INTHEBLACK September 2021 - Magazine - Page 28
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Origin Energy in 2008, working her way up to the
role of financial controller – corporate. A decade later,
she stepped into the world of sport.
Azzopardi’s recruitment to Tennis Australia
was part of a broader succession plan for the
organisation’s finance team. David Roberts CPA was
the organisation’s chief operating officer when he
recruited Azzopardi to the role of director of finance.
Within 10 months, she was CFO.
“David had been with Tennis Australia for
21 years and did an absolutely amazing job,” says
Azzopardi. “I was asked to come in and take it to
the next phase. I spent months working closely with
David to really understand the capability that we
needed as an organisation, both in terms of people
and systems.
“Traditionally, in a sporting organisation, you just
have your finance people there to do your payroll
and accounts payable and the core accounting
processes,” explains Azzopardi. “Tennis Australia and
the AO [Australian Open] had grown significantly,
which drove the increase in volume and type of
transactions, the broadcast and the interest from
international sponsors. So, my role was to develop
and lead the finance team so they could play a key
28 ITB September 2021
“AS A FINANCE
PROFESSIONAL,
YOU ALWAYS FALL
ON THE FACTS.
WHAT WE LEARNED
THROUGH
COVID-19 IS
THAT, YES,
ABSOLUTELY YOU
NEED FACTS, BUT
YOU’RE NOT GOING
TO HAVE ALL OF
THEM. YOU’VE GOT
TO MAKE SOME
GUT CALLS.”
role in supporting the business through this growth.”
In 2016-2017, Tennis Australia achieved revenue
of A$320 million. Sponsorship income for the
Australian Open had risen from A$35 million to
A$86 million in three years, while broadcast income
had lifted from A$54 million to A$118 million in the
same time.
Revenue in 2019-2020, including the 2020 Australian
Open, which was not affected by the global pandemic,
surged to more than A$450 million, and the event
injected A$387.7 million into the Victorian economy
– up by more than 12 per cent from the previous year.
“Tennis is a worldwide sport, so I had a lot to learn
about international finance markets,” Azzopardi says.
“Looking at exchange rates every day wasn’t
something I was used to, and this was my first
role where I was involved in hedging. I needed
to work closely with the banks to build my
knowledge and skills.”
COVID-19 HITS THE GRAND SLAM
When Australia’s borders closed in March last
year to contain the threat of COVID-19, Tennis
Australia faced months of uncertainty. Azzopardi
says she was forced to “trust her gut”.