Nicky Verd is author of the hit book: Disrupt Yourself Or Be Disrupted. She’s a digital strategy consultant, an Africa enthusiast and Africa's digital transformation maverick. We discuss key takeaways from her book, the 4IR, the future of work and education, inclusive cities, overcoming the digital divide, personal disruption and staying relevant in an era of constant change.
Ask how you can partner with Future Cities Africa
We discuss
About Nicky Verd
Nicky Verd holds a record for shaking crowded tables and blowing stuff up. She is Africa's most sought after speaker on the impact of Emerging Technologies, Disruption, Innovation, Future of Work, and Digital Transformation. She is the author of the hit book, Disrupt Yourself Or Be Disrupted. Nicky Verd is a leading thinker on driving innovation through personal disruption, a show-stopping source of inspiration and a voice for those who yearn to recreate themselves in a world of disruptive technologies. A Digital Strategy Consultant, Content Strategist, and an Africa Enthusiast.
After being retrenched from a job she held unto for dear life, Nicky Verd hit rock bottom, literally. But rose back up, upskilled/reinvented herself, and is now empowering others to do the same. From living on food parcels and contemplating suicide just over four years ago to being recognized by Thinkers360 as one of the Top 50 Global Thought Leaders and Influencers on Digital Disruption and the Future of Work 2019 and 2020 respectively.
Nicky Lives in Johannesburg, South Africa, and is particularly passionate about igniting the human potential in the age of Artificial Intelligence(AI) and bridging the gap between laypeople and the understanding of how emerging technologies are impacting the workplace and life in general.
Nicky Verd's new book is titled "DISRUPT YOURSELF OR BE DISRUPTED - Escape Conformity, Reinvent Your Thinking and Thrive in an Era of Emerging Technologies and Economic Anxiety" is now available in BookStores across South Africa. In this book, Nicky Verd is bringing 4IR awareness to the layperson and empowering youths across Africa not to fight the Fourth Industrial Revolution but to embrace it and become part of the revolution. The Fourth Industrial Revolution(4IR) is creating a demand for new skills and competencies and "Disrupt Yourself Or Be Disrupted" is a tool for you to equip and empower yourself for this shift in paradigm.
According to Nicky, many people think of disruption only in terms of new business models but disruption also work at a personal level, where people who want to pivot change and move ahead in life can disrupt and reinvent themselves, Personal disruption at its core is the ability to adopt forward-thinking, evolve and reinvent yourself supplemented by a cycle of learning, unlearning, relearning and repeat. Nicky Verd strongly believes that personal development is the vehicle through which success and economic growth travel and that you cannot fully develop yourself if you don't understand the world around you.
Understanding what Industry 4.0 aka 4IR is all about will help put into perspective how some of the world's most cutting-edge technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Blockchain, IoT, AR, 3D Printing, and many others will impact your own life.
It goes without saying, "You cannot fight a battle you don't even understand."
Source: www.nickyverd.africa
Order her book here: https://nickyverd.africa/shop/
Carlo Barnard is Business Intelligence Specialist at Munsoft and a past municipal CFO at Victor Khanye Local Municipality. We discuss the value in spatial representation of information for a municipality, major challenges that can be visualised and solved, why collaboration between departments is important in the context of using technology, and much more.
Play NowSarah Findlay is 'Africa Data Hub' Project Lead at Open Cities Lab. We explore the importance and key features of the Africa Data Hub, responsibly sourced data, enabling trust in the media, value offered by the Africa Data Hub, how to collaborate with them and their plans to have a quantifiable impact.
Play NowSeven thought leaders explain the one thing they would change if magic wands existed.
Play NowEdwin Diender is Chief Digital Transformation Officer for the Enterprise Business Group at Huawei Technologies. We explore digital transformation, Smart Cities, Connected & Intelligent Cities, Artificial Intelligence, 5G, bridging the digital divide and how cities may change over the next 5 years.
Play NowEpisode 6 of the Series focussing on urban governance and how to get it right in managing urban growth in towns and cities in Kenya. Show guest: Dennis Abuya is a Registered Physical Planner currently working with the County Government of Kiambu. He holds a Master's Degree in Urban Management and a degree in Urban and Regional Planning - both from the University of Nairobi.
Play Now