The Big Tech Show: From answering phones to running global operations – the meteoric rise of eBay’s Siobhan Curtin

The Big Tech Show

Why do some companies still see remote working as a positive force for their workforce? How can leadership teams adapt? And how is Ireland informing the culture as a global powerhouse?

On The Big Tech Show this week, Adrian is joined by eBay Ireland Site Leader and Senior Director of Customer Experience, Siobhan Curtin.

Curtin’s experience at eBay goes back over 20 years from when she first joined their ranks as a customer service representative in 2004. Her steady rise to becoming one of their global leaders is testament to the ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit that first drew her to a “non-traditional” role at the company.

Today, she oversees customer experience teams across the world from both her home in Navan and eBay’s Blanchardstown offices. While this hybrid model works for her - it’s not for everyone. New starts at the company can choose to work on-site, remote or hybrid depending on their role and personal preference.

Clearly eBay is not among the chorus of technology employers pushing for a return to the office. It helps that their remote working programme started in 2017, which meant a positive leadership philosophy around hybrid and remote working was already in action before the pandemic hit.

You can listen to the full episode here on the Irish Independent website or wherever you get your podcasts.