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Pictured: Asith Herath.
When Asith Herath first started at Foxtel Group as a Senior Finance Analyst in our Group Finance Division, he thought that is where his career would stay.
Working on the finances of exciting projects such as NRL Vegas Round & AFL Gather Round, as well as the renewal of our UFC rights were a natural progression for Asith having previously worked in Finance at Unilever after graduating UNSW with a degree in Commerce and Economics.
Although he was enjoying his work in Group Finance, it was a moment working with a stakeholder that he discovered an opportunity to join the Fox Sports team as a Business Manager. Immediately, the role piqued his interest.
Asith thought about the pros and cons of changing career trajectories and realised it was the kind of role he'd always wanted to do. Reflecting on the positive feedback he'd received in his current role and the great stakeholder relationships he had built, he believed he could offer more than just financial acumen to the team and decided to apply.
“I was initially quite doubtful the level of consideration I would receive, putting my hand up was the hardest part”
His reflection was validated by a couple of open and honest conversations with his leader who was happy to provide support where they could in securing the secondment opportunity. Outside of these conversations with his leader, he sought clarity from the incumbent in the role on the day-to-day tasks as well as the leader of the role. To complement the conversations, Asith familiarised himself with the more practical elements of the position through exposure to Outside Broadcast tours and spending time with the wider team collecting knowledge about the operations.
Asith expressed a lot of gratitude for those that took the time to support him in the shift into the new role, both before and after it occurred. He described it as a recipe; support from his leader, clarity on the role from Tarryn, the incumbent, validation and support from Joe and trust from Steve in the internal move.
Naturally, there were nerves in starting the new role that moved away from the X’s and O’s of Finance. He felt he could do it although once in role it was about proving to himself that he could and repay the faith that was showed in his appointment.
“Starting in the new role there was definitely a bit of imposter syndrome. The reassurance and support went a long way to making me feel at ease”
Not all elements of the Business Manager role were completely new. Commercial acumen, attention to detail and interpersonal skills have been key in contributing to Asith’s success in the position. This experience perfectly captures Foxtel Group's openness to hiring internally when people have transferrable skills or the willingness to learn new ones.
Nine months in and Asith is really enjoying the challenges of the new role; the operational and business problem solving, on most occasions setting new precedence for the problems that pop up and people strategy. In a bit of a ‘pinch yourself’ moment, growing up Asith knew all the talent on Fox Sports and now he is working through our talent portfolios!
Ever since the role change, Asith has been a great example and advocate for taking opportunities across Foxtel Group. He is even now a guest speaker at our Rookie Morning Tea induction event to show what kind of amazing career growth is possible at Foxtel Group.
When asked what you would say to people that are considering a career shift, Asith said “Show genuine interest and curiosity. Doing your current job well can have lasting impact on colleagues, this opens doors”.
Asith's shift from finance to Fox Sports has given him the confidence to now think bigger and broader when it comes to future career moves.
With the end goal of a commercial strategy role in Sports, Asith is making connections and building relationships across the wider business to prepare himself for the next opportunity that comes his way.
Asith has shown a lot of appreciation for the support he has had during his time at Foxtel Group, and we’d like to thank him for his time in sharing his story and celebrating the possibility of career growth.