Lucy Kanu Hopper
BRIEF PROFILE
With a solid career spanning over two decades as a serial entrepreneur, and thought leader in gender, diversity, equity and inclusion in large-scale social impact projects. A Strategist and values-based leader with expertise in strategy consulting, project management, advocacy, fundraising, leadership development, communication and storytelling, and in-depth knowledge and networks in the international initiatives and women empowerment ecosystem. Driven by a mission of mentoring the next generation of leaders, and social entrepreneurs working on innovations for pressing global challenges. Founded Idea Builders Initiative designed large-scale projects impacting over 300,000+ youth, and women. Awarded the Global Fairness Award and served as Sub-Saharan Africa’s Jury President for the Cartier’s Women Initiative Awards. Drawing on extensive leadership experience as an Ashoka Fellow and Commonwealth Fellow—focusing on transformational leadership and systemic social impact—Successfully launched a portfolio of community mobilization and advocacy ecosystems that empower rural youth and promote women’s leadership in communities in West Africa.
WORK EXPERIENCE
Consultant/Executive Director
Changing Narratives Africa June 2022 to May 2023
· Led the development of the nonprofit portfolio with a comprehensive strategic plan to drive operational rigour
· Provide strategic oversight and guidance to build cross-functional fundraising activities with community engagement.
· Develop leadership talent with a coaching and mentorship program to build the capacities of high-performance volunteers.
· Lead design thinking and co-creation initiatives for the university to develop big-idea strategic and transformational projects.
· Support the development of communication materials: concept notes and cases for support, impact documentation
· Cultivated collaborative relationships to diversify revenue streams from new donors and partners including the Seagal Family Foundation, African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and Africa No Filter Operational Support Grants.
Strategy and Capacity Building Consultant – Leadership, Communication and Gender May 2018 to August 2023
International Consultants Consortium, West Africa
· Provided consulting and rapid community needs assessment and cooperatives advisory services for Big Lottery UK:
– Led the International Communities program which helped disadvantaged rural women in rural West Africa
– Guided project delegations to bring real improvements to communities and the lives of people most in need in SE Nigeria.
· Established EU funded community action groups to build processes and strategies for program scale-up and sustainability.
· Directed Program Interventions under the Cassava Variety project of International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA):
– Provided hands-on demonstration projects facilitation and implementation for award winning ToT pilots
– Facilitated community action workshops and seminars demonstration sessions and value-added rice production
· Facilitator, Nestle Nigeria Gender Balance project in collaboration with the Enterprise Dev. Center of Lagos Business School.
– Led consortiums to design Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging, strategic plans, including bottom-up mentoring and talent development programs, governance and succession planning, contingency programming and impact management.
· Partnership with national agricultural research systems in sub-Saharan Africa, on the dissemination of improved rice varieties and cassava germplasm
· Facilitated big ideas design thinking, communication and storytelling, and impact documentation to amplify equity & inclusion
· Built fundraising frameworks to scale and diversify revenue streams, create sustainable funding for grants management.
Senior Development Manager - Donor Recruitment, Development, Cultivation, and Activation April 2017 – April 2018 March of Dimes Foundation
· Developed grant proposals, designed advocacy campaigns, Mobilized and Stewarded Fundraising Events
· Fostered inclusive work culture and values-based team members and mentored a pipeline of talent from 4 to 45 in 5 years
· Built networks in the donor community and negotiated complex stakeholder interests.
Regional Council Member, Bamako, Mali, Cote D’Ivoire: ICCO Cooperation, Utrecht Netherlands Dec 2009 – Dec 2015
· Built scale-up and sustainability plans, strategic partnerships, monitoring, evaluation and learning systems galvanizing long-term strategies integrated in designing, implementation and monitoring of complex projects in West African communities.
· Created a strategic approach to prospect identification and donor pipeline development and management of complex gifts
· Drove change management and thought leadership that packaged CEDA’s model and case studies and shared it globally
· Supported the organization to institutionalize a gender-lens and cultural sensitivity approach in its strategy and practice
· Engaged stakeholders and developed Policy Guidelines and Communications Strategy for ICCO Cooperative, Bamako
Executive Director: Idea Builders Initiative Feb 2004– Nov 2016
· Facilitated women financial inclusion series, facilitated access to credit for over 200 women-owned businesses
· Capacity building training, mentorship & counseling for SMEs & MMEs under the Bank of Industry Enterprise Facility
· Developed policy guidelines for ministries & trade agencies to mainstream financial inclusion for 160+ women businesses
· Promoted gender inclusive growth, increasing female exporters, and facilitated entry into European Union markets
EARLIER ROLES & CONSULTANCIES – POLICY, GENDER & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
· Country Representative - Country Representative for Interface Africa Feb 2012– Nov 2016
– Responsible for strategy, communication, mission Advocacy & Advisory activities for the Private & nonprofit Sector
· Enterprise Expert Advisor - European Investment Bank & Integration Management Consultants GmbH Jun 2012– May 2013
– Capacity building training, mentorship & counseling for SMEs & MMEs at the grassroots and remote rural communities
· FoodHub/YEDI Culinary Careers Mentoring Program collaboration for emerging food entrepreneurs Aug 2011 – Nov 2016
BOARD & MEMBERSHIP ROLES
· Board of Trustees, Afterschool Peer Mentoring Project, Nigeria Nov 2014 - date
· Board of Trustees, Mademoiselle Foundation, Ibadan, Nigeria Apr 2014 – date
· World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) | Doha, Qatar Oct 29 – Oct 31, 2013
· Regional Council Member, ICCO Cooperation West Africa May 2014 – Nov 2016
· Member/Jury President Sub-Saharan Africa, Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards Aug 2010 – Jan 2017
GLOBAL AWARDS, FELLOWSHIPS & RECOGNITIONS
® Global Fairness Award – Grassroots Honoree Nov 2012
® Ashoka Fellowship: Everyone a Changemaker Award July 2007
® Commonwealth Professional Fellowship: The Princes Trust United Kingdom Mar 2009
® Fortune 500 Women Leadership Mentoring Program May 2008
® Women Entrepreneurial Leadership Achievement Award WWL Congress & Awards Dec 2014
EDUCATION
· Master of Science, Management & Leadership: Western Governors University, Utah -USA 2021
· Professional Post-Graduate Certificate in Social Sector Management
Enterprise Development Center of the Pan African University, Lagos Nigeria 2011
· Professional Post-Graduate Certificate in Project Management
Lagos Business School, Lagos Nigeria 2000
· Bachelor of Science in Management
University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria