland.

Nicola Sturgeon’s TED talks

More news and ideas from Nicola Sturgeon

Countdown

Imagining: Notes from Session 2 of Countdown Summit

October 13, 2021

Follow Countdown on Twitter and Instagram • Subscribe to the Countdown newsletter There’s a lot of information on what we’re doing wrong when it comes to climate, and what the world would look like if we keep up the damage. But there’s very little information on what life could look like if we all did […]

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Live from TEDSummit 2019

What Brexit means for Scotland: A Q&A with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon

July 30, 2019

First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon spoke at TEDSummit on Wednesday in Edinburgh about her vision for making collective well-being the main aim of public policy and the economy. (Watch her full talk on TED.com.) That same morning, Boris Johnson assumed office as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, the latest episode of the Brexit drama […]

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Live from TEDSummit 2019

Stages of Life: Notes from Session 5 of TEDSummit 2019

July 24, 2019

The penultimate session of TEDSummit 2019 had a bit of everything — new thoughts on aging, loneliness and happiness as well as breakthrough science, music and even a bit of comedy. The event: TEDSummit 2019, Session 5: Stages of Life, hosted by Kelly Stoetzel and Alex Moura When and where: Wednesday, July 24, 2019, 5pm […]

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