Automotive News Canada - June 2019 - 16

WOMEN
IN THE CANADIAN AUTO INDUSTRY

The road they've traveled, and the road ahead
By STEPHANIE WALLCRAFT
TORONTO CORRESPONDENT

PHOTOS SUPPLIED BY AUTOMAKERS

CAROLA ERLEWEIN MADE

the steep climb to the executive ranks of the male-dominated

auto industry. And having arrived,
"You have an obligation in business, if you are a woman who has
achieved a lot, to speak out and be
a role model and not to assimilate,
because it's so easy to copy men's
behaviour," said Erlewein, CEO of

* JUNE 2019

Financial Services, BMW Group
Canada. "I'm a strong believer that
diversity is good for business success."
But narrowing the gender gap,
particularly in the boardrooms of
automakers, appears to be painfully slow.
"We went through a lot to get
where we are, and the world hasn't
changed that dramatically yet," said
Nicolette Lambrechts, vice-president of Mercedes-Benz Vans at
Mercedes-Benz Canada.
According to a global study by
20-first, a U.K.-based gender-diversity consultancy, women in 2018
accounted for eight per cent of
executives in the top-20 automaker and auto parts companies in the
Fortune Global 500. And more than
half of those 20 companies had no

women on their global executive
teams.
In Canada in 2016, when federal Census data was last collected,
women accounted for 19.9 per cent
of the overall workforce in vehicle
manufacturing and 13.7 per cent in
auto repair and maintenance. And
the current heads of car companies
based in this country are all men.
What will it take to shatter the
proverbial glass ceiling? Everything
from mentoring young women to
enacting work-life balance policies,
say female executives interviewed
by Automotive News Canada.
The following nine female auto
executives share their experiences,
where they've come from, where
the industry is headed and why the
need for diverse voices in corporate
headquarters. - ANC

VIRGINIE AUBERT

TRACY BULMER

CAROLA ERLEWEIN

Mercedes-Benz Canada

BMW Group Canada

Vice-president of marketing

Since joining Mercedes-Benz Canada in 2006,
Aubert has been focused entirely on marketing, first as a national marketing communications supervisor and then with the Toronto retail
group. The Toronto native was appointed national manager of marketing communications in 2014
and became the first woman to take on an executive role at the company when she was promoted
to vice-president in 2016.

WHAT WAS IT LIKE BEING THE FIRST WOMAN
TO BE ON THE EXECUTIVE TEAM AT
MERCEDES-BENZ CANADA?
It was an unbelievable moment for me. The
amount of emails that I got from our female
employees that day, the people who came into my
office to congratulate me, was just overwhelming.

HOW CAN CORPORATIONS SUPPORT
WOMEN IN SENIOR ROLES?
We very much strive to support work-life balance. The expectation is not that people are staying late, and we have flex hours [and] work-fromhome policies ... for all employees.

Director of aftersales

CEO of financial services

From the start, Bulmer's career took an
unconventional path: The Montrealer's first fulltime position after university was in the motorcycle industry. She joined BMW Group Canada
in 2002, starting in marketing and working her
way up to a senior management role as director
of aftersales.

Erlewein was born in Germany and has been
with BMW Group for more than 20 years, working her way through roles in marketing, brand
management and aftersales before becoming
head of segment financial strategy in 2015 and
then moving to Canada last September to head
financial services.

HOW DID YOU END UP IN THIS ROLE?

WHY AUTOMOTIVE?

I never really thought I would see myself here.
But after having taken a few different steps along
the way, I thought, 'Why shouldn't I take a chance
at this?' ... I think sometimes as women, we may
say, 'I have lots to balance in my life; do I have
time to invest in this?' But if you're here to work
hard, you'll find a way to do that.

WHAT ADVICE CAN YOU GIVE TO WOMEN
WITH AMBITION IN THIS INDUSTRY?
Even though you may not see someone exactly
like you around the table, don't be afraid to bring
your voice to the discussion. You have something to
add, and it will likely be different. Make sure you
have the confidence to do that.

I was in car delivery as an intern, and I was so
fascinated by all the passion, the feelings, the emotional eruptions people had when they got their
car. That was so attractive for me that I decided to
try the automotive industry.

WHAT CAN SUCCESSFUL WOMEN DO TO SUPPORT
OTHER WOMEN?
You have an obligation in business, if you are
a woman who has achieved a lot, to speak out
and be a role model and not to assimilate, because
it's so easy to copy men's behaviour. I'm a strong
believer that diversity is good for business success.

Men would go, 'You're being emotional,
a typical woman.' Those are the kinds of
statements that I had to shut down.
NICOLETTE LAMBRECHTS
Mercedes-Benz Canada

Automotive News Canada - June 2019

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