• Home
  • Invest
  • Work
  • Move
  • Our People
  • Property Solutions
  • Case Studies
  • Resources
  • News
    • News
    • Intrapreneurship
  • About Us
    • About us
    • Contact Us
    • Sector Contacts
  • Menu Menu

Aoife O’Brien

Global Head of Recruitment – Taxback Group

How have you come to live in Ireland South East?

I’m originally from Waterford. Unfortunately there wasn’t any suitable jobs for me during the recession in the south east after college so I moved to Australia for over three years before returning to Ireland to work in Dublin for four years. In 2019 I was lucky enough to secure a role with The Taxback Group in Kilkenny which gave me the opportunity to move home.

What do you like best about Ireland South East?

The numerous beautiful beaches, quaint villages and the Waterford Greenway which is fantastic for walks or cycles from Waterford city to Dungarvan.

“The can-do attitude and the magnitude of talent in this region is phenomenal. There is huge opportunity to tap into the wealth of the creativity in the region.”

Tell us about your career?

I graduated from college with an honours degree in Human Resource Management in Waterford Institute of Technology. Straight after graduation I moved to Perth, Western Australia and began my career in recruitment. I worked for global multi nationals recruiting across retail, commercial and corporate banking positions. I got homesick and decided to return home where I secured a role with America’s third largest asset management company growing their business up to one thousand employees in Ireland. I always wanted to return to the sunny south east and I was delighted when the opportunity arose with The Taxback Group to head up their recruitment department globally from their Kilkenny headquarters. We are currently expanding at a rapid rate here in Kilkenny with plans to grow the business even further which is fantastic. It’s such positive news that Terry Clune is bringing such a large volume of roles to the south east.

What are the benefits of living in Ireland South East?

  1. House prices are dramatically cheaper – you can buy a four bedroom detached house here rather than an apartment in Dublin for the same price.
  2. Work life balance – more time spent in the evening with family, friends or doing hobbies.
  3. Less time commuting to and from work.

Can you tell us a secret about Ireland South East or a favourite place that people might not know?

There are a multitude of festivals on in Waterford that people may not be too familiar with, everything from Spraoi, The Harvest Festival, All together now and Waterford walls to name but a few. There is never a dull moment. A favourite place of mine is Moe’s café on the beach in Tramore. It is a dog friendly café where you can sit outside with your pup and enjoy a coffee or some food whilst watching the surfers hit the waves.

What’s the main difference between living and working in the SE as opposed to where you lived previously?

You just can’t beat the fact that your work life balance completely changes from living in the capital. Before it would take me hours to go get to and from work, now it takes a mere thirty minutes (approx.) to drive from Waterford to Kilkenny. I love the fact that I’m with a global multinational (Taxback Group) but I’ve the luxury of going home every night instead of wasting money renting in Dublin or commuting up and down. I’m now walking my dog on the beach when usually I would be stuck in Dublin for hours in traffic. You just can’t beat it!

Follow Aoife

LinkedIn

Our People

“If I could sum up the South East in one word, ‘opportunities’ is the most ideal.”

Daniel Martins

Read more

“The South East is a great place to build a business from.”

Jim Hughes, Innovate

Read more

“A taste of city life with the benefits of rural living.”

Joy Redmond, Sonru

Read more

Join our community

Sign up for up for our newsletter to receive updates on business, careers, and investment in Ireland South East.

Contact

Address

ISE Development Office
Enterprise Ireland Building
Waterford Industrial Park
Cork Road
Waterford
X91 K46F

Menu

  • Home
  • Invest
  • Work
  • Move
  • Our People
  • Property Solutions
  • Resources
  • News
  • About Us
  • Sector Contacts
  • Intrapreneurship
  • Contact Us
© 2023 Ireland South East
Design by Red Lemonade  LinkedIn      Twitter      YouTube      Instagram
Scroll to top
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT