By Business & Finance 
PayPal continues to report strong growth and in Ireland and its investment and commitment to growth and job creation is evidence of the success of its operations here.
PayPal recently announced it is to create 100 new jobs at its Global Operations Centre for Europe, the Middle East and Africa in Ballycoolin, Dublin by mid-April 2016. The announcement by PayPal follows on from a series of hugely significant announcements for west Dublin and Dundalk.
Welcoming the announcement, Martin Shanahan CEO, IDA Ireland said: “PayPal’s operation in Ireland is a real success story. With the support of IDA Ireland, the company set up with just 25 people in 2003 in Ballycoolin, Dublin.
PayPal is now bi-located in Dublin and Dundalk and employs 2,400. PayPal’s continued job creation and investment in Ireland is yet another endorsement from one of the world’s leading online companies, and builds on Ireland’s reputation as the internet capital of Europe. IDA Ireland is determined to win more investment in this sector.”
Speaking to Business & Finance recently, Louise Phelan, VP of global operations, PayPal EMEA said: “PayPal puts people at the centre of everything we do. We empower people to spend their money any way they want, anywhere they want and from any device they like. We’re leaders in a fast-paced and exciting global industry. Our European Operations Centres in Dublin and Dundalk play a key role in PayPal’s ongoing success in Ireland and internationally.”
POWERED BY TECHNOLOGY
Mobile technology is transforming payments the way people move and manage and the opportunites for PayPal to expand and grow in this space are endless. Change is constant – especially in the technology sphere,” Phelan says. “It’s important to stay ahead of the curve and the only way to tackle it is to innovate constantly and deliver services that meet these evolving needs and deliver a real impact. At PayPal, we do this all the time.”
She continues: “We’re re-imagining the future of money and developing technologies to benefit people and businesses. Just look at the huge changes that are taking place in how we pay for things, particularly around mobile. We’re at the forefront of this digital payments revolution. In 2015, 28% of the 4.9 billion payments we processed were made on a mobile device.”
As for the future growth of the firm here in Ireland, Phelan is equally optimistic. “My key aspirations are focused on growing and developing our wonderful team of 2,500 talented people in Ireland so that we continue to deliver the highest levels of innovation and service to our customers and merchants. And we’re hiring all the time through paypaljobsireland.com.”
About the head of Irish operations
Louise Phelan is VP, Global Operations EMEA for PayPal, responsible for leading over 2,500 people in Dublin, Dundalk and Berlin.
Phelan joined PayPal in 2006. Prior to joining the company she was a member of the senior management team for GE Money, a division of General Electric (GE).
She joined the board of Ryanair in 2012 as a non-executive director, is one of the six industry partners appointed on the Action Plan for Jobs Implementation Group and also sits on the National Competitiveness Council. In February 2016 she became a board member of Irish outsourcing provider, Voxpro.
Previously, Phelan was president of the American Chamber of Commerce, and has been widely recognised for her contribution to Ireland including being presented with the Sir Michael Smurfit Achievement Award by The Ireland Chamber of Commerce United States in 2012.
