Asha Gopal

Can you give us an intro to your background?

I’m a proud Sydney girl, born and raised – I went to Macquarie University and studied a Bachelor’s Degree in media, majoring in technology and writing. I love both!

Has your career followed a linear journey to date?

I actually started off studying accounting for about a year, but I've always been fascinated by tech so I quickly made the move. I’m very thankful I did! At the moment, I'm doing a double master's in International Communication and International Relations to further pursue the media side of things and my interest in human experience.

What did people say when you changed your career?

It was met with a lot of uncertainty because a career in media seemed like an ambiguous path! Honestly, it ended up being one of the best decisions because now it means I leave work every day thinking, ‘I’m lucky to be doing what I love with people I love.’

If I can give any advice to anyone, it would be to follow your ambitions and your passions, because you can only really be good at something and be a change advocate in your industry if you love what you do.

What are your key responsibilities?

My key responsibilities include developing business requirements for product features, planning and prioritising what we deliver, managing the delivery plan, liaising with various internal stakeholders around the world regarding go-to-market activities, and planning and managing the product roadmap.

What does a ‘typical’ day look like for you?

It involves various agile scrum ceremonies and collaborating with multidisciplinary squads to develop and launch products. There’s lots of learning, discovering, and creating in the process – that’s a big part of developing a product. We collaborate with lots of different disciplines.

What are you passionate about?

I'm curious and passionate about tech-enriched human experience. Working in product means that I can make a direct impact on improving human experience through the development of new and exciting technology. I'm especially passionate about consumer technology and how we can help companies better their offering to everyday consumers. I love that!

What do you like to do outside of work?

My passion is Indian classical dance, I’ve been doing that for just shy of 24 years now. I do shows and I teach as well. There’s a big creative part to it, there’s a lot of teamwork involved and putting on a production almost feels like delivering a product. We work with theatre staff, the sound and lighting team, co-dancers, directors, wardrobe and others – just like we work with people from other disciplines to deliver a product.

It’s taught me a lot about teamwork, problem-solving and especially discipline – if you put in the hard work, you’ll be rewarded.

Did you know the company before you joined?

I was working client-side in television before I joined. Product managers I worked with said the company would be in their top three places to work – that’s a pretty powerful thing. The products and the professional services UX work is also prominent in the industry.

What’s your favourite aspect of Deltatre?

A big part of it is the people. It’s not just the talent, which is incredible; I’m in awe of the people I work with and I learn from them every day, but it’s also the culture. You can connect with people on a human level, and being able to do that means we work together so much more seamlessly. Our products also touch the lives of millions of viewers globally, which is pretty thrilling!

What’s the social side like?

There’s a big social calendar here in Sydney and I’m sure around the world as well. We celebrate lots of holidays, have (rather competitive!) bake-offs, and host charity events.

What’s been your biggest learning since joining?

Every day is new and there’s always something to learn! Your colleagues always have something new to offer, especially in the tech industry which is ever-changing.

Why should people join us?

The opportunities are endless. If you’re willing to put in the work and are ambitious, then you can really change how the world consumes video.