Lucy Surhyel Newman is an international consultant and policy advisor.
Newman was born in Mubi, northeastern Nigeria. She grew up in a large and internationally dispersed nuclear and extended family in northern Nigeria and lives in Lagos.
Early life
Newman was born on July 16, 1965, as Lucy Surhyel Angaya Bwala (also known as Mitti – Surhyel, after her paternal grandmother) to parents Mallam Angaya Mshelbwala and Malama Tani Angaya Mshelbwala (now both deceased) in Mubi, which is now known as Adamawa State in the north-eastern part of Nigeria. She is a Christian and hails from Marama in Hawul local Government Area of Borno State. She speaks Hausa, Bwurrah Kanuri, English and French.
Education
She obtained her primary education form Shehu Garbai Primary School located in Maisandari, Damboa Road Old G.R.A. in Maiduguri Metropolitan Area, Borno State Nigeria. Thereafter, she proceeded to Federal Government College, Kaduna, Kaduna State for her secondary school education and graduated in 1983. She attended Ahmadu Bello University, and between 1984 and 1993 she obtained A-levels from the School of Basic Studies, a Bachelor of Science of Business Administration with majors in Financial Management, and a master's degree in business administration. In 2008, she obtained her Doctorate in business administration from the University of Phoenix in Phoenix, Arizona, United States, with a focus on Leadership and Performance. From 2019 to 2020, she enrolled for and completed the International Director Certification in Corporate Governance Programme, a one-year Executive Education Programme at INSEAD Business School, Fontainebleau, France. Lucy has affiliations to many professional networks including:
Fellow, Nigerian Institute of Management
Fellow - Institute of Information Management, Africa
Fellow, Institute of Directors Nigeria
Certified Performance Technologist of the International Society for Performance Improvement Life Member of the International Society for Performance Improvement
Career
Newman began her career with Borno Investment Company Limited [BICL] in 1987 as a Youth Corper and rose to become the General Manager of a subsidiary company in Lagos. Her work at BICL lasted ten years. In 1997, she joined Omega Bank as a Manager of Treasury Marketing and Product Development. In July 2000, she joined FSB International Bank, Plc, first as a Manager, Marketing and Business Development. Later she became the Head, HR Development from 2002 to 2005. Via industry merger and acquisition, she joined Fidelity Bank, PLC in January 2006 as the Head, HR Development/Group Head, HR Designate. In April 2006, she joined the United Bank for Africa Group, Plc first as Head, Talent & Performance Management, and then Head, Career & Reward Management. In August 2006 she proceeded to PricewaterhouseCoopers Nigeria as the Senior Consultant, in the firm's Performance Improvement Practice. Between January 2008 and April 2009 she was a Principal Consultant in the Business Advisory Performance Improvement Practice. In May 2009, Newman joined the Financial Institutions Training Centre (FITC), as the Managing Director/CEO. Her first tenure was extended in 2013 and ended September 2019.
She then took a voluntary early retirement from the FITC role and a proceeded on a one-year career break during which she completed the INSEAD International Director Certification on Corporate Governance Executive Programme and published, which saw her transitioning her career into Policy Advisory, International Consulting and Authorship.