Nikki Tierney

Brainstormer, Business leader, Change Agent, Connector, Educator/Teacher, Event planner, Idea generator, Project manager, Public servant

Nikki is the Open Innovation Manager at The Oil and Gas Technology Centre. As an industry-led research and knowledge organisation, the OGTC are backed by both the UK and Scottish governments to fund and direct projects that help to unlock the full potential of the UK North Sea. We aim to be the go-to technology centre for the oil and gas industry in the UK and internationally. Nikki runs the Open Innovation Programme, creating space to introduce, develop and deploy new technologies in Oil and Gas. Nikki is a Certified Professional Facilitator, Fellow of the Institute of Training and Occupational Learning, a Member of the Mountain Training Association (UK), and holds the WMT Certificate in Advanced Medicine (Expedition).

Getting people talking.

The wisdom of the many overshadows the knowledge of the few.

Collaboration, Facilitation, Oil and Gas, Open Innovation, Performance Coaching

I was first introduced to TED when a colleague recommended a talk for me to look at - Simon Sinek's Start With Why. Loved it. I then found Derek Sivers' How to Start a Movement. Loved it even more (sorry Simon). I started to get more immersed in TED and what it stands for, having finally found somewhere my philosophy of being authentic, honest and nice seemed to resonate. No strategising, no manipulating, no protectionism. Find out interesting stuff, share it, and good things will happen. I made a leap of faith and applied for TEDGlobal 2013 and got approved as a delegate. Next stop on my TED journey was speaking at TEDxUnionTerrace on "Dare to be Different - Lessons from the Odd One Out". There's no question that nerves got the better of me, and I can only watch my video hiding behind my hands. But from the feedback I received it worked better live and I delivered a warm and encouraging talk that helped others see their challenges differently. I couldn't ask for more. I attended TedGlobal and met some truly inspirational people, but was more excited by what I could take away and share with others. Key speakers from that session that continue to resonate with me are: Kelly McGonigal, who's work on Stress Management and Willpower are now part of my day to day life, Sandra Aamodt, Mustafa Abushaagur, Elizabeth Lofthus, May El-Khalil, Lesley Hazleton, George Papandreou, Tom Wujec and especially Roberto D'Angelo + Francesca Fedeli from the TedUniversity session who spoke so emotionally about how our children are the mirror of ourselves.

...being terrified, but doing it anyway.