IN PARTNERSHIP WITH EBAY IRELAND
We follow Siobhan through her day, as she reveals the secrets behind her almost 20 year tenure with eBay …
Siobhan Curtin, the powerhouse behind eBay Ireland, leading tech brand and employer in Ireland, is blazing a trail spearheading policies on remote working, deeply rooted in a strong belief in the crucial role of diversity and inclusiveness in the workplace. We follow Siobhan through her day, as she reveals the secrets behind her almost 20 year tenure with eBay.
“I try to start every day on a positive note. Getting into the right frame of mind in the morning is essential to shaping the day ahead of me. I usually get up around 6.30am, before my kids wake up. I try not to look at my emails right away, so I make myself a coffee, and check the news reports online. I’ll also check what’s selling on ebay.ie, what’s trending, how we’ve performed, especially now, during our busiest time of the year. I am very proud of where ebay.ie is today, with 33 per cent more listings compared to last year, which shows that our Irish sellers are growing and engaging with buyers all around the world.
My journey with eBay started back in 2004, a few months after the company was set up in Ireland. I worked my way up from customer service representative to Senior Manager, Head of Department, then, in 2021 to Director of the Customer Experience Team leading a large global service delivery team including financial services, across the UK, North America and Europe from our European hub here in Dublin. In 2022 I was delighted to take on the role as Site Leader for eBay Ireland, combining my passion for supporting our talented workforce reach their full potential and seeing Irish sellers flourish on eBay’s marketplace.
I’m in the office two or three days a week. At eBay Ireland, we value flexibility, so our employees may work in the office, hybrid or fully remote, depending on role type, individual circumstances and business needs. I try to ensure that, no matter how people choose to work, there’s a level playing field – a good career path and engagement with their peers. I’m proud that we continue to be leaders in eBay Ireland in employee satisfaction and leadership effectiveness globally. I’ve recently joined the Board of Grow Remote, where I am very proud to continue to champion remote work in Ireland, and its benefits for employers, employees and their communities.
On office days, my commute is about 40 minutes, so I leave early to beat the traffic. Because of our global operation, I don’t always work the usual 9am to 5pm hours, but I try to take a break at lunchtime and step outside to get some fresh air. Some days I may work later, or I may start a little earlier. In such a fast-paced environment, things can be unpredictable. Every day brings new challenges and I thrive on this pressure. I find my work very rewarding.
Whether it is our customers or our people, there’s always a lot of human interaction. My role is very people-focused and I see it as a problem solver: everything is a process and I always think of how I can get results, how we can better look after our people and our customers.
What inspires me most about eBay is our purpose, to create economic opportunities for all. Its DNA is all about diversity, equality and inclusion [DEI], something that for me personally is not just a concept – it’s my moral compass. I try to impart these DEI values to my sons. They join me every year at the Pride parade. I tell them everyone is coming from a different point in life – so I ask them to always be kind. Things won’t always go your way. But do your work and do it well. Everyone has to find their own strengths – find what’s good for you and go after that and don’t worry about other things. It’s unique and innate strengths that drives overall success so lean into that!
Within eBay, we have many programmes for development, as we truly believe that our employees should feel that they belong, that they are valued and they are growing. One is Women on their Way – for women leaders in eBay to get more diversity at C-suite level. I was the only Irish team member selected from our global GCX team, and I get the amazing opportunity of being mentored and learning from others to develop my own career and supporting others to develop theirs. It’s a great experience and it really helps change your perspective.
Other initiatives we have are Stepping Stones, making available skilled jobs within eBay to candidates with refugee status looking for employment opportunities in Ireland. The programme began in 2022, in the aftermath of the war in Ukraine, and offered employment opportunities and training to Ukrainian refugees. The second intake was open to refugees of any nationality looking for employment in Ireland. We also welcome interns from DCU across most of our teams, from people experience to communications and service delivery teams, offering them the opportunity to get hands-on experience in a global tech company and explore what they would like to do after university.
Because we are a global team, my day finishes when the last call has been made. My priority is always to be an empathetic leader. I believe we need to be high achievers, but we need to do it in the right way.
After work, what’s important is spending time on activities that give me energy and motivation. I enjoy practicing mindfulness exercises. I walk as much as I can. When I’m not travelling for work, I’m part of Mother and Others football in my local club. I make a point of always being present for my Saturday morning football coaching, I am a coach for the Under 10s team in Simonstown Gaelic Football Club – it helps me disconnect and turning up every time for the kids shows them that I won’t let them down, and I learn from them too.
Before I go to sleep at around 11pm, I try to reset my mood, put my phone away in another room, and read for about 30 minutes. I am currently reading Anne Tiernan’s book The Last Days of Joy.
To find out more about job opportunities within eBay and to shop for Christmas gifts, while supporting Irish sellers, visit www.ebay.ie.
In the main photo, Siobhan Curtin is wearing a “Be you” bracelet from eBay Irish seller Farfetched Accessories. Photography by Andres Poveda.