It was a double celebration for Dr Hazel P. Berrard Amuah and her daughter, Adwuwa Fynna Nhyira Berrard Quayson, as the two joined Ghana’s legal profession on the same day, marking a remarkable milestone in their family’s history.
The mother and daughter were among the newly qualified lawyers called to the Ghana Bar on Friday, October 9, becoming Barristers and Solicitors of the Supreme Court of Ghana.
Their shared achievement has attracted admiration, particularly as Dr Hazel adds the legal profession to an already extensive career in corporate leadership, human resource management, insurance and business consultancy.
For Dr Hazel, the call to the Bar represents another chapter in a professional journey spanning more than 28 years, during which she has held senior executive positions and received several local and international recognitions.
She previously served as the first female Chief Executive Officer of Prudential Life Insurance Ghana, a position she held until April 2024.
An accomplished business leader and international public speaker, Dr Hazel has worked across 22 countries in West and Central Africa, building expertise in human resource management, organisational development, business strategy and leadership.
Her professional accomplishments have earned her numerous honours, including Ghana Woman Professional of the Year in 2018, HR Practitioner of the Year in 2019, Africa HR Personality of the Year in 2020 and the Global Leadership Award in 2021.
She has also received recognition for business leadership, corporate social responsibility and her contributions to human capital development.
Beyond her corporate achievements, Dr Hazel has an extensive academic and professional background. She holds advanced degrees in business administration, master’s degrees in Bilingual Translation and Organisational Development, and professional qualifications in insurance and executive coaching.
She is a chartered insurer, a member of the Chartered Insurance Institute in the United Kingdom and a Henley-certified coach.
Her academic and professional interests have also taken her into teaching, having served as visiting faculty at the China Europe International Business School Africa and as an adjunct lecturer at the University of Ghana Business School.
Dr Hazel is also an author whose publications include Winning in the Jungle, People Factory, Dolphins Don’t Swim in Lakes, Where Power Lies, Global Passport and 50 Lessons and Blessings.
She has additionally contributed to academic publications addressing leadership, performance management and business strategy in developing economies.
Outside her professional commitments, she founded People Factory Limited in 2009, a consultancy specialising in leadership, business strategy and human capital development.
That same year, she established the Reach Out and Share Foundation, a non-governmental organisation dedicated to supporting less privileged and underserved communities.
Her daughter, Nhyira Berrard Quayson, now begins her own journey in the legal profession, sharing with her mother the distinction of having been called to the Bar at the same ceremony.
While both have reached the same professional milestone, their admission to the Bar also represents the beginning of separate careers in a profession that demands dedication, integrity and a commitment to justice.
For Dr Hazel, who has spent decades building a career across several disciplines, the achievement reinforces the value of continuous learning and the pursuit of new professional opportunities.
Their story is also a reminder that education and professional ambition need not be confined to a particular stage of life.
What makes the occasion particularly memorable is that mother and daughter can now celebrate not only their individual achievements but also a professional qualification they have attained together.
As the two embark on this new chapter, their shared accomplishment stands as an inspiring example of determination, lifelong learning and the special bond between a mother and her daughter.