This Woman! Lucy Quist: Childhood dreams, The Power of Perseverance and Empowering Africa

A visionary leader, engineer, and advocate for change.

Radiating a confidence that immediately captivates, it’s impossible not to be drawn into her orbit of possibility and promise.

Lucy’s story epitomises the pursuit of excellence, breaking barriers, and redefining what's possible.

From her early days in Ghana to her trailblazing tenure as CEO of Airtel and Managing Director at Morgan Stanley, Lucy’s journey is a testament to the power of perseverance, self-belief, and the unwavering support of others.

Her book, ‘The Bold New Normal,' and its associated conference, serve as a rallying cry for inclusive prosperity, urging young minds, entrepreneurs and leaders across Africa and its diaspora to seize the reins of change.

Lessons from Childhood

When I talk to people, what truly captivates me is not necessarily their achievements or accolades, but rather those pivotal moments that have shaped their lives — moments that often begin in childhood. It's fascinating how certain experiences, sometimes seemingly ordinary ones, can leave a profound imprint on someone’s outlook, perspective, and aspirations. For Lucy, there have been several of these defining moments scattered throughout her life.

Raised by two remarkable individuals, both products of humble village beginnings, Lucy's upbringing was shaped by the values of education, perseverance, and kindness.

Her father came from a lineage of cocoa farmers from the Ashanti region of Ghana. Despite familial aspirations for him to ascend as a future Chief, it was Lucy's grandmother who envisioned a different path for her son. Advocating fiercely for a more formal education, she laid the foundations that eventually led to him graduating from university as an Engineer.

Similarly, Lucy's mother, the youngest and only sibling to attend school, owed her education to her grandfather’s insistence. Lucy light-heartedly recalls a tale, shared by her mother, of an exchange between the two; “In her early teens, my mother went to her grandfather and said, ‘I'm not going to school anymore, because what's the big deal?’ And her grandfather just said, ‘So, who's going to buy the tobacco for my pipe one day?’”. This was him anticipating the doors that education would unlock for Lucy’s mother.

For Lucy, her parents’ story is not just a family anecdote but a poignant reminder of the potential within every child. As she reflects, “when we see images of young African children in villages, we don't think potential. We think poverty.” Her own parents are testament to her lifelong belief that we need to reframe the narrative, think not of lack but of potential and focus on how we provide individuals with the means to unlock their potential.

This perspective was further reinforced during Lucy’s early years in Ghana. Born in the UK, she returned to Ghana, with her family in 1983 during a tumultuous period in the country's history. Ghana faced severe difficulties — failed rains, long queues for food, political sanctions due to its non-democratic regime, and a mass influx of returning citizens compelled to leave Nigeria by government decree.

Reflecting on this time, Lucy shares that “as a child, that experience really shaped my life…I understood what it was like to be that African child living through survival”.

At the same time, this experience also served as a profound moment of realisation. Lucy explained that “What I understood, as a child at the time, was that there's some grownups in charge, they make decisions, and we must live with those consequences”. She made a self-promise, “So, when I grow up, I want to be one of those grownups that makes choices and decisions that make people's lives better”. This simple yet powerful determination has remained Lucy's driving force ever since. 

While Lucy's childhood experiences provided her with the initial motivation, it was her parents who instilled in her the confidence to pursue her dreams and her deep sense of self-worth.

“My parents' style of parenting was not gendered.  Because I was the oldest, I was my father’s sidekick. He would say, ‘Lucy, go get the toolbox we need to fix something'. I was never left with the burden of thinking that I was less because of my gender or my assumed race…none of that actually tended to occur to me”.

These early experiences sparked Lucy's lifelong dedication to purposeful leadership. Drawing from the stories she heard and the lessons she learned, Lucy's journey is characterised by her unwavering commitment to both assisting others and empowering herself.

From Shop Floor to CEO

Lucy was born in the UK, where her father worked as engineer. In 1983, her parents moved back to the Ghana and where Lucy would finish primary school and attend secondary education. After completing her A-Levels in Ghana, Lucy returned to the UK and joined Ford Motor Company aged 19, nostalgically stating that “I started my career in Dagenham on the shop floor”. Eventually, Lucy saved enough money to start university and graduated with a first-class degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering.

Throughout her studies and upon graduation, Lucy stayed at Ford, spending a decade before moving to France for business school at INSEAD. Throughout INSEAD and subsequently while working in financial services, Lucy looked for the right opportunity to return to Africa. It took 3 years and eventually, in 2008, that opportunity arose.

She remembers returning to Ghana “absolutely determined and passionate to make a difference”. However, she jokingly admits, “I get there, and I think why is everything not happening the way I thought it would.” She explains, with a smile, that sometimes people return with great intentions, but act “like they have a magic wand”.

Not one to be deterred, Lucy did what she could – she keep learning, engaging, and supporting people as best she could from her position.

Then, in 2014, something dramatic happened. Lucy was appointed CEO of Airtel in Ghana, a telecommunications giant. While this achievement marked a significant milestone and served as an inspiration to many, it also brought with it increased demands to support others. It was during this time that Lucy began utilising social media and writing to provide support on a larger scale, aiming to empower individuals to build their careers and lives.

This journey ultimately led to Lucy delivering a TEDx Talk in 2016 titled ‘A Bold New Normal’, followed by the publication of a book in 2019 and a series of annual conferences under the same title.

The Bold New Normal

The Bold New Normal is a relentless pursuit of genuine prosperity for all. “I don't want people to just stop being poor”, Lucy states, “I want them to prosper. I don't want people to just survive, I want people to thrive”.

At its core, The Bold New Normal represents a paradigm shift — a collective awakening to challenge entrenched beliefs and systems that perpetuate poverty and marginalisation. Lucy emphasises the importance of recognising everyone's role as changemakers – especially those in positions of power and influence.

"We need to ask ourselves why this system consistently produces people who are poor," Lucy adds, highlighting the need for a systemic overhaul to address the root causes of poverty and inequality. This entails targeting individuals who hold positions of influence and power, challenging them to drive positive change. 

The Bold New Normal Conference serves as a pivotal platform for engaging young leaders, entrepreneurs, and professionals in this transformative journey. By empowering individuals and fostering a sense of collective responsibility, Lucy believes that we can build a future where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.

The question - “As someone who can make a contribution to your community, your family, your country, your continent, the world, what is the real big vision that you have?”

Ultimately, The Bold New Normal is a call to action — an invitation for all Africans to embrace their role as changemakers and actively contribute to building a brighter, more prosperous future for the continent and beyond.

For Lucy, this movement is deeply personal, harking back to her childhood aspirations; “it's given me the opportunity to engage the world back to that little girl who wanted to make decisions and choices that make other peoples’ lives better”.

Overcoming challenges: Confidence, conviction, and perseverance

Despite the perception of a seamless ascent, Lucy candidly shared that her journey was anything but straightforward. It has been marked by numerous twists and turns.

“People often think that I got every single job I have applied – but that’s simply not true. Just like everyone else, I encountered more ‘nos’ than ‘yeses’. But experiencing rejection is not always a bad thing. Instead, it should make you more determined to “capitalise on the yeses”.

From a young age, Lucy faced financial obstacles that threatened to derail her dreams. The road to university was not a smooth one; she couldn't immediately enrol due to financial constraints, and as a child there was a period when Lucy worried that her education was over altogether.

She recounted how, as a teenager, she spent a whole term out of school because her parents could no longer afford the fees or transportation costs. “I would sit there, in the afternoon, in my grandmother's village…I would be praying, I worried it was the end of the road.” Luckily, Lucy’s auntie stepped in, and she returned to school. But overcoming this hurdle required determination and persistence; Lucy refused to let it derail her from her ambitions.

Through business school and while working in London, it took three years of relentless determination, endless networking, and guidance-seeking to find a job on the African continent. 

Then there were the challenges of rising through the ranks  in the corporate world to become CEO of Airtel.  Lucy faced doubts and challenges, not only because of her age but also because of her gender. Yet, she refused to be defined by others' perceptions, focusing instead on her capabilities and the value she could bring to the table.

“What is most important are the stories you tell yourself and how you raise yourself to do the best job possible…and not so much about the stories others tell you about yourself”, Lucy explains.

So, what’s next for Lucy?

Currently, Lucy is writing another book focusing on leadership. As she explained to me, “when it comes to the subject of leadership, we simply don’t have enough reference material from the African continent.  Yet, across Africa, there are countless examples of effective leaders in our communities and societies.  The issue is that their stories and lessons remain largely undocumented. Therefore, we need more materials that challenge us to rethink leadership, especially in the context of societal transformation”.

This book on leadership is extremely important to Lucy.  She believes that if we want to transform our society, then we need to think about the leadership that we need. Perhaps most importantly, though, she highlighted the pressing need for a type of leadership that resonates with Africa.

Her other but connected big dream is for The Bold New Normal to reach a point where it “thrives without Lucy”. This dream is grounded in a simple yet pragmatic understanding: meaningful change cannot be reliant on a single individual but must instead be driven by collective efforts.

Lucy envisions a future where The Bold New Normal events are hosted across the globe, with her role simply becoming a footnote in the movement's history.

I am not sure Lucy will ever be described as a footnote. She has made a lasting impression on me from the first day I met her for breakfast at the Villa Monticello Hotel in Accra. Ghana, six years ago. And I am not easily impressed!😊