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  • Trevina Abeyesundere

    Trevina Abeyesundere

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Trevina Abeyesundere

Bachelor of Business (2006)

Not many people can include the career highlight of Editor-In-Chief for an international fashion and beauty magazine on their CV.

Trevina Abeyesundere spent almost two years at the helm of the Sri Lanka edition of Cosmopolitan magazine and says she is extremely proud of that time with the role providing wonderful experiences she still fondly reflects on.

“It was a brilliant opportunity working for a respected global brand and I got to meet some fabulous people,” says Trevina.

“Cosmopolitan had a great working environment and I was fortunate enough to set up my team from scratch, they were such a young, enthusiastic and passionate group of people, I can definitely look back and say it’s one of my greatest achievements.”

After graduating with a Bachelor of Business from ECU in 2006, Trevina has worked in a number of different industries in Sri Lanka over the past decade.

“I didn’t want to be limited to one particular industry which is exactly why I chose the Bachelor of Business, I’ve always enjoyed learning so I’m constantly open to different types of industries, roles, people and processes,” Trevina says.

Trevina admits that after she graduated she didn’t really know what she wanted to do and ‘just went with the flow’ with the hope of securing a job somewhere.

That opportunity came when she was offered the position of Management Trainee in the transportation industry. However she soon realised that was ‘not her thing’ so made the move in to telecommunications. A lucrative industry in Sri Lanka, Trevina says she learnt a lot during that time and met some wonderful people.

Following on from this she became an Account Manager for an IT technology firm, which was a different experience altogether. Trevina says although she was primarily dealing with customers, the role required technical knowledge and this was not one of her strengths.

“Keep learning, above all else. Learning keeps you interested and on the ball – make sure that fire inside you continues to burn by taking on new challenges throughout your career.”

Trevina then found an industry that really ‘gelled’ with her existing skills – making what felt like a very ‘natural move’ in to publishing. The next opportunity that came her way saw her managing publications as well as writing, creating and controlling content.

In 2015 Trevina took on the pivotal role of Editor-In-Chief at Cosmopolitan and while she could have stayed there ‘forever’, admits the long, stressful hours took their toll on her physical and mental wellbeing so she made the tough decision to leave.

“Something I have always valued greatly throughout my career is a work/life balance and unfortunately while I really loved my job at Cosmopolitan, I just couldn’t continue to do it long term and I had to do what was best for me,” she says.

Trevina then went on to be Head of Operations at creative agency Hashtag Sri Lanka, managing magazines as well as a wide variety of creative services for private clients.

Looking back, Trevina ‘made a really good decision’ choosing management and marketing at ECU and while some information may be outdated she says ‘basics are still basics’. She credits not just the academic knowledge she learnt at university but the team work, communication skills and public presentations as contributing towards her successful career.

“Don’t be afraid to take risks and get out of your comfort zone - always try and push yourself,” Trevina advises university graduates looking for work.

“Keep learning, above all else. Learning keeps you interested and on the ball – make sure that fire inside you continues to burn by taking on new challenges throughout your career.”

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