Adaptability as a key to business success in Africa
With its multiple languages, cultures and traditions, Africa represents a complex business challenge, where adaptability is a key characteristic. Tarynn Yatras combines professional expertise with a strong personal approach – qualities that are essential to succeed in this ever-changing market.
Tarynn Yatras, Vice President Sales Area Africa at business area Rock Processing, has come a long way from the farm she grew up on in Zimbabwe but her ability to adapt and face challenges has remained a constant throughout her life. After completing her primary and secondary education in Zimbabwe, she studied accountancy in Australia, landed a job at Deloitte, and completed her Chartered Accountant program. “I knew there were lots of opportunities, it was just about working out where I was going to go,” recalls Yatras.
The answer would come from an unexpected source. “I went back home for Christmas, and the opportunity to join Sandvik came along. It was ‘right time, right place, right qualification and skill set,’” she smiles. “But I always knew I wasn’t the ‘typical accountant’ and to this day, my first underground mine visit has been burned into my brain. I loved it.”
From finance to customer roles across countries
Her career shift was not a complete U-turn though. She moved from finance, then to commercial, and onto sales support and business development. It was during a period in global commercial when she felt the pull back to the customer side, she says. “I missed the customer interface. I missed the sales area,” she says, adding, “And I love a challenge!”
That need to adapt is key to Tarynn Yatras when she is off duty too, allowing her to fully immerse herself in family life, where her seven-year-old daughter is central. “My weekends are spent on the side of a tennis court or a sports field with her, and I have my own sport interests too, like paddle, tennis, golf with friends and family trips. We’re also blessed in Zimbabwe with so many spectacular places to visit,” Yatras adds.
Her appreciation of (and love for) the African continent helps in her job. Today, some 16 years after her Sandvik journey began, Yatras’ role sits within a structured matrix organization, spanning Southern, Central, and West Africa, and covering four rock processing divisions.
Adaptive leadership and local presence in Africa
“Africa is challenging, and working here builds resilience. It is not one size fits all, you have different regulatory environments, tax authorities, infrastructure realities, all at once," says Yatras.
At Sandvik, we have taken a localized approach – boots on the ground.
“You are living in it. You understand what it takes to operate in that market. That local footprint is one of our biggest strengths. Working across the continent, the principles stay constant, but sometimes your approach needs to flex depending on the country culture and maturity of the operation. I guess you could call it an ‘adaptive leadership’ mantra.”
The results speak for themselves, with particularly strong developments within the mobile crushing and screening division. In 2024, the Sales Area Africa team sold a mere handful of mobiles, while last year the figure had grown more than sevenfold, helping them pick up the Rock Processing “Winning Together” award along the way. “That really epitomized what we have been building,” says Yatras.
Directing cross-continent teams, Tarynn Yatras is someone who thrives on finding solutions. “Supporting our customers to keep mines running in Africa is not for the faint hearted and the job can be absolutely exhausting at times. But like I said, I love a challenge. And what does not challenge you doesn’t change you.”
