"My career journey, embracing new challenges and adaptability" - Thamasha De Silva

My career journey is about a willingness to embrace new challenges and adaptability. When I started with The Ambassador Platform (TAP) nearly five years ago, we were already working with some significant universities, but we were a small team, which meant we all gained exposure to the entire business. Starting in sales, I quickly moved into the role of a Customer Success Manager. It's a bit of an inside joke within the company that I was initially hesitant about moving into customer success because I had misconceptions about the role. However, I quickly realised that I had a passion for customer success, and it became a natural fit for me. 

Working in a startup environment like TAP is not for everyone, but I thrive in this setting. It is unpredictable at times - I enjoy the fast pace and the constant need to adapt. It's a place where you can see the direct impact of your work, whether it is a positive or negative outcome, and that's a powerful motivator. 

I have worn many hats and taken on various roles within the company. Our company culture encourages everyone to identify areas for improvement and take ownership of making those improvements. Whether you are a manager or an individual contributor, everyone has a voice, and that is energising. Naturally, this journey has involved making some mistakes along the way but learning from those mistakes, and being open about those mistakes, has been one of the most significant factors in my professional growth. 

Customer success means going beyond merely providing a product or service, it is about ensuring our customers maximise the value they receive from our offerings. We take a proactive, hands-on approach, forming deep relationships with our customers, learning from them, and evolving alongside them. It is quite different from customer service, which is an incredibly important function of supporting customers but can be primarily reactive. Customer success means we proactively go to our customers with our ideas and best practices, utilising data to identify new opportunities for improvement or new products. I’m lucky to work in a place where everyone across the business takes accountability for our customers’ success, not just the team named after it. Every decision we make is thought about with regards to the impact it will have on our customers. 

A pivotal moment in my career was when I started leading a team. Initially, I made the mistake of being too hands-on and thinking that doing tasks for them was the way to help them, instead of empowering them to learn and grow through their own ventures. Recognising this mistake and addressing it has been crucial in my professional development. George, my manager and our CEO, has taught me the importance of allowing my team to make their own mistakes, as often that is how we grow as individuals. I am not naturally confident; part of my continuing development is to build my self-confidence and that of my team. 

I am a passionate Arsenal supporter. I look forward to (almost) every match, I am always eager to discuss football with my colleagues, much to their delight or more often, their annoyance! I am also a fitness enthusiast. Recently, I was lucky enough to travel to New Zealand, a place I have always wanted to visit. When I landed it was too early to check into my hotel, so I started my exploration of the country by finding the nearest gym to work out in. 

The Ambassador Platform was acquired by IDP this year and I am excited to be part of the larger IDP community. It was great to have the opportunity to meet the IDP Connect team in London and the Corporate team in Melbourne. IDP brings an understanding of different markets from a student-centric approach, and together, we will continue to learn, adapt, and provide the best support to customers. 

I was recently promoted, to Director of Customer Success at TAP, where I lead an exceptional team of Customer Success Managers based in the UK and Australia. We are a committed team that wants to ensure our customers receive the highest value at every stage of their journey with us. As TAP continues to grow, and evolve with IDP, we will continue to drive customer success." - Thamasha De Silva, Director of Customer Success at The Ambassador Platform (TAP)

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