Viv[6219] Viv[6219]
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Goodbye and Good Luck Viv

My Time at DAZN

My colleague Viv brings an amazing energy to the office. She is moving on to the next chapter of her career and we are really going to miss her! Her progression has been really inspiring and I wanted to find out more. Here’s what she had to say…

Take us back - where did your journey at DAZN start?

If I take it right back – I studied Politics, Society and Economy of Asia at University in the Netherlands but had to graduate in Italy because of the COVID-19 pandemic. After that, I knew I wanted a change, I just wasn’t sure what that change was. I had always thought about moving to the UK and wondered what life would be like there. So, at the end of 2020, I bought a one-way ticket to London and two years later, I’m loving life here. At first, everyone thought I was crazy and maybe I was. Looking back now – moving to another country on my own during a pandemic, without a job and not knowing anyone here was a pretty brave move to make!

One day, I was scrolling through LinkedIn and I saw an Employee Experience Advisor job role advertised by DAZN and it immediately caught my eye. DAZN is huge in Italy, especially when it comes to football, so I knew quite a lot about the company already. I read the description and I knew straight away that I wanted this job. I applied, went through the interview stages, and got the job in February 2021, I was so chuffed!

Joining a company during the pandemic must've been hard, how did you find it?

Before joining, I’d only been living in the UK for a few months and I still hadn’t had the chance to meet new people because of all lockdowns we were put in. It was tough. Joining DAZN opened so many doors. I met new people from different walks of life, had refreshing conversations and made great friendships! It really improved my mental health.

Although the office was closed and we were working remotely at the start, my team were amazing at introducing me to the company, the employees and my role. I remember shortly after I joined, my team set up a call one Friday night and we all joined with a little drink and started chatting. We were telling each other about ourselves, what our plans were for the weekend and just got to know each other, it was great and really made me feel part of the team.

How have you developed here?

When I started, I was assisting different members of the team working across learning and development, employer brand and employee engagement. Gradually, my role focused in on the learning and development side of things, and I was promoted to a People Development Advisor. Since then, I have been working on the courses and training plans we offer to help the development and progression of our employees.

I have learned so much here. I was talking to my manager the other day and we were speaking about when I first joined, I would always check everything with him, I was never fully confident in what I was doing. Now, I just do it, I’m confident in my skills and it’s a great feeling. A big part of that is the way my team have made me feel. They have always believed in me and supported me right from the start, I am really thankful for them.

What has been your proudest moment at DAZN?

I’m very proud of the new starters hub that I created. I wanted to improve the onboarding experience for our new joiners. I created a deck where new joiners can go and find out anything about the company – from what shows DAZN broadcast to who they can contact about their payslip. It took up lots of my time, but the moment I clicked publish, was a great feeling, I cried happy tears!

I have so many good memories – the summer party, Anthony Joshua visiting our office, sports day, the list could go on!

One final thing I have to say is that my time at DAZN wouldn’t have been the same without my amazing Manager, Steve Wood. He’s always been there for me, believed in me and helped me develop into the person I am today.