When Maria Mahon joined online recruitment site IrishJobs.ie back in 1999, it was a fledgling venture with just five employees. As she stepped down this week from the position of chief executive at the site's parent, the Keyland Group, she leaves behind a thriving business with a rapidly expanding portfolio of online recruitment websites.

Mahon describes her seven-year tenure as "tremendously exciting", but says that it's a natural time for her to step down. "The success of the Keyland Group has made it difficult for me from a personal perspective. I have a young child so it doesn't fit in," she explains, referring to the extensive travel which the chief executive position entails, now that the group has moved from a domestic to an international platform.

She joined the Denis O'Brien-owned Keyland as chief executive in 1999, leaving a marketing position in 98 FM. The website had been set up in 1995 by John Feely, who Maria describes as "pretty visionary". Not only was the online recruitment model untested in Ireland but internet access was practically zero.

"The industry was very much in its infancy at the time." Their only competitor at that stage was Jobfinder, which she says "lasted no more than 18 months before it exited the market. At that time we moved into market leader position."

Looking back, Mahon says the key to their success was "keeping our feet firmly on the ground, not getting caught up in the dotcom hype." Although operating in a completely new environment, they stuck with "traditional business principals" which she says helped to maintain growth.

"Real business has to deliver profit. This gave us the foundation to build internationally, which we did after four or five years."

At that point the group branched out tentatively, and set up NIjobs.ie. "This was our first foray into a different market, and it proved the model. We got market leadership within 18 months."

They proceeded to expand on a regional basis, moving into Wales, Scotland, England (with separate sites for different regions), the Caribbean and, most recently, China.

Mahon explains that, while the existing competition in this market is providing China-wide solutions, Keyland intends to stick with its tried-and-tested regional strategy, starting in Shanghai and then moving into Beijing.

Keyland has developed hugely over the last seven years, growing its turnover from €350,000 in 1999 to €20 million this year. The market in which it operates has also undergone radical changes. "When I came into the role, the industry was in its infancy," says Mahon. "There are very few industries you can work in that you get such experience.

"It used to be very much the preserve of the IT population, so the content was dominated by IT jobs. Now there are more than 40,000 jobs on site from all sectors of industry."

While the idea of finding a job on the internet may have seemed a strange concept even a few years ago, it comes as second nature to people now, she says. "It was very much a niche market, but now is very much a mass market."

She explains that operators in the online recruitment market are in a lucky position as they are "not dependent on any one sector, compared to property sites for example". If a particular sector is experiencing a slowdown, it is compensated for by well-performing areas, she says. "This is the reason why, worldwide, it is one of the most successful models."

As well as covering all sectors, the jobs advertised on IrishJobs.ie now span all levels, which Mahon says "mirrors what's happening lifestyle-wise."

IrishJobs.ie has been up and running for more than a decade, so people who used it at the outset to secure a middle-management position are now looking for executive positions and are returning once more to the site.

"The volume of job seekers has increased dramatically. There are now one million visitors to the website in Ireland and Britain, compared to 30,000 in 1999."

She says that the average job tenure has undergone a dramatic shift, and now lies at just 2.5 years. "The Irish employee base just has a lot more confidence."

Mahon has handed over to Ken Fitzpatrick and says the succession has been seamless. "There's a fantastic management and staff in place," she says. "I'm leaving it in good hands."

Although she has hung up her executive cap, she is still clearly passionate about the group that she has nurtured for the past seven years, and intends to remain closely involved, both as a director and in an advisory capacity, which she says has made the transition easier for her.

"I've told the staff they'll see a lot of me around!"