There’s no more powerful ingredient to fuel business success than forging strong industry connections.

That’s a key reason that Accelerate Auto, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to increasing opportunities for Black talent in Canada’s automotive industry, created a formal mentorship program: Accelerate Auto Connect.

The group recently held a kick-off event at its Mississauga offices to launch a pilot mentorship program that connects high-profile industry leaders with the next generation of Black talent entering the auto industry.

This program will link young adults from community partners, college students, and university students with seasoned business experts who will act as their mentors. The mission aims to create career pathways through relationship building and ensure talent retention in the industry.

“We have bright young folks that just need a boost. They need some help,” said Joyce Tshiamala, Accelerate Auto Co-Founder and Team Lead of the Mentorship Committee in her remarks at the event. “Not just help, but if I can take it even further, they need fairness when it comes to representation and to see themselves in leadership positions within the automotive space.”

She added that the automotive sector is not yet truly reflective of the customer base that it serves. “That’s why we started this program.”

The success of any mentorship program largely depends on the quality of the mentors, and Accelerate Auto has assembled an impressive lineup of seasoned professionals from within the industry.

In a media release announcing the program, the group identified some of the mentors, which include Don Romano, President and CEO of Hyundai Canada and Genesis Canada; industry association heads like Jean-Francois Champagne, President of the Aftermarket Industries Association of Canada (AIA); and leading industry suppliers like Yolanda Biswah, President of Canadian Black Book.

Other high profile mentors are John Currado, President of taq Automotive Intelligence; Charles Fordjour, National Sales Manager, Aftermarket, with CARFAX Canada; Roger Linton, with Ten Steps Ahead Inc; Anne Marie Desando, VP of National Sales at Scotiabank Automotive Finance; and from the dealership world, Mike Overholt, Regional Manager at Performance Auto Group.

“I think the opportunity to both learn and impart knowledge really excited me,” said taq Automotive Intelligence’s John Currado, one of the mentors who attended the launch event. “I think there’s lots to learn from the mentees themselves. And then I have experience, and I hope to share that in a way that can be well understood.”

These mentors bring a wealth of experience, knowledge, and passion to the program. “I think the mentorship program is important, especially as leaders in the industry, for us to share our knowledge and ideas about the diverse positions within this industry that everyone belongs in,” said CBB’s Yolanda Biswah at the event. “I hope to help the mentees to (ultimately) find a job. I’m looking forward to that.”

A group of very excited mentees at the launch event said they were excited to get started. “The industry is very big, but I’ve also learned that there are so many layers to it that you don’t recognize from outside. I want to learn about what the niche networks are,” said Kobe Cargill, an Actuarial Science Graduate from York University.

In today’s digital age, technology is pivotal in fostering effective mentorship. That’s why Accelerate Auto partnered with 10 Thousand Coffees (10KC), a leading diversity-founded mentoring and networking platform, to take this program to the next level. According to the media release, 10KC has launched similar programs for clients like Nike, Thomson Reuters, JP Morgan, GE and 200-plus other firms.

This partnership is poised to revolutionize how mentorship is conducted within the automotive industry. “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) relies on mentoring and networking relationships, and we couldn’t be more proud to provide our tried and tested mentoring solution to support Accelerate Auto’s advancement of underrepresented talent,” said Dave Wilkin, CEO of 10KC.com, in remarks at the launch event.

For more information, visit: www.accelerateauto.ca

The post High profile mentors join launch of Accelerate Auto Connect appeared first on Canadian Auto Dealer.

The event brought together industry professionals and students for a day of connecting and learning

Tier Six held its Dealer Huddle East VI event on March 8 at Georgian College in Barrie, Ontario. The VIP Automotive event is part of a series devoted to the future of Canadian automotive, particularly the trends, marketing, and workforce of the next generation. Attendees were both students and industry members.

The theme for the day was The Connected Dealership, and a dynamic list of speakers graced the stage from dealerships, automotive data and marketing agencies and tech giants such as Google, Meta and TikTok. They all shared ways that automotive dealers could better prepare for tomorrow today. “ACES is the notion of autonomy, connectivity, electrification, and services. We used to talk about them as if those were four separate things. And it turns out they’re all the same thing. All four are going to surface together through the lens of the electric vehicle,” says Mathew Growden of Google. “The biggest change is the shift to the software developer cloud. Once it’s software, basically a smartphone on wheels, it’s an entirely different world.”

Many spoke about ways to improve your customers’ journey. “I can be sitting in Hong Kong and purchase a house online in Canada without talking to anyone. Why can’t dealers make it frictionless when purchasing a car?” shared Omar Khan from BLVD Agency. “Wouldn’t you rather buy from a brand that gets you and mimics what you’re already experiencing with Amazon?”

Another recurring theme was the importance of video and using social channels to exceed business goals. “There are auto buyers on TikTok. 82 per cent of users are drivers of a vehicle. That is 14.5 million,” says Jeremy Reisler, Head of Automotive for TikTok in Canada. “18 per cent of our audience is looking to buy in 2023; of that, 30 per cent are looking to buy right now.”

While there was a plethora of speakers, there was ample time for students to network with industry insiders. There were also a few past graduates of Georgian College in attendance, who came to share advice and to recruit future graduates. Nathan Vardy is one such example. “I started as an intern at PBS. Now I am employed as a Software Training and Transitions Trainer,” shares Vardy. Several sponsors, such as the AutoIQ Dealership Group, were also actively recruiting.

The event was held on International Women’s Day. Many speakers pointed out the need for more women in the industry. Women made up at least a quarter of the participants in the room, and if that is any indicator, the future’s looking brighter. “The representation today is fantastic. I’m very proud that I have a female in every department in both stores,” says Christy Fines, General Manager at 400 Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Ltd and Georgian College graduate. “I am a mom of a daughter, so it’s important that the doors are open for her. I mentor other females and try to ensure they are successful.”

For those in Western Canada, Dealer Huddle West II took place on, March 15, 2023, at The Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT). For more information, please go to https://tiersix.io/dealer-huddle-west

The post Georgian College hosts Dealer Huddle event appeared first on Canadian Auto Dealer.

Finding success in a male-dominated field

The automotive industry has long been run by men, but that doesn’t mean that women can’t find success in it. honour of International Women’s Month, we spoke to some dynamic women in the industry who are making their mark.

Yolanda Biswah

Yolanda Biswah is the Senior Vice President and General Manager at Canadian Black Book. This executive has been in the automotive industry for almost two decades. Biswah has a sales and customer experience background. 

While she has risen to the top, the lack of diversity of those around her has been daunting. “I’ve had amazing people who have uplifted me, sponsored me, helped me to become more confident,” says Biswah. “But there’s been difficulties because most of the time I’m the only woman and the only black woman in the space or a room. I still find that very intimidating.”

This leader believes that women starting out can learn from some of the challenges she has had to surmount. “One of the hurdles that I’ve had to overcome is pay equity. That’s a big one because we often don’t ask for what we think we deserve,” says Biswah. “Also, we must find our voice and have confidence although we’re the only ones of our race and/or gender in the room.”

Lack of representation in the automotive industry is one of the biggest challenges women face. In the industry, top positions are often held by men, while women are often overlooked. As a result, women trying to break into the industry may lack support and mentorship. Biswah would love to see executives stepping up to the plate. “Other people in positions of power need to mentor and coach more women to senior positions. We talk about it all the time, but it just has to happen,” shares Biswah. “We need more women like myself and others in senior positions to show up and help the young women in this industry. Otherwise, the automotive sector will continue to stay as it is.”

Diana Ricketts 

Diana Ricketts is EVP of Strategic Partnerships for LGM Financial Services Inc. She started out working at a dealership part-time in the industry as a teenager, in need of pocket money, and the pay was great. However, this newcomer quickly fell in love with the industry, learning everything first-hand. Ricketts held various positions that allowed her to be exposed to fleet, leasing, retail, commercial, F&I and service, gaining experience quickly. 

Ricketts has enjoyed her rollercoaster ride of a career for the most part but says there were times when she was ready to give it all up. “When I was a young woman in automotive, it was super fun, yet hard. When I received my first management role, less than one per cent of managers were women,” she shares. “As a young woman, I had to contend with overt sexual harassment and having to prove myself that I deserved to be there, that I didn’t sleep my way to my position.”

She advises anyone trying to succeed in this industry to get help. “I had an excellent male mentor there that pushed me into positions that I probably wouldn’t have done on my own. I wouldn’t have thought I was ready for them,” shares Ricketts. “However, I think sponsorship is more important than mentorship. Because if you’re not being promoted by somebody sitting at the table, you won’t get to the table, or it’ll take longer for you to get to the table.”

She has another tip for women starting out that she wished she had known earlier. “Be your authentic self. Do not change for anybody because you are exactly who you are supposed to be. I didn’t wear a skirt for many years for fear of male attention,” states Rickett. “I didn’t have a kid until I was 37 years old because I did not think I would be able to stay in the role I was at. I even suppressed that.” 

Lauren Tedesco 

Lauren Tedesco is the Senior Vice President for the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association. Tedesco started her journey 15 years ago as a summer student at APMA. She has since worked in education and law and served as the Director of Communications to the President of the Treasury Board and Minister of Education before being lured back to the industry.

This go-getter says that women starting out must jump out of their comfort zone. “We always want to ask permission to have a seat rather than just dragging the chair across the room up to the table,” says Tedesco. “I think that shift is happening, just not as fast as I’d like to see. But I think there are many more women in the space who have their elbows up and are a lot louder. This new generation will build that pathway to say, ‘Okay, we’re here. You must accept it, and we will change things for the better.”

Tedesco believes many women leave the automotive field because they are missing a crucial tool. “Look for mentors and friends to build your own network and trust in that network,” says Tedesco. “It’s important that when you go out into the space, there’s a safe place to come back to talk about what’s happened and to work through it.”

This changemaker thinks more equity work needs to be done in the automotive industry. “Equity has to be tied into being inclusive. If you’re not going to create spaces truly, but you’re going to say check marks here. We did all the right steps, but you’re not doing it authentically, then what’s the point? Then you’re doing it as an HR check mark and not as a new company culture to create that space for women,” states Tedesco. “And I don’t mean public-facing spaces. Create spaces for women to sit around the table. Give them the resources to genuinely succeed instead of doing things just for show,” states Tedesco.

The post Driven women in automotive appeared first on Canadian Auto Dealer.

Tier Six held its Dealer Huddle East VI event on March 8 at Georgian College in Barrie, Ontario. The VIP Automotive event is part of a series devoted to the future of Canadian automotive, particularly the trends, marketing, and workforce of the next generation. Attendees were both students and industry members.

The theme for the day was The Connected Dealership, and a dynamic list of speakers graced the stage from dealerships, automotive data and marketing agencies and tech giants such as Google, Meta and TikTok. They all shared ways that automotive dealers could better prepare for tomorrow today. “ACES is the notion of autonomy, connectivity, electrification, and services. We used to talk about them as if those were four separate things. And it turns out they’re all the same thing. All four are going to surface together through the lens of the electric vehicle,” says Mathew Growden of Google. “The biggest change is the shift to the software developer cloud. Once it’s software, basically a smartphone on wheels, it’s an entirely different world.”

Many spoke about ways to improve your customers’ journey. “I can be sitting in Hong Kong and purchase a house online in Canada without talking to anyone. Why can’t dealers make it frictionless when purchasing a car?” shared Omar Khan from BLVD Agency. “Wouldn’t you rather buy from a brand that gets you and mimics what you’re already experiencing with Amazon?”

The event was held on International Women’s Day. Many speakers pointed out the need for more women in the industry. Ladies made up at least a quarter of the participants in the room, and if that is any indicator, the future is looking brighter. “The representation today is fantastic. I’m very proud that I have a female in every department in both stores,” says Christy Fines, General Manager at 400 Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Ltd and Georgian College graduate. “I am a mom of a daughter, so it’s important that the doors are open for her. I mentor other females and try to ensure they are successful.”

For those in Western Canada, Dealer Huddle West II is happening Wednesday, March 15, 2023, from 8:30 AM until 4:00 PM MDT at The Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT). For more information, please go to https://tiersix.io/dealer-huddle-west/ 

The post Dealers and students connect and learn at Dealer Huddle East VI appeared first on Canadian Auto Dealer.

The automotive industry has long been run by men, but that doesn’t mean that women can’t find success in it. In honour of International Women’s Month, we spoke to some dynamic women in the industry who are making their mark.

Yolanda Biswah

Yolanda Biswah is the Senior Vice President and General Manager at Canadian Black Book. This executive has been in the automotive industry for almost two decades. Biswah has a sales and customer experience background.

While she has risen to the top, the lack of diversity of those around her has been daunting. “I’ve had amazing people who have uplifted me, sponsored me, helped me to become more confident,” says Biswah. “But there’s been difficulties because most of the time I’m the only woman and the only black woman in the space or a room. I still find that very intimidating.”

Lack of representation in the automotive industry is one of the biggest challenges women face. In the industry, top positions are often held by men, while women are often overlooked. As a result, women trying to break into the industry may lack support and mentorship.  Biswah would love to see executives stepping up to the plate. “Other people in positions of power need to mentor and coach more women to senior positions. We talk about it all the time, but it just has to happen,” said Biswah.

Diana Ricketts

Diana Ricketts is EVP of Strategic Partnerships for LGM Financial Services Inc. She started out working at a dealership part-time in the industry as a teenager, in need of pocket money, and the pay was great. However, this newcomer quickly fell in love with the industry, learning everything first-hand. Ricketts held various positions that allowed her to be exposed to fleet, leasing, retail, commercial, F&I and service, gaining experience quickly.

Ricketts has enjoyed her rollercoaster ride of a career for the most part but says there were times when she was ready to give it all up. “When I was a young woman in automotive, it was super fun, yet hard. When I received my first management role, less than one per cent of managers were women,” she shares.

She advises anyone trying to succeed in this industry to get help. “I had an excellent male mentor there that pushed me into positions that I probably wouldn’t have done on my own,” said Ricketts. “However, I think sponsorship is more important than mentorship. Because if you’re not being promoted by somebody sitting at the table, you won’t get to the table, or it’ll take longer for you to get to the table.” 

Lauren Tedesco

Lauren Tedesco is the Senior Vice President for the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association. Tedesco started her journey 15 years ago as a summer student at APMA. She has since worked in education and law and served as the Director of Communications to the President of the Treasury Board and Minister of Education before being lured back to the industry.

This go-getter says that women starting out must jump out of their comfort zone. “We always want to ask permission to have a seat rather than just dragging the chair across the room up to the table,” says Tedesco. “I think that shift is happening, just not as fast as I’d like to see. But I think there are many more women in the space who have their elbows up and are a lot louder. This new generation will build that pathway to say, ‘Okay, we’re here. You must accept it, and we will change things for the better.”

The post Mentoring, diversity important for women leaders in automotive appeared first on Canadian Auto Dealer.

After two years of online events, the packed TalkAUTO event at the Universal Event Space venue in Vaughan proved that the industry was ready to meet in person again.

The conference featured an impressive lineup of guest speakers ready to take on this year’s theme of ’An Industry in Transition.’ They each shared their perspectives on subjects like the future of the global market, the growth projections for electric versus internal combustion engine vehicles, supply shortages, redesigning the customer journey, and creating a more inclusive and diverse automotive industry.

As an automotive journalist, I have been to other Canadian Black Book and automotive events like this through the years. As the conference rolled on, a slight change could be observed around the room.

From the attendees in the seats to the speakers on the stage, diversity and inclusion played a significant role at the event. Canadian Black Book, the event’s organizer, made sure there were plenty of women and people of colour.

There are usually some women at events like this, many occupying marketing and communication roles.

But today, the women were stepping on stage and sharing their industry knowledge. During a panel discussing changes to the customer journey, Alan H. Bird of taq Automotive Intelligence pointed out that he was the only gentleman on the stage. His four fellow female panellists were Sarah Hindle (Lithia Motors), Stephanie Lamb (CIBC), Rachele Fiore (Bond Brand Loyalty) and Maggie Mo (Clutch Canada).

As the day progressed, various speakers continued to provide their findings on what is to come as they dove into the future of global economic and automotive markets. They also discussed topics like diversity and inclusion.

Now while I am accustomed to being the “one of the only chips in the cookie” at industry events like this, you can imagine my joy when Accelerate Auto took to the stage.

Accelerate Auto is a coalition of Black professionals and allies working together to bring about a much-needed change in the automotive workforce. What I found impressive was that they demonstrated not only the challenges the industry faced, but more importantly, they came with answers to the problem.

Founding members Christopher Nabeta and moderator Todd Philips, Senior Editor of Canadian auto dealer, shared solutions to reduce diversity gaps in the industry so that it is more representative of its clientele.

Yolanda Biswah, Senior Vice-President and General Manager of Canadian Black Book made it clear in her opening statement that what I observed was very deliberate. She stated that as a Black woman executive in the automotive industry, she wanted to create a smooth inclusive road for those coming up behind her. If this event was any indication, she is well on her way.

The post TalkAUTO helps drive the automotive industry into the future appeared first on Canadian Auto Dealer.