VIP catches up with Susan Brady, Managing Director of Consumer and Small Business in eir, to chat the eir Power of Women awards, the importance of hybrid working, and eir’s recent achievements.
eir joined VIP for a second year as title sponsor of the Power of Women awards in November. How important is it for you to show continued support for women in business in Ireland?
Joining VIP for the second year as the title sponsor of the eir VIP Power of Women awards was a privilege for us. The awards last year were so powerful that we were delighted to be back again and it was even better this year! To us, it’s not just a sponsorship; it’s a commitment to supporting the incredible women driving change in Ireland’s business landscape.
At eir, our purpose is to connect for a better Ireland and one of the ways we do this is by supporting tens of thousands of small businesses across Ireland. Those businesses form the backbone of the Irish economy, many of whom are female-led.
I want eir to continue to support and celebrate the successes of these entrepreneurs and business leaders. We are incredibly proud to be associated with this celebration of so many inspirational women. It’s a privilege to play a role in helping to amplify their success and acknowledge their achievements.
Your own career has also continued to go from strength to strength in eir. Tell us a bit about how the past year has been for you.
We’ve had incredible success as a team this past year, from winning awards, gaining significant growth in many of our key markets and going above and beyond exceeding our targets. It’s incredibly rewarding to see my team thrive and succeed. We’ve had a few challenges, but we have an attitude that every challenge is an opportunity.
The support and collaborative spirit within eir makes me incredibly proud and it’s hugely beneficial to my own personal development. I have incredible people around me that I’m learning from every day. I am particularly proud of eir becoming the No.1 Full Fibre Provider in Ireland. This is a milestone we’ve been targeting for a while now and it feels great!
Tell us about a day in the life of Susan. What does a standard working day look like for you?
Hectic is probably an accurate description, but to manage this, I am a planner. Between preparing my girls and ensuring they’re ready for school in the morning, and arriving at the office early to stay ahead of a busy day, I rely on having a plan for everything that a day might throw at me.
This includes making sure the kids’ uniforms are ready, planning my own outfit the night before, preparing school lunches in advance, and coordinating school drop-offs with my husband for the upcoming week. Having a clear plan in place for the entire week is crucial for me.
Every day in the office is different and exciting. I engage in meetings with my teams, participate in strategic planning sessions, and attend board meetings. Each day presents an opportunity for us to learn, adapt, and grow our business together. It’s also important to take some time to reflect on each day. As much as possible, I enjoy going for a run or hitting the gym to rebalance and recharge myself for the next challenge.
Hybrid working is something you’re very passionate about. Tell us a bit about why flexibility is so important, particularly for women.
I’m very passionate about hybrid working, particularly for women as it’s a real solution to one of the main challenges women face – time. While I do think this is shifting, it’s still very much the case for many women that caring and home responsibilities often fall disproportionately on them. It’s not just about work; it’s about managing the balance between career, family, household and, hopefully, a social life.
The reality is that women often find themselves juggling a lot, I see it on my team every day. Hybrid working can really help to address this, whether it’s starting work after the school run, working from home if a parent’s carer can’t make it or taking a break in the afternoon to ferry kids around the place! In eir we recognise the challenges employees face and have implemented a hybrid working policy, family-friendly HR policies, and other supportive measures.
This is not just the right thing to do but it helps us attract and maintain the best talent. Again I see it on my team, if someone takes a bit of time in the middle of the day to do a school run, they’ll put in a massive effort to balance it, so it works for everyone.
Many women in Ireland report struggling to achieve a good work/life balance. Do you think that achieving this is important, and if so, why?
This is so important for everyone, if your work/life balance is not working for you, it will be difficult for you to bring your best self to either and this may impact your mental and physical health. While preparation is so important, it’s also so important that you give yourself a break, no one can do everything and I think people, particularly women, can feel guilty if they don’t do every school event or attend every friend’s birthday or whatever it is.
At work, if you overload yourself the quality of what you can deliver will suffer and you can become overwhelmed. If you can accept that you can’t do everything, you can become better at prioritising what’s important. You may not make every one of your kids’ activities but when you are present, you can be fully 100% present and similarly at work, it’s important to know when you’re at capacity.
Prioritise your work and either delegate or push back on what is less urgent or important. This will hopefully result in an improvement in your work/life balance and ultimately allow you to take a breath and recharge away from work and come back refreshed and engaged.
A recent report by Ookla showed that eir has the most reliable broadband speeds in Ireland! And the latest Comreg report confirmed eir as Ireland’s No.1 Fibre Broadband Provider. Congratulations on these impressive credentials. How does the company plan to continue to build on this success?
Thank you! We take immense pride in these achievements, and they are the result of a tremendous amount of effort from teams across eir. Achieving the status of the number one Fibre broadband provider is not an overnight success. It begins with our colleagues at open eir building the best network in Ireland.
Subsequently, our propositions team works on creating compelling offers, followed by our marketing and sales teams ensuring that consumers are aware of our offerings and the exceptional network, ultimately signing them up. The final crucial step involves providing excellent customer care to ensure customer retention.
Being recognised as Ireland’s No. 1 Fibre Broadband Provider by Comreg is a testament to the outstanding work of each of our teams throughout this journey. Looking ahead, our focus is on further enhancing customer experiences, continued investment in cutting-edge technology, and expanding our network to solidify eir’s position as the number one Fibre broadband provider in Ireland!
Do you have any advice for budding women in business for 2024? Where should they start?
Embrace opportunities with courage and seek out challenges that ignite your passion. Build a network of mentors and allies who believe in your potential. Share your unique voice with confidence, knowing it’s valuable. See failures as stepping stones to growth and be open to calculated risks.
Progress often unfolds in small, courageous steps, so don’t hesitate to put yourself forward for projects that resonate with your values. Surround yourself with support, seek mentorship, and let your authenticity shine — success awaits you.
eir is Ireland’s No. 1 Business Broadband Provider with a purpose of connecting for a better Ireland! The company is proud to support 60 thousand small businesses nationwide and are committed to deliver the most reliable broadband speeds, and best 5G network availability, as verified by Ookla.
For more, visit eir.ie/business/smb/ follow on Instagram @eir.ireland and Twitter @eir
