Aussie tennis star Ash Barty reveals strange new job title with Australian telecom giant Optus
Aussie golden girl Ash Barty has revealed she’s the new Chief of Inspiration for Optus in her latest move after stunning the sporting world by retiring from tennis in March.
Barty announced her role with the telecommunications giant on Wednesday, saying she hoped to apply the incredible lessons she learned during her highly successful playing career that netted three grand slam titles.
‘Inspiration for me has always been my north star, helping inspire Aussies and encouraging them to be the best version of themselves – and I cannot wait to do that with Optus,’ she said on the company’s YouTube channel.
What that actually means in a practical sense, or what the day-to-day responsibilities involve, isn’t clear – but you certainly would be hard pressed to find any Aussie athlete more inspiring than Barty.
Ash Barty (pictured at the British Open golf last month) has announced she is taking on a role at telecommunications giant Optus
Ash Barty recently married long-time partner Garry Kissick in a secret ceremony
Since her shock retirement in March after a fairytale win at the Australian Open, Barty has a finger in plenty of pies.
She married long-time partner Garry Kissick, slid down the famous Fight MND slide in the AFL, did a shoey at Mick Fanning’s charity golf day, released a range of children’s books and spent plenty of time on the links.
That includes appearances at the British Open last month and competing at the ICONS Golf Series alongside some of the world’s top athletes – sparking rumours that she would attempt to move into a professional golf career.
Ash Barty retired shortly after winning the Australian Open earlier this year
Since retiring, Barty has also competed at the ICONS Golf Series in the US
Barty has repeatedly said she was not interested at performing at the elite level ever again, though she is clearly capable, as evidenced by her brief Women’s Big Bash League career when she took some time away from tennis.
Instead, she’s moved into the high-flying corporate world.
‘Whether it’s sport or the corporate world, the most important thing is to find what makes you happy,’ Barty told the Herald Sun when discussing her new role at Optus.
‘Sometimes it means that brave or courageous decision, that conscious decision to say yes (Optus’s slogan), and to feel like you are making a difference.’
Since retiring in March, Ash Barty and husband Garry Kissick have spent a lot of time playing golf all around the world
She joins F1 superstar Dan Ricciardo at the company, who joined as Chief of Optimism in 2020, and fellow Aussie superstars like Ian Thorpe and champion paralympian Ellie Cole.
The tennis superstar is also finalising her memoir, which is set to be available for presale in November.
