Your past does not define your future.
Entrepreneur. Survivor. Astronaut. A remarkable journey. A powerful invitation to rethink what is possible.
Meet Nicolina Elrick
Before the astronaut, there was the entrepreneur.
My journey to space began long before a launch countdown. It began with curiosity, a willingness to take risks and the determination to build a future beyond the circumstances I started in.
During the technology boom of the 1990s, I founded and led IT businesses as Managing Director. Those years taught me to recognise opportunity, make decisions under pressure and turn a vision into something that works. Property development and investment broadened that experience—and reinforced the value of commercial judgement, resilience and execution.
In 2003, I graduated from CoachU. Today, through Ace Exec, I bring decades of hands-on leadership to executive coaching, business analysis and strategic advisory. I work with founders, executives and organisations at the point where ambition needs a plan, a difficult decision needs clarity, or change needs momentum.
For more than 15 years, I have also worked behind the scenes in the space industry, contributing to investment strategy, operational analysis, stakeholder alignment and commercial positioning. My understanding of space extends from the business of building ventures to the extraordinary experience of flying beyond Earth.
I am a three-time cancer survivor who has overcome significant early-life adversity. That experience informs how I approach leadership, uncertainty and purpose. Resilience, for me, is lived: finding a way forward, then taking the next step.
A licensed helicopter pilot, lifelong explorer and advocate for STEM education, I remain driven by a question: what else might be possible? My home is Singapore. My outlook is global. And my belief is simple: your past does not define your future.
29 August 2024. A new horizon.
On 29 August 2024, I flew to space with Blue Origin. Astronaut #661. The first Scottish woman in space. The first person to carry the Singapore flag into space, representing the place I call home.
Behind that moment lay decades of building, learning, surviving and choosing to keep moving forward. The flight is one chapter of a much bigger story: what becomes possible when imagination meets preparation, determination and courage.
I bring that story to stages, leadership conversations and STEM initiatives around the world. Together, we explore the questions it raises for all of us: What assumptions are holding us back? What would we attempt if we saw a wider horizon? And what will we do next?
Invite me to share the journey—and open a conversation about your own next chapter.
Let’s work together
Book Nicolina to speak
Keynotes, fireside chats and presentations for conferences, corporate events, leadership teams and education. Email nic@aceexec.com with your event date, location, audience and the outcome you want to achieve. Each enquiry starts a conversation about fit, availability and scope.
Work with Ace Exec
For executive coaching, strategic advisory and project-based consulting, share the challenge you are facing, your priorities and your intended timeline. Email nic@aceexec.com to explore a focused engagement or ongoing advisory relationship. Based in Singapore, with a global perspective.
Media & partnerships
Media & partnerships
For interviews, podcasts, STEM initiatives and partnerships across leadership, entrepreneurship, resilience and space, contact nic@aceexec.com. Please include your publication or organisation, the proposed topic, format and deadline.