- The Grand Slam winner retired from tennis in March 2022
- Barty then moved on to ambassadorial roles with large companies.
Ash Barty has lost her job as chief inspiration officer at Optus in a blow to the three-time Grand Slam tennis champion.
The 28-year-old signed with the company in September 2022, just months after she shocked the sports world by announcing her retirement from tennis.
She described the role as “inspiring the next generation, inspiring action, workplace inspiration, team motivation and golf” in a post on her LinkedIn page at the time.
The telecoms giant also parted ways with former F1 star Daniel Ricciardo, who was its chief optimist.
Both stars have updated their LinkedIn accounts to reflect their departures from their jobs, with Barty lasting just over two years in the role.
Barty and Ricciardo’s departure from the company came just before former Optus CEO Kelly Bayer Rosmarin was replaced by Stephen Rue in September.
“The decision was made as we sought to rebuild customer trust and focus on the fundamentals we know are important to them: a resilient network, high-value products and services and simple, efficient customer service,” an Optus spokesperson said. to the Australian Financial Review.
In an official announcement in August 2022, Optus said that for the role Barty will be involved in employee engagement programs and community-focused campaigns aimed at connecting Australians and inspiring them to say “yes” to their dreams, goals and ambitions. .
Ash Barty has lost one of her most important jobs with the news that she is no longer working as Head of Inspiration at Optus.
The tennis legend (pictured doing an interview to announce his role at the company in September 2022) revealed the news on his LinkedIn profile.
Optus also parted ways with former F1 star Daniel Ricciardo, who joined the firm in September 2020 as its Head of Optimism.
As the tennis star came on board, Rosmarin wrote: ‘Delighted to announce that Ash Barty has joined us @Optus as our new Chief Inspiration Officer!
‘We are proud to partner with an inspiring Australian who shares our values and wants to encourage others to unlock the power of ‘yes’. Welcome to the Optus family, Ash!’
Ricciardo had been appointed to his position in September 2020.
The two sports stars appeared in a bizarre video on a golf course to promote Barty’s new job in August.
Barty (pictured after winning the 2022 Australian Open) said her strange job involved “inspiring the next generation and inspiring action”.
At the time, Barty said she wanted to help Australians be “the best version of themselves.”
“For me, inspiration has always been my north star, helping to inspire Australians and encouraging them to be the best version of themselves, and I can’t wait to do that with Optus,” he said on the company’s YouTube channel .
His most recent LinkedIn post about working for the company appeared six months ago, writing: ‘Yesterday, Optus celebrated its amazing people at its Sydney campus.
“I loved being able to play a role in these celebrations and help recognize the award winners.”
Barty is still listed as the Women’s Tennis Association’s National Indigenous Tennis Ambassador on LinkedIn, worked as a Stan commentator during the Paris Olympics and also worked as a Vegemite ambassador.
She has also published the Little Ash children’s book series, as well as a tennis-themed children’s book, Tennis Camp Diaries.