A step above his peers
However, eBay Inc (NASDAQ:EBAY)’s success and the scope of its incredible CEO extends far beyond just the steady growth of its underlying business. eBay has rewarded shareholders with impressive gains, its employees with excellent benefits, and the communities it operates in with much-welcomed grants.
Shareholders have certainly had an impressive ride since the recession ended, with shares up more than 400% from their March 2009 lows. Although eBay Inc (NASDAQ:EBAY) isn’t paying a dividend — which is understandable as it wants to reinvest operating cash flow into improving its infrastructure and expanding mobile payment solution opportunities — it does have a hefty share repurchase program that it added $2 billion to last July.
If you think that’s fantastic, wait until you get a load of some of the employee benefits. eBay employees, on top of standard health and wellness and financial security packages, are privy to on-site oil changes and free dry cleaning pickup where applicable. Employees in its two San Jose, Calif., offices can relax in meditation and prayer rooms designed to relieve stress.
eBay Inc (NASDAQ:EBAY) also believes in giving back to the communities in which it operates. This is why it developed the Grantmaking and Inspiring Volunteerism Everywhere, or GIVE, team to help support nonprofit organizations throughout the world. Employees recommend a charity or nonprofit organization in a local community that could use assistance, and the GIVE team (also made up of eBay employees) decides whether or not to make the grant. It’s a good way of getting employees involved in their local community and a great way of helping out those who are less fortunate.
Two thumbs up
It appears pretty undeniable that John Donahoe has eBay Inc (NASDAQ:EBAY) on the right path for continued success. eBay’s ongoing development of its PayPal business should be able to fuel double-digit growth for the foreseeable future while its marketplace business utilizes mobile’s ease-of-use to expand its customer base. eBay’s employee benefits, volunteerism, and big shareholder buybacks are merely the icing on the cake that make Donahoe a great leader worthy of two thumbs up.
The article This Is One Incredible CEO originally appeared on Fool.com.
Fool contributor Sean Williams has no material interest in any companies mentioned in this article. You can follow him on CAPS under the screen name TMFUltraLong, track every pick he makes under the screen name TrackUltraLong, and check him out on Twitter, where he goes by the handle @TMFUltraLong.The Motley Fool owns shares of, and recommends, Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), eBay, and Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX).
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