In her newly-appointed role as the new Chief Executive Officer and Registrar of the Ontario Motor Vehicle Industry Council, Maureen Harquail is looking forward to representing a changing culture in the automotive industry and society as a whole with women being hired or promoted in leadership roles.
Harquail was recently chosen by OMVIC’s board that includes nine dealers and three ministerial appointees to succeed John Carmichael, who retired after five years to spend more time with his family. Harquail joined OMVIC four years ago as Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Registrar after working for CIBC as Director, Enterprise Anti Money Laundering Policy & Regulatory Compliance Management. Previous to that she worked as General Counsel and Deputy Director Administration of the Ontario Racing Commission, which oversees horse racing.
She began her new role last week.
Harquail’s appointment coincides with Lana Payne’s electoral victory as the first woman President of Unifor, the largest private sector union in Canada.
“One of the things I think about is how the industry is changing and I think OMVIC has to be part of that change,” said Harquail in an interview with Canadian auto dealer. “I’m heartened obviously to be chosen as the new female CEO of OMVIC, but our chair of our board is a woman (Virginia West). I think we really need to look at what the future looks like and make sure our board, in addition to our company, is also reflective of the community we live in.
“I’m excited about all the work ahead. There’s a lot that still needs to be done and it’s important for the industry to know I’m here to listen and I am here to learn because I don’t think anybody ever stops learning.”
Harquail said following the announcement of her appointment, she received many messages of congratulations but the ones that really touched her came from female staff members that told her she is an example to them as a woman in a leadership role. Harquail said more than half of the 130 OMVIC’s employees are women.
“Sometimes you need to pause in your career and think about the influence you have on the next generation of leaders and to me that really stuck,” said Harquail. “I am honoured and I do hope I can be a good example for that next generation of leaders, both men and women. That is certainly something I want to continue to champion, that whole idea of making sure that everybody has a voice at the table. That’s just so important as we go forward.
“I will bring a different style to the role that John Carmichael did. That’s the way it should be because it is a change. It’s also OMVIC’s 25th anniversary, so there are a lot of things playing into this announcement and why it is very important going forward. I take my responsibility very seriously.”
Harquail said she wants to continue to make sure dealers have a “seamless, easy engagement” with OMVIC.
“We’ve done a lot of work to address and make sure we have very clear processes and procedures on how we’re going to do things so dealers know what to expect when they’re dealing with a member of OMVIC,” said Harquail. “Coming out of COVID, we want to do what we can to support the dealer base and the industry as a whole.”
