By Business & Finance 
Pictured: Sinead Bryan, Chief Financial Officer, Vodafone Ireland.
Sinead Bryan, Chief Financial Officer at Vodafone Ireland, takes the Business & Finance 60-second interview.
Q. What was your first job? My first job was as a trainee accountant in the firm PKF O’Connor, Leddy & Holmes in Harold’s Cross, Dublin. I worked there straight after college. It was fantastic practical training and it was also great fun. Q. What would you regard as your greatest achievement to date? That’s an easy one – it is definitely having my two gorgeous girls, Lauren and Sarah. Q. In three words or fewer, how do you define success? Feeling fulfilled, happy and energised. Q. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given? Throughout my career, I have been lucky to get some great advice in different situations from friends, colleagues and mentors. However, the best advice I ever received was from my mother who said to me, ‘You can achieve anything in life once you work hard for it, and it makes you happy.’ Q. What’s your motto? Live for the now. Q. How do you motivate yourself and your team? How I motivate my staff, and myself, is relatively similar. I focus on our goals and the difference that we are making to the business and our customers. I also encourage them to reflect on what they have achieved, their learnings, to instil confidence and a belief that they can be successful. Q. If you could step into the shoes of one business person for the day, who would it be and why? I would step into Victoria Beckham’s shoes. Having worked in tech for 25 years, the change into a completely different industry would be exciting. She has a fascinating career, going from pop star to designer and portrays herself as ‘hands-on’ when it comes to her business and family. I also admire her charity work. She has great style so maybe she would lend me a dress or two from her new collection! Q. How do you relax? I enjoy yoga and running to de-stress and keep fit. My favourite and most effective form of relaxation is definitely time spent with friends and family. I get away quite regularly with the family and always feel refreshed and re-energised after time with them. Q. What are your aspirations for the future of your business? I want us to continue to transform people’s lives and businesses for good using our connectivity and solutions. The Siro gigabit hubs have been extremely successful – helping to create jobs in rural parts of Ireland and we know there is more we can achieve there. 5G is very exciting and offers a big opportunity for innovation, which will change and enrich people’s lives. The future is exciting.
It is important to acknowledge success and show gratitude to your team as this can be very motivating for people.
I want us to continue to transform people’s lives and businesses for good using our connectivity and solutions.
