NOW THAT LUCY QUIST has the platform, her sights are set on the greatest impact she can make.
It’s been a little over a year since we had a stirring conversation with the exceptional lady driving Airtel’s superiority and success. What stood out then was her dogged resolve to make a positive difference in Ghana’s telecom space, when she almost prophetically quipped with that audacious marketing jargon, “watch this space.”
At the time, she was a few months into her new role as the first Ghanaian woman to lead a multinational telecommunications company, not to mention that her relatively young age further magnified the audacity of her convictions of spearheading a change in the industry.
But, tellingly, she has just recently been celebrated at the Ghana Telecoms Awards with a ‘Special Recognition’ by the telecom Industry. She was recognised for leading transformational change that is shaping industry thinking.
She has also more recently been crowned the CIMG Marketing Woman of the year, 2014, in recognition of her excellent strategic marketing in the areas of market insights, marketing strategy development, managing Airtel Ghana’s corporate reputation right down to managing marketing teams and Airtel Ghana’s CSR programmes.
Now, she’s set her sights on even bigger dreams; “making Airtel the number one telecom company for data and digital services in Ghana” and in the process “support businesses to grow through the use of technology.”
Welcome to the world of Lucy Quist; a world defined by its unrelenting commitment to the pursuit of personal excellence, yet humble enough not to underestimate divine providence in the journey to the top; a world that places premium on the power of the many, to make the desired marked change.
Lucy, expressing her belief in collective effort, says of her Award; “It was a very important award for us as a company; to be nominated by individuals of note in the country, to be voted for by some of these individuals, it definitely is recognition of the great work we’ve done at Airtel, in Ghana, in the last twelve months”.
“We (Airtel Ghana) have said repeatedly, ‘Make Your Change’ and we have said continually we believe in the power of potential. Honestly this is a manifestation, and the demonstration, of it. For everyone out there who has a dream, I want to say to them they’re never too young, they’re never the wrong gender; everything about them is absolutely right to achieve their dreams. So this is for them.”
Lucy’s passionate drive and enthusiasm contribute to the energy that has seen Airtel staff reach new heights and achieve significant milestones. Within the period she’s been at the helm of affairs, Lucy ensured that by creating top of mind awareness through strategic marketing and sustainable corporate social responsibility, Airtel Ghana increased its bonding scores to make it the most loved telecom brand in Ghana. The company has also increased its data network speed from 21.6mbps to 42mbps in many locations, making it the fastest and the first to provide this service in the country. She has overseen a substantial investment in the network making it the second largest active network in the country. Her leadership also saw the business continue on its winning journey when it received four awards, an increase over last year’s tally of three, at the 2015 Ghana Telecom Awards.
She acknowledges, however, that customers’ expression of their love, and their closeness, contributed immensely to the award, noting that their expression of love for the brand reflected in the minds of the judges.
Airtel Ghana, Lucy reveals, will leverage on its closeness to its customers. The company has vigorously pursued a strategy of differentiation, understanding very clearly that Ghana is a highly penetrated market and that they needed to stand out from the crowd; “so when I told you ‘watch this space’ the last time, it was about the fact that we wanted to focus on very clear segmentation. We’re the only telecommunications network that has segment specific sub brands; we have our mother brand and four Sub brands that are focused on delivering un-matched service offerings in their respective categories – for instance Airtel Business, our unparalleled business solutions, provides custom made cutting edge end-to end business and enterprise solutions that cater to the communications, connectivity and collaborative needs of all businesses – small, medium or large”.
She continued “Airtel Premier, our bespoke solutions for high value customers, provides an array of delectable telecom and lifestyle products, services and rewards to enrich the lives of high value customers. Similarly, Airtel Money, the most innovative, convenient and secure mobile money service in Ghana provides un-matched benefits such contactless payment – the smartest and coolest way to pay.
Finally, Airtel Internet, our data business, is clearly leading digital innovation in the country with unparalleled offerings for all customers such as free Facebook, Browse Chaw and dual scratch card, which enables consumers to load either voice or data.”
“We’ve demonstrated that in Ghana, as you evolve, it is important to re-articulate who you are in clearer terms to customers and we are leaders in this space,” Lucy explains.
Lucy also shared her company’s deep seated commitment to sustainability and corporate social responsibility. “We are committed to the enrichment of lives and to grow thriving and sustainable communities. For instance through our award winning Airtel Touching Lives, we celebrate and empower people to Make Their Change in their communities to provide opportunities for many more people to realise their dreams and potential. Similarly we are unearthing the next generation of football greats for this country through our grassroots Airtel Rising Stars which provides opportunities for talented young footballers to realise their full potential”.
Poised for new achievements, Airtel’s customers can expect consistency, innovation and inspiration from the company.
“Moving into the future, we want things to be better and different but we want to lead the way in creating that difference; not just talk about it and then sit back and hope that someone else picks up the mantle and makes it happen. We like to make it happen ourselves at Airtel Ghana,” Lucy says.
She is a passionate believer in excellence, integrity and generosity; excellence because it brings out the best in people, integrity because she believes in doing the right thing and generosity to create opportunities for others.
Lucy says her training as an engineer definitely comes in handy. Technology is the bedrock of telecommunications, “and it means that when we’re talking about network systems, IT and so on, I understand what the requirements are, I listen more attentively and I can offer some support – especially in their way of thinking.” Since she entered the telecom sector, in 2008, Lucy has probably played every role that needs to be done commercially; starting with business development – that was pan African – being development head for many countries and strategizing.
“When you strategize, you think about new license opportunities, you think about business structure, business models, you think about whether the right people are in the right location or whether you need to make any changes.
“So I’ve done business development. I’ve also done sales and distribution. The company I worked for at the time had challenges in parts of Ghana and I brought my experience and expertise to bear to resolve those challenges. I had a very successful tenure in that role; the business experienced tremendous growth which was unbelievable – and I was rewarded handsomely with a new role as the Chief Marketing Officer in the DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo)” she reveals.
“A challenging role, no doubt. It was the early days of the internet, from a mobile connection point of view and”, Lucy says, “working in the DRC was a great learning ground”.
“It was my first real big opportunity to reposition a company. I focused on the complete repositioning of the company from a customer expectation and mind-set point of view. We had the biggest brand campaign the country had ever seen to the point where our competitors copied us. It was a great opportunity to practice first-hand the marketing theory I had studied while at business school at INSEAD” Lucy says heartily.
She thereafter joined another telecom company, initially to run strategy and planning but, “within three months, I was running strategy and planning and wholesale, and within a year, I was running strategy & planning, wholesale, and enterprise – 3 jobs in 1”.
“It’s amazing how simply God works to prepare us for the future.
“At the time I just took it in my stride, I didn’t think anything of it but, it was an essential preparation to becoming an MD or a CEO, because when you get the opportunity to lead at the top you are in charge of everything; you can’t say that I have one job or two or three or five, you have to get on with all of them”.
“After that experience, I was given the privilege to run Airtel Ghana, which I’ve been running since May, 2014,” and having registered such tremendous success in her first year, Lucy says of her team, “being surrounded by a highly experienced and dedicated team means that we are able to truly say ‘we win together’”.
“We, at Airtel, are very close to the market, we’re very close to our customers, we listen to them, we spend time with them in all walks of life, all age groups and genders. We proactively ensure that we all get out to meet the customers we are here to serve.
“That responsiveness means that as our customers are evolving in their preferences, we are right there with them and when you ride the wave together with your customers you will arrive with them at their destination quicker than anyone else.” Lucy explains.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to lead a company where we truly strive to make a difference in people’s lives. Personally I have experienced many times what it means for people to support me to make things happen. Whether at home or at work, it’s always been about everybody saying; ‘you know we believe in you. Keep going’. So if you have such opportunities you have to give back. You have to create steps on the ladder for others. You can only go so far yourself, but you have to make sure you’re building a ladder beneath you strong enough to support others to get higher than your level. And that comes from role modelling; that comes from especially nurturing younger people, so my motivation is to see young people truly realise their potential,” Lucy says.
She thinks that the great thing about winning the [CIMG Marketing Woman of the year] award is, it most likely will give her the opportunity to further engage and encourage young people. She however encourages anyone who wants to give back to society not to wait for recognition before doing so, but to start exactly where they are.
“It is something I’ve been doing for many years. I think we all have the opportunity to start with the people closest to us, whether it’s at work or home.”
Lucy has led many coaching and mentoring sessions including the Women in Technology platform as well as activities on International Women’s Day. All these are aimed at encouraging young women to move into the field of technology. But most importantly, for Lucy, giving back to society is motivated by the fact that she likes to see people realise their potential. To her “the greatest opportunity in telecommunications is the impact that we can make in helping people realise their potential and contribute to their story. I am grateful every day for that opportunity.”
“We’re all on this journey together, and until Ghana arrives, until Africa arrives, I have not arrived,” Lucy says of her ambitions to strive for higher achievements.
And it’s worth one’s time to watch her closely.