In a bid to nurture digital learning and leadership abilities among future leaders, notably Year 9, 10, and 11 students in New South Wales (NSW), Infosys has teamed up with Tennis Australia, Tennis Victoria, and Tennis New South Wales, replicating a successful program initiated in Victoria.
This is part of Infosys' Australian Open Digital Innovation Partnership aimed at serving the community. The spirit of "tennis for everyone" runs deep with the partnership, extended until 2026, focussed on creating digital experiences for all associated with the sport.
The Future Leaders Program is designed to empower students from metropolitan and regional tennis clubs in both Victoria and NSW, enabling them to develop their leadership potential. In ensuring the success of the program, Infosys has custom-built a version of its digital learning and collaboration platform, Infosys Springboard, for the community. The platform allows participants to learn transferrable skills in areas like inclusion, leadership, technology, and design thinking.
The Future Leaders Program was successfully launched in Victoria in April 2023, with the first cohort of students graduating through the use of Infosys' Springboard digital learning platform. The Victorian program involved a three-day Future Leaders camp, including a day at Infosys state-of-the-art Melbourne Living Lab, where students took part in digital experiences learning about the Metaverse, Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, and how these technologies are transforming tennis, communities, and world dynamics.
Besides, students also got to experience a Future Leaders Day at the Australian Open 2023, which involved a Tennis Clinic with Australian tennis legend Casey Dellacqua, and understanding sustainability at Infosys' carbon-neutral fan zone.
Ashok Mysore, Vice President at Infosys and Regional Head of Delivery and Operations for Australia & New Zealand, highlighted the expansion of their Digital Innovation partnership with Tennis Australia. The collaboration extends beyond the tennis court, reaching into the wider community. Mysore emphasised the significance of this partnership by introducing a tailored version of Infosys Springboard and the utilization of Living Labs.
These initiatives aim to provide individuals in Victoria and New South Wales with valuable access to digital and leadership skills, fostering the development of emerging leaders in the region.
Ashok Mysore noted, "This collaboration with Tennis Australia takes our Digital Innovation partnership for the Australian Open beyond the court into the broader community. Through a bespoke version of Infosys Springboard and our Living Labs, budding leaders in Victoria and NSW will have access to important digital and leadership skills."
Cedric Cornelis, Chief Commercial Officer, Tennis Australia, shared his excitement in witnessing Infosys' innovations positively impacting grassroots tennis communities in Victoria and NSW. He believes that the Springboard platform will offer young people a platform to learn valuable and transferable skills setting them to be future leaders.
The sentiment was echoed by Adam Crameri, CEO of Tennis Victoria and Darren Simpson, CEO of Tennis New South Wales, who expressed their delight in this unique partnership and emphasised how the Future Leaders Programme is designed to inspire the coming generation of tennis leaders.