What can Aashu do?
Give a quick overview of your work experience (jobs, internships, volunteering)?
Sports professional with 8+ years across data analytics, coaching, media, and event operations.
Currently co-hosting Beyond The Boundary, a cricket podcast with Across The Line (US). Previously, I served as a Sports Data Analyst at Big Ant Studios, where I was responsible for leading player ratings systems for globally released cricket and tennis games.
Before that, I worked as a Trading & Data Analyst at Sportsbet and a Customer Experience Analyst at Equiem (Accor).
On the coaching side, I spent several years as a Coach & Program Lead with ICC/Cricket Australia, working across Dubai and Melbourne, and have coached athletes who've gone on to represent Australia and England nationally.
Also have a background in sports event operations across the UAE/MENA region and completed a Sports Management internship at Clubmap. Topped it off with research on sports inclusion policy, presented at international conferences in Australia and the US.
Do you have a track record of delivering measurable outcomes or KPIs?
Managed performance data for 500+ athletes across live and seasonal update cycles at Big Ant Studios across multiple globally released titles.
Coached emerging talent who went on to represent Australia and England at the national level. Delivered sports programs across two countries (UAE & Australia), contributing to grassroots-to-elite athlete pathways.
Research presented at two international conferences (SMAANZ & COSMA).
Also represented the UAE Women's National Cricket Team for 10 years across senior and U-19 levels.
What technical or industry-specific skills do you bring?
On the data side: sports performance analysis, player modeling & ratings systems, live market trading & risk analysis, and data visualisation using Excel, Tableau, and Power BI.
On the industry side: athlete pathway design & delivery, federation & stakeholder engagement, sports inclusion policy & governance, program design, and event operations & activations.
Also bring hands-on experience across cricket, tennis, AFL, and rugby data verticals, plus a working knowledge of global federation structures from years inside the system as both an athlete and coach.
Currently developing sports media skills through co-hosting a cricket podcast hosting a panel of elite guests, bringing data fluency and federation knowledge into public-facing storytelling.
What tools/platforms/software are they proficient in?
Excel, Tableau, and Power BI for data work. Familiar with sports data pipelines and federation management systems through my time at Big Ant Studios and ICC/Cricket Australia.
What qualifications, certifications, or degrees do you hold?
M.A. (Research) in Sports Management from La Trobe University, Melbourne
Global Sports Management Diploma (Honours) from EMDI Institute, Dubai
B.A. (Honours) in Tourism Management & Marketing from Middlesex University
On the coaching side, ICC & Cricket Australia certified Level 1 Coach.
What separates me isn't just the athletic background. It's the combination. I can analyse your data, tell your story, and understand your strategy, and I can do all three because I've deliberately built a career that spans all of it.
Because I'm not a sports professional who learned about sports, I lived it.
Ten years representing a national team gives you something no degree or internship can replicate: the ability to understand what's actually at stake for athletes, for organisations, and for the fans who make it all matter. That lived experience sits underneath everything I do professionally.
But what separates me isn't just the athletic background. It's the combination. I can analyse your data, tell your story, and understand your strategy, and I can do all three because I've deliberately built a career that spans all of it. Sports analytics, betting markets, game development, coaching, event operations, and media. Most people pick a lane; however, I've intentionally not, because the best insights come from people who tend to be holistic.
I'm also not someone who needs hand-holding. I've relocated across countries, rebuilt my identity after sports, and created opportunities where none existed, including working on a podcast that's carving out space for female voices in cricket media that are genuinely rare and in a country where cricket is still building.
I know where I add value, and I'll back myself to deliver every single time.
What steps has Aashu taken to break into the sports industry?
Honestly, I have built my entire career on proactively creating opportunities rather than waiting for them. Starting out, I leveraged my 10 years as a national athlete to transition into coaching, getting ICC & Cricket Australia certifications and building credibility from the inside. I didn't wait for a sports management role to land in my lap; I pursued a Master's in Sports Management while working and presented my research at international conferences in Australia and the US.
From there, I deliberately sought roles that stretched me across different parts of the industry, including betting analytics at Sportsbet, player modeling at a global games studio, and customer insights in hospitality, because I knew that being well-rounded would make me a stronger sports professional.
Most recently, co-hosting Beyond The Boundary is probably the most proactive thing I've done, building a media platform from scratch, growing an audience, and putting my voice and expertise into a space where female perspectives with real federation knowledge are rare.
Joining SportsGrad is another intentional step to surround myself with people who are just as serious about building careers in sports.
Aashu’s interest in sport all started from (take this from their why)
I didn't choose sports, it chose me. Growing up representing the UAE Women's National Cricket Team, sport was never just a game; it was identity, community, and purpose all at once.
When my playing career ended, I realised I didn't want to leave the industry, I wanted to shape it. That's led me through coaching, data analytics, event operations, and now media. Every role has been a different lens on the same passion which affirms my belief that sports is my true calling.
What drives me is the intersection of performance and people is using data, storytelling, and strategy to help athletes, organisations, and fans connect more meaningfully with sport.
Since then, Aashu has gone on to work in sports data analytics, coaching, and media, achieving things like
Achievement 1 | Achievement 2 | Achievement 3 |
|---|---|---|
Managed performance data for 500+ athletes across live and seasonal update cycles at Big Ant Studios, across multiple globally released cricket and tennis titles | Coached emerging talent who went on to represent Australia and England at the national level, while delivering programs across the UAE and Australia | Presented original sports management research at two international conferences (SMAANZ & COSMA), across Australia and the United States |
Where does Aashu want to go?
Next 6 - 12 months | Next 5 - 10 years |
|---|---|
I'm actively looking to land a full-time role that sits at the intersection of sports data & analytics, media, or sports management strategy, ideally within an organisation where those worlds overlap. My sweet spot is translating performance data and industry knowledge into real decisions, whether that's for a team, federation, media platform, or sports business. I'm open to opportunities in Australia, globally, or remotely, and I'm particularly drawn to organisations working across international markets, given my background spanning the UAE, Australia, and now, the US. The podcast has also sharpened my appetite for roles where storytelling and data coexist — think content strategy, athlete intelligence, or commercial sports roles with an analytical edge. I know what I bring to the table, I know where I add value, and I'm ready to go all in. | In 5–10 years, I want to be in a senior leadership role within a sports organisation, whether that's heading up a data & analytics function, leading a sports media vertical, or driving strategy at a federation or commercial sports business. Beyond the title, I want to be in an environment that genuinely invests in its people, one where collaboration is the norm, growth is built into the culture, and compensation reflects the value you bring. I'm also deeply committed to staying at the forefront of the industry, continuously upskilling as sports technology, data, and media evolve, and building a network that spans disciplines, borders, and sectors. The sports industry is global, and I want my career to reflect that. Longer term, I'd love to play a role in shaping how organisations use data and storytelling to make better decisions for athletes, fans, and the business of sport itself. Having sat on both sides as an elite athlete and an analyst, I believe I bring a rare perspective, and I want to build a career that fully leverages it. |
What sporting problem keeps Aashu up at night, and how would you solve it?
The gap between the quality of women's sport and the investment it receives.
Having played at a national level for 10 years, I saw firsthand how much talent, dedication, and professionalism exist in women's sports and how little of it receives the visibility, funding, or infrastructure it deserves. The product is there. The athletes are there. The gap is in how it's being valued, packaged, and sold.
What excites me now is that data and media are two of the most powerful tools to close that gap; better analytics can make the case for investment, and better storytelling can build the audiences that attract it. That's exactly where my skills sit, and it's a problem I want to be part of solving at scale.
What is Aashu like?
What kind of environment do you thrive in?
Having come from elite sports, I'm wired for environments where structure meets creativity, where there are clear goals to work towards but enough space to think differently about how you get there.
I do my best work in collaborative teams where people genuinely invest in each other's success. Sport taught me early that the best outcomes come from people who trust each other, communicate openly, and hold themselves accountable, and I carry that into every workplace.
I also thrive when there's purpose behind the work; I'm not someone who clocks in and out. I want to be in an environment where what we're building actually matters and where growth is part of the culture rather than an afterthought.
Day-to-day, I prefer a balance of autonomy and direction, with enough trust to take ownership of my work and enough clarity to ensure it's making a significant impact.
When have you had to show resilience in your life or career?
The most defining test of my resilience has been navigating identity, and sport has a way of making that complicated.
My playing career didn't end overnight. It was gradual, which in some ways is harder; there's no clean break, just a slow realisation that a chapter that shaped everything about you is closing. Cricket wasn't just what I did; it was who I was. Letting go of that, while figuring out who I was without it, took real work.
Layered on top of that was relocation, moving between countries and rebuilding not just professionally but personally, without the familiar support systems that most people take for granted. As a woman in sport, I have had to exert twice the effort to earn respect in environments where others did not automatically trust my credibility.
What resilience has taught me is that reinvention isn't a setback; it's a skill. Every transition I've navigated has made me sharper, more adaptable, and more empathetic to others going through the same thing.
That's ultimately what drives me, as I've lived the highs and the hard parts of sport, and I want to build a career that honours both.
What about Aashu’s interests outside of work?
What are your interests outside of work?
Sport keeps me active, but wellness keeps me grounded, whether that's staying fit, switching off, or just being present. I'm someone who recharges through good food, good company, and new experiences.
Travel has always been a big part of my life, having lived across the UAE, and Australia, I've developed a genuine appreciation for different cultures and the way sport connects people across all of them.
At the core of it though, I'm a family and friends person; the people around me matter most, and that sense of community is something I carry into how I work too.
What is your favourite sporting moment?
Genuinely can't pick just one. The first is personal, getting to train alongside Ellyse Perry as part of a Sydney Sixers vs. Sydney Thunder campaign held at the ICC headquarters in Dubai. Growing up idolising her and then sharing a cricket ground with her is the kind of moment you don't forget. It was a full-circle moment that reminded me why I fell in love with the sport in the first place.
The second is pure joy getting to watch the ICC T20 World Cup Final in 2020 at the MCG with my best friend. No agenda, no analysis, just two people who love cricket completely lost in the moment. Sometimes the best sporting experiences aren't the ones you're part of; they're the ones that remind you why sport brings people together like nothing else can.
What’s your ideal holiday?
A mix of everything is the only way I know how to travel. My ideal trip starts with exploring a new city, getting lost in its culture, history, and neighbourhoods, then finding the best local food spots because, honestly, food is one of the best ways to understand a place. But I also need downtime, good weather, no agenda, and quality time with the people I'm with. The best holidays are the ones where you come back feeling both inspired and rested. Travelling across a few countries growing up has given me a real appetite for experiencing the world, and there's still plenty of it left to see.
If you had 30 minutes to pick the brain of anyone, who would it be and why?
Megan Rapinoe with a blend of Malala Yousafzai
What’s one book or podcast that’s helped your career you recommend?
I must admit, I don't frequently have a new book recommendation, but The Taliban Cricket Club by Timeri N. Murari genuinely stayed with me. It's a story about cricket being used as a lifeline under oppression, and it deepened my appreciation for just how much sport means beyond the boundary, especially for women fighting for the right to simply play.
On the podcast side, Advancing Women in Sport and The Female Athlete Project are two I keep coming back to. Both sit close to home as they tackle the systemic gaps, the conversations that need to be had, and the women driving change in an industry that's historically undervalued them. As someone who's lived that experience, they feel less like content and more like community.
Additional details
Where in the world are you located, and where are you open to work?
Born & raised in Dubai, lived in Melbourne for 6 years & would 100% want to settle down in Melbourne. However, if the right opportunity presents itself - I will keep an open mind.
What is the most important consideration for you in your next role?
I reckon a combination of everything given they're all crucial for professional development.
What others say about Aashu
I don't have polished testimonials to hand, but the feedback I've consistently received throughout my career tends to centre around a few things:
That I bring an unusual range; colleagues and managers have often noted that I think across disciplines in a rare way, connecting dots between data, strategy, and storytelling that others tend to treat separately.
That I'm someone people want in the room, whether that's for a high-pressure deadline, a creative problem, or a conversation that needs both honesty and empathy. I'm told I'm a good listener, and I take that seriously. Be it in sports or in life, the best teammates are the ones who actually hear you.
That I show up consistently. Resilience isn't something I talk about; it's something people around me have witnessed. Through career transitions, relocations, and reinventions, I've never stopped turning up.
And I lead with empathy for athletes, for colleagues, for anyone navigating something hard. It's shaped by lived experience, and it's something I bring into every room I walk into.
What questions does Aashu have for employers?
Culture & Team:
How would you describe the team culture, and what kind of people tend to thrive here?
How does the team handle disagreement or push back on ideas?
What does collaboration look like day-to-day across departments?
Growth & Development:
How do you invest in the professional development of your people?
What does a growth trajectory typically look like for someone in this role?
Can you give me an example of someone who's grown significantly within the organisation?
Women in Sport & Inclusion:
How does the organisation actively support and invest in women's sport, internally and externally?
Are there initiatives or policies in place that champion diversity and inclusion beyond just rhetoric?
Leadership & Management:
How would you describe your leadership style?
How does leadership handle mistakes or setbacks within the team?
What's the relationship like between senior leadership and the people doing the day-to-day work?
The Role Itself:
What does success look like in this role in the first 6 months?
What's the biggest challenge the team is currently navigating?
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