Canadian automotive industry executives must take a more proactive role in hiring women in leadership positions, the President of Hyundai Auto Canada Corporation told a crowd as part of a symposium directed towards changing the male-dominated hierarchy.
Don Romano directed his comments towards an audience gathered for the Empowerment Auto Conference this week organized by Hyundai at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto. The event included women and visible minorities, and Romano moderated a panel session that included Agnes Di Leonardi, General Counsel Sym-Tech Dealers Services; Maria Soklis, Automotive Industry Executive and Georgian College Automotive Business School of Canada Board of Director; and Yolanda Biswah, Canadian Black Book Senior Vice President and General Manager.
“All three represent the opportunity that exists for us to change this industry in the future,” Romano said. “It has to change, it must change. Customers don’t look like me, they look like this group here, and this group you need to elevate into executive roles where you can actually have influence over the future of this industry.”
He stressed it is a responsibility of himself and all the other execs that were attending or watching the video feed that collectively they make a difference.
“Our industry needs it, it has to happen,” said Romano. “It’s what’s going to sustain our success if we bring diversity in when over 50 per cent of the population is female and over 70 per cent of the buyers are female and yet over 95 per cent of the executives in this industry are male. Come on, we fix that and it can begin right here. Three great mentors, great people to be able to reach out and talk about their careers in great detail.”
Romano was asked what he has specifically done at Hyundai to help progress equality and equity for women and diversity in general.
“Not enough, not enough,” said Romano. “I’m not leaving the industry until I do what I set out to do, and that is to create a diversified organization that is prepared to deal with the future. There’s a lot of male national managers and directors and executives with our company. They are young and I want them to embrace the same importance that we must change.”
