Biography: Nicola Sturgeon
Nicola Sturgeon is Scotland's first female First Minister and the first woman to lead any of the
devolved UK administrations.
Born in Irvine in 1970 and educated at Greenwood Academy, she studied law at the University of
Glasgow where she graduated with LLB (Hons) and Diploma in legal practice.
Before entering the Scottish Parliament as a regional MSP for Glasgow in 1999 she worked as a
solicitor in the Drumchapel Law and Money Advice Centre in Glasgow.
She is currently MSP for Glasgow Southside having been, before boundary changes, MSP for
Govan between 2007 and 2011.
In government she served as Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing between May 2007 and
September 2012 and then Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Investment and Cities with
responsibility for government strategy and the constitution until November 2014. Throughout this
period she also served as Deputy First Minister of Scotland.
She became leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) on November 14, 2014 and was sworn in as
First Minister on November 20, 2014. She lives in Glasgow with her husband Peter Murrell.