She left Ukraine at 17. She's been figuring it out ever since.
How Olga Yaros, a programme manager based in Amsterdam, built a career across advertising, fintech, and Tesla and why London is next.
Want to follow Olga's journey? Find her on LinkedIn.
Olga moved to the Netherlands at 17 to do her bachelor's degree. She didn't plan to stay forever. She didn't have a five-year plan. What she had was a willingness to figure things out as she went and that, it turns out, has been the thread running through her entire career.
Twelve years later, she's a Dutch citizen, a programme manager at Booking.com, and someone who has worked at some of the most recognisable companies in the world. She's also planning her next move: London.
Starting a career during a pandemic
Olga graduated from her master's in Digital Business and Innovation Management three weeks before the first COVID lockdown. Perfect timing, as she'd say with an irony..
What made it harder was her visa situation. As a Ukrainian national she needed employer sponsorship after her initial working year ran out. That narrowed the options significantly.
Her first job came through a friend. Someone knew someone. She ended up in an advertising agency, doing account and project management, and loved it. Her first manager gave her real responsibility early, by month six she was running smaller campaigns independently.
The Tesla Chapter
After a brief but character-building stint at a fintech startup, Olga landed at Tesla, again through a personal connection. A friend ran into someone building a new team. One conversation led to another. She got an offer without going through the full interview process.
She worked in the body repair division, the team responsible for the processes of everything that happens to a vehicle after an accident. It was a new team, which meant she got to build things from scratch: processes, cross-functional collaboration, operational workflows.
One project she's particularly proud of: automating the audit process. It had been taking teams a full eight-hour day, plus travel. She got it down to four hours, done virtually, in flexible blocks.
"When your colleagues come to you and say, ”'that actually worked”, that's the most amazing feeling."
She was also, in her own words, one of very few women in a very male-dominated environment. Most of her stakeholders were men her father's age. Building credibility with them and having them come to her for solutions was a turning point.
She stopped being apologetic about having opinions. She started asking for things. She got her Lean Six Sigma certifications, things she had been doing in practice anyway, because she wanted them on paper.
Then the layoffs came. Her team went from 44 people to 7. She was working 60 to 70 hours a week covering work that wasn't hers. When the offer of a settlement came, she took it.
Burning out, and what comes after
Olga is honest about her time after Tesla: she went through a period of very difficult time afterwards. The job market wasn't helping. It took time for her to recover.
But she had learned something at Tesla: listen to your body before it forces you to stop.
When Booking.com came calling, through a recruitment agency that had her CV on file, it happened fast. A Friday call. Tuesday confirmation. Wednesday interview. Friday offer. One week.
She's now running a global change programme and managing portfolio planning for the change leadership team. Her contract has been extended twice. She's good at what she does, and the people around her know it.
What she would say to other Ukrainians navigating this
Olga mentioned, unprompted, that she's happy to talk to other Ukrainians trying to figure out their path in the Netherlands. The paperwork, the visa questions, the emotional weight of building a life somewhere else, she's been through it.
"I got a lot of help along the way. I'm happy to pass that on."
If you're Ukrainian and want to reach out, find her on LinkedIn and mention The Happy Expats.
The attitude that makes it work
When asked what keeps her going through all of it, the layoffs, the market, the uncertainty, Olga said something simple:
"I've lived through every worst day of my life that I thought was the worst day. And the sun goes up tomorrow morning."
She left her home country at 17. She's navigated visa restrictions, a global pandemic , a sudden job withdrawal, and a mass layoff. Each time, she found a way through.
Olga's story is a reminder that careers rarely go in straight lines and that the people who do well aren't always the ones with the most credentials. They're the ones who keep showing up.
If you're an international professional navigating the Dutch job market or planning your next move, we'd love to hear your story too.
Book a free intro call and let's talk.
