Nicola Sturgeon

What makes Nicola Sturgeon a Global Shaker?

Nicola Ferguson Sturgeon is a Scottish politician who is the current First Minister of Scotland and leader of the Scottish National Party. She assumed the position in November 2014 and was preceded by Alex Salmond. Sturgeon completed her Bachelor of Laws with Honours from the University of Glasgow before completing a Diploma in legal practice at the same school. During her time in Glasgow, she also served as a member of the Glasgow University Scottish Nationalist Association and the students’ representative council.

Before entering into politics Sturgeon completed a legal traineeship at McClure Naismith in Glasgow before working as a solicitor at Belle & Craig in Stirling and finally at Drumchapel Law Centre in Glasgow. Following her legal career Sturgeon was elected into Scottish Parliament in 1999 as the MSP for Glasgow, then in 2007 as an MSP for Govan before her Glasgow Southside constituency was established.

Forbes magazine ranked Sturgeon as the 50th most powerful woman in the world in 2016 and 2nd in the United Kingdom. In 2015, BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour assessed Sturgeon to be the most powerful and influential woman in the United Kingdom.

As the results of Brexit negotiations rolled in, Scotland turned out to have voted heavily in favour of remaining in the EU. Nicola Sturgeon has been a vocal critic of UK’s decision to quit the European Union and has voiced her opinions to Prime Minister May on several occasions.

In a letter to the PM sent in early February 2018, she said: “The people of Scotland voted decisively to remain within the European Union, and it is the role of the Scottish Government to make sure that their interests are protected”.

She went on to add that she hopes that Scottish Parliament will be instrumental in shaping the UK’s exit policy. Her letter came after a confidential briefing leaked that Brexit would affect economic growth and reports that a customs union with the EU had been ruled out.

Last updated: May 16, 2018

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