Lucy Perry has just started as CEO of Sunrise Cambodia, an organisation founded by Geraldine Cox giving hope to some of the poorest kids in the world.
She ran a successful creative services firm for 20 years before taking the helm of a women’s health charity where she raised $7 million for a network of hospitals and a midwifery schools in Ethiopia.
Speaking at the upcoming Fearless event on December 2, she answers the Women’s Agenda Q&A about life and career below.
Growing up, what kind of career did you want to pursue?
I started out wanting to be a jockey because I was horse-mad as a kid. I knew I would wind up having a creative career. My dad was an entrepreneur so creating my own business was always in my thinking as I was growing up. I did a side step studying law for a while which clarified my need for a creative career. I would have been bored to snores as a lawyer.
Who inspires you?
I’m inspired by mum to many, Geraldine Cox AM, the founder of Sunrise Cambodia. She couldn’t have her own children so at the age of 50 she moved to Cambodia to look after some of the poorest kids in the world. She is the most courageous, generous, determined, hard working and ambitious woman I know.
Who (apart from you) is most surprised by your achievements?
No one who knows me is surprised at all.
How have women helped shape your success to date?
Women have always been key to my professional success. My mum is captain of my cheer squad. My first CEO role was for a remarkable woman who plucked me from the ranks of volunteers and appointed me to the top job of her charity. And now I am working for legendary humanitarian, Geraldine Cox, a woman who could see my talents (and wild hair) a mile off.
What qualities do you most admire in a female colleague?
I always hire people who have the qualities I most admire: optimism, patience, enthusiasm, humour.
What’s the key to successfully balancing work and life?
The only key to any kind of balance is for work to be part of the life you love, rather than a chore which takes you away from living your life. Work should enrich your life. I love that Seth Godin quote: “Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, maybe you should set up a life you don’t need to escape from.” You know you are on a winner when you check you bank account and you’ve been paid and you think, “And to top it off, they pay me to have this adventure? Whoo hoo!”
If you had an afternoon to yourself, how would you spend it?
I would go to the beach for a swim in the beautiful blue water or go for a gallop on a feisty horse.
What is the hardest part of your job?
The hardest part of my job is also the most rewarding. My role as CEO of Sunrise Cambodia has taken me into the lives of some of the poorest people in the world. They welcome me in with such generosity and friendliness when they have so little to give. Some of the people I have met are suffering under the most horrid, degrading poverty. I find this very hard to witness: toddlers drinking filthy water, women and children digging in the dump for food, young people with no hope for their future. It is incredibly rewarding to be part of the solution to that grinding poverty, to bring relief and dignity to the human existence.
What advice would you give to someone aspiring to success in your field?
I would recommend that anyone aspiring success as a leader in the charity sector should only ever work for a charity that they are 100% batshit crazy for. Don’t work for any old charity. Work for one you adore, a cause that ejects you out of bed in the morning and keeps you up at night thinking about ways you can make it even better.
Lucy Perry is speaking at Fearless on December 2, a high-energy event for women in business by SheBusiness. Tickets available here.