Award-winning speaker and best-selling author Nikki Bush helps leaders, teams, individuals and families to win at life and work.
Admired in business, education and parenting circles for her work in raising human potential through leadership, engagement, resilience, connection and teamwork, Nikki consults on matters of people, leaders’ own positioning and delivering on the promise to add value to a business.
Her focal points currently include disruption, leadership, women empowerment, reinvention and resilience, how to squeeze “Happy Juice” into an organisation and parenting.
Nikki’s passion for connection and relationships, and how to maintain both in a fast-changing world, is at the core of everything she does. Nikki helps people understand what ‘keeping the human in the middle’ looks like.
See full bio below and find short introduction for event emcees here.
Speaking
Known as a high-impact and engaging speaker, whether on stage or presenting virtually (with sound experience of 18 different virtual conferencing platforms), Nikki packs a powerful sound bite, provides valuable insights and leaves audiences with practical, effective solutions.
Her impact is remembered long after she has left the stage.
Books
Nikki’s book on dancing with disruption, Future-Proof Yourself (Penguin Random House) hit the shelves in July 2021. She has also has co-authored best-selling parenting books with major publishers.
Future-Proof Your Child for the 2020s and Beyond (Penguin Random House, 2019)
Tech-Savvy Parenting (Bookstorm, 2014)
Easy Answers to Awkward Questions (Metz Press, 2009)
Future-Proof Yourself: How to Win at Work and Life (Self-Development, Psychology, Business)
Footprint
Having presented in South Africa and throughout Africa, Hong Kong and the United States, Nikki prides herself on being as comfortable on stage at high-end conferences as she is working in under-resourced areas.
Nikki also has a large digital footprint and an impressive mainstream media presence. Traditional and digital media houses regularly call on her for independent and informed opinion and for her ability to share a relevant and powerful soundbite.
Family
Nikki was married to Simon for 26 years before his untimely passing at the end of 2017. She has two sons in their 20s, who have been the inspiration for much of her work.
Lecturing and Leading
Nikki has guest-lectured at Wits Business School, GIBS and Henley. She is a Professional Member of the Professional Speakers Association of Southern Africa (PSASA), of which she was the 2020/21 Johannesburg Chapter President and a founding member.
Certifications and Awards
In 2016 Nikki received her CSP (Certified Speaking Professional) designation from the National Speakers Association in the USA. This, the most prestigious and sought-after international recognition for professional speakers, makes Nikki one of only 700 unique speakers in the world. In South Africa she was the 10th speaker to acquire her CSP – and one of only four women at the time.
In 2019 Nikki was inducted into the PSASA’s Speakers Hall of Fame for excellence in her craft, being an industry icon, and serving as an example to others. This is a Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of her impact and body of work. Nikki was the first woman to receive this award since its inception in South Africa.
In the same year she was recognised by the Ford Motor Company as a Woman with Drive.
In 2020 Nikki became a Certified Virtual Presenter (CVP) with eSpeakers. During the global COVID-19 pandemic, she worked on over 18 different virtual conferencing platforms, proving her flexibility and adaptability in this space.
In 2022 Nikki received the Love + Work Leader Designation from Harvard Business Review and Marcus Buckingham.
Clients
Nikki is an outstanding corporate resource for any organisation and has worked with many world-class companies and institutions over the years. View her client list.
Associations
