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One of the most important things Hubbl Finance Director Natalie Koster has learned over her career is to have the confidence to ask questions.
That’s because having deep product knowledge is a crucial part of thinking Customer First and understanding what the product means to people and why they'll want to buy it.
“You need to understand what’s in it for the customer. Why are they going to buy this product and what would make it even better for them?" says Nat.
"Equally important, as the finance lead, is asking how will this be a commercial success? Is this the best way to invest our money for today or tomorrow? Where does this drive value for the Foxtel Group? Once you’ve understood these principles, you can help the business prioritise and come up with the right decisions. This is particularly important in organisations in disruptive industries where there can often be competing priorities. You need to come up with solutions to help deliver on both fronts,” she continues.
Asking questions is a skill that Nat honed during her three years spent with News Corp UK, where she worked on exciting projects such as removing The Sun’s paywall, overhauling the group’s forecasting for ad revenues, running the group’s LRP process and business casing for sports rights highlights such as the English Premiere League, Champions League and English cricket rights as Head of Finance Strategy.
Reflecting on that chapter, she believes that asking questions and challenging the old ways of doing things helped to improve her business acumen, make better decisions and contribute more to the business, all important aspects of career growth.
Since joining Foxtel Group, this same inquisitiveness has propelled her career forward. In just 3 years she’s had the chance to work on some of our biggest projects such as the AFL, NRL, F1 & cricket rights, NBCU, Warner Bros and Sony deals, and most recently as the Finance Director for our transformative TV product Hubbl.
At each step of the way, Nat's commercial curiosity has helped to shape better business outcomes, a trait which has been noticed by our Chief Financial Officer Stacey Brown.
“Nat has invested time to deeply understand the commercial and consumer drivers that create great outcomes. Along with always asking the right questions, it’s clear to me that throughout her career she has actively worked on her influencing and communication style, allowing her to be the respected business partner and advisor that she is today.
It’s the combination of the deep business understanding and finely tuned interpersonal skills that leads to successful finance careers,” says Stacey.
Asking questions and having the courage to take action has helped Nat thrive across the global News Corp network and is a driving force for her career growth to this day.
“We have lots of space to be innovative at Foxtel Group. You don’t just disengage if you don’t understand something. You own it, you seek out knowledge, and if something isn’t working, you come up with a way to make it better. That’s not something that happens at all organisations,” she says.
Thank you Nat and Stacey for sharing this amazing Foxtel Group career growth story.