SKNNS salutes The ‘Fab’ 5 on IWD 2023- Karlene’s meteoric rise in a male-dominated arena
KARLENE TELESFORD’S METEORIC RISE to Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Digicel St. Kitts and Nevis came with a price.
A heavy price.
She crooned it best when asked to explain her rapid rise to the top of the corporate ladder in a male-dominated telecommunications field.
“…blood, sweat, tears,
and few gray hairs”
These are classic lyrics rock stars such as Jimi Hendrix, Bono, Bon Jovi, John Lennon, Janis Joplin, Tina Turner, or Aretha Franklin would have paid top dollars to own and belt out.
But the effervescent former model, with the lithe, well-sculpted frame focus on all issues telecommunications, rather than catchy lyrics fitting for famous songs.
Telesford was born in St. Vincent and the Grenadines also known as Hairouna. Her maternal roots are sunk in the Spice Isle of Grenada but was able to manoeuvre her way through the historically male-dominated telecommunications industry to rise to the top of Digicel St. Kitts and Nevis.
She didn’t think her stars were aligned that way and considered herself fortunate to join the Digicel family seven years ago, never imagining the multitude of opportunities awaiting her in the years to follow.
Karlene conquered every challenge, grew from strength to strength, waxed valiant in faith, and successfully navigated the myriad unknowns confronting any young, female, Senior Executive.
“It is quite easy to feel intimidated by the more seasoned CEOs in the business. However, my resolve to succeed keeps me focused on what’s important,” Telesford explained.
The CEO attributed her personal growth to the network of strong women in the Digicel West Indies Region, who has helped mentor her over the years.
“I was fortunate to have met excellent examples of women in leadership whose genuine qualities I aspired to emulate”, she recalled.
She isn’t ready yet to juxtapose her career with the challenges of becoming a wife and/or a mother. And while she has great respect for women who have managed to find the elusive balance between home, work and play, her mother, who chose to be a stay-at-home mom, is still her biggest role model.
“I was never embarrassed to tell others that my mom is a ‘house-wife’, because she works just as hard as anyone else who was dedicated to their job, which in her case was to take care of our home and our family. She was always there when I needed her, and I truly appreciated it”.
Karlene wishes to inspire other young women to dispose of self-limiting beliefs, and to embrace who they are and want to become.
