In hindsight, Lucy Perry believes she should have dyed her hair hot pink earlier. A social media native who uses the medium to raise money as the first CEO of Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia, she says it’s been the best personal branding move she’s made.
But you get the feeling Perry doesn’t need a bottle of hair dye to make a statement. You don’t go from volunteer to CEO of a not-for-profit in eight years without a little personal tenacity for getting the result you want.
Perry was appointed by Australian obstetrician Dr Catherine Hamlin in 2012 in order to create the new charitable entity to raise funds for a network of hospitals and a midwifery school in Ethiopia. As CEO, Perry is also working to support Dr Hamlin’s legacy – ultimately to help marginalised women who’ve suffered from terrible childbirth injuries.
“This was the turning point for me,” Perry tells Women’s Agenda on being appointed to the role. “She and my board of directors gave me complete creative control to take bold steps with some clever, downright cheeky campaigns to raise BIG money. Dr Hamlin’s legacy is safe and she is super duper happy about that!”
Perry has since gone on to raise more than $6 million for the organisation, running a small passionate team (where an average day involves crying at least once for the women they support) fund raising and building the profile of the work they do. Perry is a finalist in the NAB Women’s Agenda Leadership Awards.
As she’s previously written on Women’s Agenda, she’s using her communication and creative skills to help “save the world one vagina at a time”.
Her role as CEO follows an eclectic career in which she’s worked as a jillaroo, photographer, junior creative in an advertising agency, doula (childbirth support partner) and even founded an online doula director for couples seeking support. She founded her first business, a creative agency called Pure Graphics, after a serious motorcycle accident.
In 2004, after seeing Dr Hamlin profiled on Oprah, Perry started offering her skills to the organisation on a pro bono basis, launching its website, social media strategy and writing brochures and newsletters. She was later invited to Ethiopia for a photography assiggment where she met Dr Hamlin – by then in her early eighties – at the operating table in the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital.
Perry credits social media for supporting the work they do, and enabling the team to reach more than five million people a week for their fundraising efforts. One Facebook post even manage to sell $20,000 in merchandise for the organisation in less than 24 hours. “That’s pretty cool for a niche charity with a small following. When we launched we had zero budget and Facebook was free so since day one I have read up on how the algorithm works and every change as it happens,” she says.
As for the pink hair, a relatively recent addition, she says it helps ensure people remember who she is.
Born. Africa
Grew up. In Africa, then the UK and finally settled in Australia.
Leadership qualifications? I do not have any qualifications which you could call a ‘leadership qualification’. I have learned my skills by being a leader of small, dynamic and fast-moving teams for the last 20 years.
High school ambition? I wanted to be a journalist originally. Then I studied law. Then I realised I was far too creative for that and studied photography. I’ve run my own business since I was 18 so I have always had an entrepreneurial streak.
And your first, ever job? Ever? I worked in an art shop and spent all my pay on art supplies. My first job out of school was as a jillaroo where I learned a huge amount on the land. My first proper job was in an advertising agency as a junior creative.
Today, who and what do you lead? I lead a small team with big ideas to raise an ENORMOUS amount of money to fund one of the most important programs in the world.
How do you stay informed? Mashable, Women’s Agenda, Social Media Examiner, the New Daily, the Independent (a UK online paper but I like their news), NY Times, This is Africa… I do read Women’s Agenda. I’m not just saying that. A story by Jane Caro influenced me to create a FB post which became the most successful post we had ever had! Massive professional crush on Jane Caro…
What helps you manage your wellbeing? My kids demand a sizeable chunk of my time so I can’t possibly work 24 hours a day. I used to practice yoga but to be honest it bores me senseless. I prefer to run which I find quite like meditation. I have my best ideas when I am running. I also love to horse ride and every year I try to ride somewhere wild an exotic. Last year my 8 year and I did a 300km trek through India. This year I’m going to ride the coast of Mozambique. I love a good book but it has to be really juicy to hold my attention!
What is the first thing you do in the morning? I have a big drink of H2O with lemon juice. Read emails from Ethiopia which have come in over night. Then I make whimpering noises until someone brings me a coffee in bed. My kids learnt to use the coffee machine when they are 6. My husband is very good at this task also. We only have Ethiopian coffee beans in our house. Best in the world.
An average day in the life… Ha! No. There is no such thing as average. Every day is a different roller coaster. I might be giving a keynote speech or launching a new fundraising appeal. I might be doing live radio or a photo shoot. I might be in the shoot or I might be shooting the shoot. We have a rocking intern program so I am often briefing the interns, briefing my team. Random people wonder into our office often: donors, knitters, family members of Dr Hamlin’s. We have several WIP (work in progress meetings) every week and I lead these meetings. Sometimes we do them standing up to keep the pace nice and choppy! My CFO is a genius and I work closely with him. A normal day includes a little cry at some point. The agony our patients go through never gets easy. Writing their stories is an important responsibility. If I write them well, they make me cry. And every day has a rocking sound track. I can’t work in silence so Pandora Radio rules the day. Today was Michael Jackson, Dolly Parton and Hall and Oats.
What’s your leadership ‘superpower’? We have had FB posts hit the spot so well that we have sold $20K in online merch in 24 hours. True story! We reach 5 million people a week. Together with good writing/comms skills and a sense of humour, that knowledge has been very valuable. As a leader, I like to think the fact that I am FUN is a super power. Work has to be fun, then the team loves what they do and they go the extra mile.
What needs to change in order to better support women at work? Absolute equality, that’s what. Equal pay, equal regard. We represent some of the most marginalised women in the world. Their journey to equality has a long way to go. In Australia, we have come a long way but it is still not an equal playing field. I think absolute flexibility in the work place is the key. Flexibility to work family friendly hours for the whole team is important for us all.
Advice to your 18-year-old self? Dye your hair hot pink much sooner. It’s the best personal branding move your will ever make! No one will ever forget you 🙂
Lucy Perry’s story is the latest of our 100 Stories Project, in which we’re asking women about a turning point that’s shifted her leadership career. Telling 100 stories from January 1 2015, the project showcases the diverse range of leadership careers available, as well as some of the brilliant achievements and fascinating career paths of women. It also demonstrates how planned and unexpected forks in the road can take you places you never thought possible.
Got an idea? Get in contact. Check out more on our 100 Stories Project here.
Other women featured in this series include:
Angela Ferguson: The woman designing the future of work (Google included)
Jo-Ann Hicks: eBay’s leading woman on the risks that made her digital career
Annabelle Daniel: ‘I’m the unlikely combination of CEO and single parent
Sarah Liu: Multiple job titles and variety: Life as a ‘slashie’
Lindy Stephens: When the power shifts, women should make the most of it
Kate Morris: Why I gave up law to become an online entrepreneur
Jacque Comery: Leading a team of 12 on an Antarctic base