Taryn Woodbridge, CFO at Mercedes-Benz South Africa, credits much of her success to having plenty of support and a willingness to grab opportunities.
The first South African to be appointed into a senior management role at the luxury car giant, Taryn believes you can open doors without even knowing it, based on how you show up, consistency, communication and follow-through.
Taryn credits much of her career success to having plenty of support. “The support my team gives me, particularly their feedback on how they value the culture I've been building over the last two years, makes me happy,” says Taryn, who walked away with the Finance Transformation Award at the 2024 CFO Awards.
“Without people we are nothing. I don't ever find a day when I think I don't want to do this because I'm filled by the impact I can make on others, but also through the support and success we have as a team. It's been important on my journey to make sure the team comes first, and we appreciate each other. I certainly didn't get here on my own, that award goes to everyone,” she adds.
This sense of support extends to her family, including her husband of 22 years, her parents, in-laws and daughters. “I prioritise family because if I didn't have their support, I wouldn't be able to do what I do. I’m very grateful for that,” she emphasises.
“Being a mom of two daughters and making sure I'm also a present wife has been very important for me. I've always strived, as far as possible, to keep that balance in check. I try to make sure when there is an important moment I am there. I never wanted to finish my career and look back with regrets,” she explains.
Another major milestone was becoming CFO in 2022 – a role Taryn had been developing herself towards.
According to Taryn, her focus has been on transforming her team from a cultural and strategic perspective, uniting a team with one identity across two locations and around all things digitalisation. “This is a road we've been on since I took over; it's a journey we'll still be on because for me transformation doesn't end. I'm really pushing hard in terms of where I see us developing as a team.”
Taking a leap of faith
In a previous interview with CFO South Africa, Taryn joked that her ambition started on one of her first dates with her husband. Cruising past the gleaming Mercedes-Benz star, she declared, “I'm going to work there one day, and I'm going to lead that finance team.”
She never let go of that dream, instead fuelling it with determination and hard work.
She took a leap of faith and applied for an analyst role at Mercedes-Benz, after a brief stint in auditing. “It was a big decision, because it was something completely different from what I had experienced with auditing,” she remembers.
She embraced diverse finance roles, always seeking out new challenges to gain a well-rounded understanding of the entire financial operation. Language barriers with technical discussions often held in German as well as a perceived lack of internal networks, and deeply ingrained cultural norms presented difficult challenges at times, but she remained resolute.
Her CFO appointment in 2022 was a significant milestone, not only personally, but also for MBSA's evolving culture of inclusivity and teamwork.
She firmly believes that local talent is just as capable as international hires, and is a strong advocate for building South African expertise within the organisation.
