iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Nicola Pike @nicolapike.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

First ever trip to Bradford. Really impressed by the Victorian architecture, Eurovision exhibition in the Science and Media Museum (sister to Manchester’s MOSi) & Waterstones (best I have ever visited!!) . Train from Manchester was great and on time too!!

Science and Media Museum Bradford Eurovision exhibition

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Tom Forth @tomforth.co.uk · 12/12/2025

I went to a dinner with the AI Minister and I read a paper on Lovelace Institue --- a proposal from Tony Blair's Institute on how we could fund breakthrough science better. And I wrote that all up into one incoherent mess for you to enjoy. tomforth.co.uk/nationalpurp...

tomforth.co.uk

National purpose on AI.

Lovelace Institutes, why I like the idea, and how I think they could work.

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Nicola Pike @nicolapike.bsky.social · 14/12/2025

Like most people from Gen Rave/ X, I loved this years’ John Lewis Christmas advert but this French advert from Intermarché deserves a share. Excellent animation and nice storytelling youtu.be/Na9VmMNJvsA

youtu.be

Intermarché - Conte de Noël

YouTube video by Intermarché

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Nicola Pike @nicolapike.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

Hamburg is wonderful at any time of year but particularly Christmas time.

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Nicola Pike @nicolapike.bsky.social · 22/11/2025

Strictly + Steps + Blackpool’s Tower Ballroom = a winner as far as I’m concerned

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Nicola Pike @nicolapike.bsky.social · 20/10/2025

Basically describing life in my house for the past 6-7 weeks | The six-seven trend that’s tyrannising maths teachers, explained www.thetimes.com/article/3175...

thetimes.com

The six-seven trend that’s tyrannising maths teachers, explained

Adults are baffled by kids chanting the digits at them. It’s annoying, but it could be beneficial

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Nicola Pike @nicolapike.bsky.social · 07/06/2025

Need to visit this. Used to spend a couple of days a week working at “the Pyramid” in my Co-Op Bank days

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The Productivity Institute @productivity.bsky.social · 03/10/2024

Exciting things happening in TPI today- we've launched a Policy Unit headed up by Policy Director @andywestwood.bsky.social Today we have Policy briefings and commentary from Andy, @gilesyb.bsky.social , @timleunig.bsky.social , Professors Stephen Roper & Jun Du www.productivity.ac.uk/policy-unit/

productivity.ac.uk

Policy Unit - The Productivity Institute

How we work with policy makers on critical productivity issues at both a local and national level.

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Janine Gibson @janinegibson.ft.com · 28/09/2024

A rich man on R4 just said he would stay in the UK to educate his kids, but then leave so as not to "bankrupt them with our own assets" via inheritance tax. Must be exhausting to be so focused on playing the system that you can't just use your money to live where you want to

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Nicola Pike @nicolapike.bsky.social · 28/09/2024

Agree. This is a really good column

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Nicola Pike @nicolapike.bsky.social · 27/09/2024

My 2 favourite Dames, Cole Porter and Agatha Christie. What’s not to love? RIP Dame Maggie

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Bart van Ark @bartvanark.bsky.social · 18/09/2024

Former minister Greg Clark: #industrialstrategy needs an intellectual “hook” and that should be: improve #productivity. @productivity.bsky.social

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Nicola Pike @nicolapike.bsky.social · 18/09/2024

Watching this live now. Great panel and insights/ views so far. Nice to see my @productivity.bsky.social colleagues @andywestwood.bsky.social & Kate Barker on the panel with @gilesyb.bsky.social @gemmatetlow.bsky.social & Greg Clark

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David Ryan Miller @davidryanmiller.com · 11/09/2024

RIP anyone who had a survey/experiment out tonight to measure debate effects but cannot now parse debate effects from Swift effects

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Nicola Pike @nicolapike.bsky.social · 09/09/2024

Interesting OpEd in The Times this morning. Business leader view on industrial strategy and how the regions have their part to play #UKproductivity | How to make ‘levelling up’ work for business www.thetimes.com/article/46f6...

thetimes.com

How to make ‘levelling up’ work for business

Governments have struggled to implement a successful regional economic strategy for decades, but it is crucial to Labour’s central growth mission

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Nicola Pike @nicolapike.bsky.social · 08/09/2024

Another productivity focused piece from David Smith in The Sunday Times. Mentions a recent Nesta report that my Productivity Institute colleagues (Dame Kate Barker, Philip McCann) contributed to | Business needs sweeteners, or growth will stay stagnant www.thetimes.com/article/afb7...

thetimes.com

Business needs sweeteners, or growth will stay stagnant

Labour wants to make the UK the strongest-growing economy in the G7, but an appalling productivity record since the financial crisis shows the scale of the task

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Nicola Pike @nicolapike.bsky.social · 07/09/2024

Took my daughter to see this play last night and can’t recommend enough. First time it has been performed outside the USA & the playwright who adapted it from Christie’s book (Tony award winning no less) also opened the show with a few words. Brilliant production www.murderontheorientexpressplay.com

murderontheorientexpressplay.com

Murder on the Orient Express on stage. UK Tour 2024-25

Brand-new stage production of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express. Embarking on a UK Tour in 2024 and 2025.

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The Productivity Institute @productivity.bsky.social · 06/09/2024

We have pulled together a BlueSky starter pack for UK Productivity. Please let us know who else you think should be included go.bsky.app/Hwvjf3i

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Nicola Pike @nicolapike.bsky.social · 04/09/2024

Same post. Different season. Let’s be having you #slowhorses season 4!

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The Productivity Institute @productivity.bsky.social · 03/09/2024

NEW EVENT: How can the new government’s industrial strategy help boost productivity? 🗓️ Wednesday 18 September, 17:30 @instituteforgov.bsky.social @gilesyb.bsky.social @gemmatetlow.bsky.social www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/event/new-go...

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Nicola Pike @nicolapike.bsky.social · 19/08/2024

Watching the Preston to Hebden Bridge episode of #GreatBritishRailwayJourneys (my guilty pleasure). Superb North West edition & delighted to see one of my political heroines - Barbara Castle - featured. Awesome woman!

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Nicola Pike @nicolapike.bsky.social · 18/08/2024

Watching Mary Poppins with my 10 year old. “When was it made and when was it set?” she asks. 1910 and 1964 I say. Her- “Oh, so it’s like a film today being made about 1970 then”. Me - 😳😳

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Nicola Pike @nicolapike.bsky.social · 18/08/2024

Productivity is the central theme of Larry Elliot’s column in The Observer today | GDP growth is strong but it masks UK plc’s deep-seated structural problems | Larry Elliott

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Nicola Pike @nicolapike.bsky.social · 18/08/2024

Good piece from David Smith in the Sunday Times (@thetimes.com) this morning (which again mentions the importance of productivity in the growth narrative). | Growth’s back, but a ghoulish budget could be on the way www.thetimes.com/article/475f...

thetimes.com

Growth’s back, but a ghoulish budget could be on the way

GDP is going in the right direction, inflation is under control, rates are falling. Puncturing the optimism are falling investment and weak productivity

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Nicola Pike @nicolapike.bsky.social · 16/08/2024

Good to be back at Heywood Road for the first friendly of the season #SaleRFC

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Nicola Pike @nicolapike.bsky.social · 14/08/2024

I can’t be the only one whose mind immediately wanders to this classic Mean Girls line every time ‘brat’ is mentioned…?

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Nicola Pike @nicolapike.bsky.social · 06/08/2024

Been a while since I was on here but in light of the issues with that other platform thought I should come back. Starting off by sharing a lovely photo of the Turkish Med that I took this time last week

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Nicola Pike @nicolapike.bsky.social · 02/01/2024

Missing the hols already, despite being poorly for a lot of it. Read great books (Doon Mackichan & Mick Herron), watched quality tv (Slow Horses), films (Saltburn & Wonka) & taught the 10 yr old how to mix. Quite impressed with our little mashup -22 Alphabet Street www.mixcloud.com/nicolamends/...

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Nicola Pike @nicolapike.bsky.social · 17/12/2023

Was chatting to my neighbour the other week who mentioned he was working on this @radio3.bsky.social series. I recommended Le Bossu (fantastic French swashbuckling film) & delighted to see that a track has made the cut www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

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Nicola Pike @nicolapike.bsky.social · 17/12/2023

Hats off to Child 2 for getting this out. Nothing better than a puzzle for the festive season

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Nicola Pike @nicolapike.bsky.social · 11/12/2023

There is clearly a @productivity.bsky.social research conference on. Every time we have one the local football club down the road arranges a special match 😉

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Nicola Pike @nicolapike.bsky.social · 09/12/2023

Johnny Marr in Manchester last night. Absolutely brilliant. The acoustics in the Aviva are fabulous- perfect night of sounds of The Smiths and Electronic plus his solo stuff (but let’s face it I was there for the classics)

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Nicola Pike @nicolapike.bsky.social · 01/12/2023

I’m now dedicating my weekend to bingeing on season 3 of Slow Horses

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Nicola Pike @nicolapike.bsky.social · 01/12/2023

So that’s a wrap for 2023 National #ProductivityWeek organised by @productivity.bsky.social (with events co hosted across UK by TPI university & strategic partners including CIMA, Be The Business & @instituteforgov.bsky.social ). Last event in very sunny @alliancembs.bsky.social .Great team effort!

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The Productivity Institute @productivity.bsky.social · 29/11/2023

Today we launched The Productivity Agenda a paper edited by @dianecoyle1859.bsky.social & featuring content from experts on UK productivity. Great panel event & video will be available soon. In the meantime, here is the publication www.productivity.ac.uk/wp-content/u... #productivityweek

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The Productivity Institute @productivity.bsky.social · 27/11/2023

This is going to be a great event. You can attend online or in person #productivityweek

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Nicola Pike @nicolapike.bsky.social · 27/11/2023

Looking forward to the launch of this on Wednesday. @dianecoyle1859.bsky.social has done a wonderful job of editing this publication #productivityweek

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The Productivity Institute @productivity.bsky.social · 27/11/2023

Welcome to National Productivity Week - an initiative to raise awareness of the importance of productivity and its impact on the economy, society and the environment. Follow the hashtag #productivityweek to find out what’s happening & visit www.productivityweek.co.uk

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Nicola Pike @nicolapike.bsky.social · 19/11/2023

Today I spent a total of three and a half hours stood in the pouring rain watching U10 girls hockey (morning practice then afternoon tournament)…. and I absolutely loved it. The girls played so well and I get to cheer/ support /catch up pitch side with the parents. Glad to be home & dry though 🏑☔️

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Nicola Pike @nicolapike.bsky.social · 19/11/2023

Looks like there will be a few public sector productivity announcements this week which will be of interest to @productivity.bsky.social colleagues in the run up to national productivity week |Chancellor to cut admin workloads to free up frontline staff www.gov.uk/government/n...

gov.uk

Chancellor to cut admin workloads to free up frontline staff

The Chancellor will set out the case for reform across public services to unlock productivity

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Nicola Pike @nicolapike.bsky.social · 18/11/2023

Don’t think I have ever made / put up a wreath this early but had a blast at a friends house making this with many others last night (strong coffee needed to take child #2 to her swimming lesson this morning)

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Nicola Pike @nicolapike.bsky.social · 18/11/2023

Got this event coming up in MCR on 28th November at the Art Gallery (also online). Part of National Productivity Week. Great for business leaders / managers looking strategically at AI beyondthehype.events

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Nicola Pike @nicolapike.bsky.social · 16/11/2023

Some parents take their 10 year olds to Taylor Swift concerts… I took mine to a Brand New Heavies gig. Fantastic set from my favourite band at the Bridgewater Hall with the London Concert Orchestra. All amazing but the percussionist and trumpet player in particular

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