eBay In Person: Anton von Rueden

Anton von Rueden is the Country Manager, Austria and Switzerland.

How long have you worked at eBay?
I initially started work for eBay Germany, or Alando, as it was then called, in September 1999. I joined as intern category manager within the marketing department and stayed there, helping to build the category management department in Germany until I joined Customer Support in April 2001 and launched the new pan-European support centre. I take up my new role this month, as Country Manager, Austria and Switzerland. I guess in total, four years - though it feels like much longer than that!

What did you do before you worked at eBay?
Before I worked at eBay, I studied economics and dabbled in politics, the high point of which was my time as press co-coordinator on Gerhard Schroeder's winning campaign in the 1998 election.

What's the most rewarding part of your job?
Sounds a little philosophical maybe, but for me one of the most rewarding parts of my job is bringing the opportunities of eBay to more members everyday. I feel that it is our duty to ensure that as many people as possible have access to eBay, and are treated fairly and justly throughout our sites. To have the right service though, you have got to have the right people. So, building a team, watching it grow, mature and progress, knowing that you have the right people in place is very satisfying. With a great team, EVERYTHING is possible. To see that in reality is also one of the most rewarding parts of my job.

What skills have you found yourself utilizing most in your career at eBay?
All the skills I have, and some that I didn't possess before I started here, I think it's safe to say!

Coming most recently from the Customer Support side, I found that I used my energy, enthusiasm and drive most in order to get things running, communicate and motivate a team which is now 500 people. The buzz that I get from translating our vision into actions that apply to all different levels, and taking my audience with me so that they can relate high-level strategy to their day-to-day roles and contributions is a sometimes exhausting but truly fulfilling and necessary part of what I do.

Some other basic skills that you take for granted are also very vital to working in Europe. Language skills, a good sense of humor -- things that you don't consciously create competency in -- form a base of skills to draw on in a day when anything can happen. That's one of the things I love about eBay.

Finally, flexibility and adaptability are key skills that I use. It's important to adapt your style of leadership, speech or motivation to a situation or audience. In my four years at eBay, I am now starting my third different position. Without flexibility these transitions would be much harder.

What do you like to do for fun?
For fun, I like team sports and often drag my colleagues into events of a sporting nature. Recently a team of CS employees, drawn from all levels in the organization and I entered a 120 km cycle race, The HEW Cyclassic, which took place in Hamburg and attracted big cycling names such as Jan Ulrich. We called ourselves "the eBay Rockets" and rode together and crossed the finish line together as ONE team. It was an excellent team achievement and feeling, and we even had eBay supporters who traveled to Hamburg to see us.

Also, I am goalkeeper on the eBay Germany soccer team, and love to play tennis, often arranging to fit in a match or two with other country managers when we get together.

What's your most memorable eBay moment?
I know that my most memorable is yet to come, but certainly I have had some memorable moments in my career with eBay so far. It's hard to pick one out from the others. eBay Live in Orlando this year was certainly memorable, as I had so much opportunity to meet our community and hear first-hand their thoughts regarding eBay. I enjoy each eBay university session that I have attended, and always look forward with enthusiasm to the next one.

I know that among my memories will always be some of the more recent events in my career -- the reaction of my colleagues as I took up a new role, the mixture of excitement for my new challenge and loss as I leave one great team, to form another. There is a stage where colleagues become almost like daytime family as the relationship solidifies and the team comes together as a working group of individuals and certainly it's hard to recreate this. Many memorable moments, all eBay.