On 23rd October 2015, Lancaster EMBA students, staff and faculty gathered to hear Lucy Quist, MD of Airtel Ghana, share her experience in her role as a leader in one of Africa’s leading telecommunications Companies.
Lucy’s EMBA Masterclass lecture focused on “The future of mobile technology in Africa and its significance for innovative business solutions”.
Mobile technology is changing the world more quickly and profoundly than any other innovation; it gives new meaning to communication, expands the boundaries of globalization and transforms connectivity. Businesses and consumers should look to emerging markets for insights and inspiration into the opportunities that technology can offer, to cater for future needs and provide cutting edge solutions. She challenged the audience to be part of this revolution.
“I want more people to come up with solutions that will ride on the internet and not just let the Internet ride on them”, she added.
A passionate believer in excellence and integrity, Lucy successfully transitioned from a core engineering background to become the first Ghanaian woman to be appointed to head a telecommunications company in the country in 2014.
“As a leader, you have to be able to understand and articulate what matters”, she said. Leaders should understand critical situations and prioritize what issues to deal with and how to deal with them.
Lucy started her career in automotive engineering with Ford Motor Company working her way through design engineering, manufacturing and project management functions in the UK, Germany and Portugal. She later became a Change Manager at the Royal Bank of Scotland in London as part of the RBS-ABN AMRO Operations merger team. In 2008, Lucy joined Millicom International Cellular (Tigo), working as Head of Business Development for Africa and later, as Head of Northern Sector in Ghana, before becoming the Chief Marketing Officer in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Her vast experience in telecommunications covers both mobile and fixed telephony, and extends to value added services for consumers and enterprises. She has a proven track record of leading teams to deliver superior results. Before joining Airtel Ghana, Lucy was the Director of Vodafone Ghana’s Enterprise division, Vodafone Business Solutions.
