Women at the Forefront of the ICT sector: Yvonne Dias, One Of The Strategic Brains Behind Mint Group’s Success

Women at the Forefront of the ICT sector

Yvonne Dias, Mint Group CFO, proudly describes herself as a nerd, in love with numbers and their power to tell a story. She joined the Mint Group 16 years ago as a financial manager overseeing the financial and operational sides of the business when it was still a fledgling company.

Within two years, she was promoted to Financial Director and in 2017 became Group CFO. She takes care of the Group’s administrative, financial and risk management operations. She also looks after group operations and the Project Management Office and sits on the International Association of Microsoft Channel Partners (IAMCP) MIST committee (Microsoft/IAMPC Strategy Team).

Yvonne has a Bachelor of Accounting Science (Hons) degree, an MBA (Cum Laude), and has completed an Emerging CFO course at Stanford University.
As one of the strategic brains behind the company’s success, she has been instrumental in assisting the Group on its phenomenal growth path and implementing its transformation strategies.

“Throughout my career with Mint, I have managed the financials of the Group, ensuring that compliance, data-driven decisions and growth are the three fundamental constructs on which the Group Structure is built on.”
Among her many responsibilities are financial strategy and planning and leading the strategic planning and development of the Group as a member of the executive team.

“I love being involved in the strategy and paving the course we need to follow. I have a passion for adding value, learning, ensuring people become the best version of themselves and empowering our community and partners around us.”

Mint is a firm believer in diversity and empowerment, reflected in the Group’s Level 1 B-BBEE status. “We launched Ubuntu EmpowerMint in 2021. It is a robust programme with strategic initiatives designed to identify start-ups and drive them toward becoming Exempt Micro Enterprises (EMEs) and to accelerate the development of EMEs into Qualifying Small Enterprises and then into Generic Enterprises.”

Mint has also ensured equal opportunities for all genders in the organisation and focuses on empowering women across the board and industries.

To this end, the Group has representation on Microsoft’s diversity programme focusing on women and children. It has established the South African chapter of the Women in Technology (WIT) Network – an international association through which women in the IT space can meet, engage and share ideas. Mint also runs the Girls in AI programme, which gives teens exposure to technology.

The company culture is one of growth, learning and passion. “Our higher purpose is to guide every person whose life we touch to reach their highest potential and believe in our vision of Creating Tomorrow. We have invested a lot of time and effort developing our culture and putting our people first. Our biggest differentiator is our staff, and our biggest success is the staff we have managed to attract. The Group’s entrepreneurial design allows us to attract great talent and build new, innovative companies.”

Mint’s partnering model is another critical success factor. “We have built a fantastic network of partners that we can leverage from horizontal to vertical integrations. But the essence of it is the team and culture we have and, most importantly, adding value to our clients.”

As for the future, with a focus on technology, efficiency, and the cost savings that digital transformation can bring, Mint is having more conversations with clients on how to transform their businesses digitally. The Group is also considering geo expansion into Europe and extending its footprint in the US.

When not at work, Yvonne loves reading, travelling, and enjoying new experiences. She has been married for 16 years and her husband, family and friends are very important to her.