Automotive News Canada - July 2021 - 24

24
* JULY 2021
2021
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Finance guy says he's a wise
guy because he's a 'Why?' guy
By JIL McINTOSH
OSHAWA CORRESPONDENT
JOHN LEE
GOOD CUSTOMER RATINGS DEPEND ON RATES
IT'S NOT ENOUGH JUST TO OFFER GOOD
vehicles; automakers must also provide customers
ways to afford them. At Mississauga, Ont.based
Nissan Canada Finance, John
Lee works on finance and lease rates
and setting residual valuess.
" There's a lot of coordination with
different departments, including
sales and marketing, and CRM (customer
relationship management), "
said Lee, national manager of marketing
and pricing. " Certain departments
have their own budgets, and
we use them to come up with competitive
rates and
offers.
Meet the country's best and
brightest young leaders.
Lee: Nissan
Canada Finance
focuses on open
communication
between
departments
to ensure
customers are
getting the best
rates.
PHOTO: NISSAN
CANADA FINANCE
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" One person doesn't
determine everything. We
work together with each
department to make sure
they come up with the right
proposal for the customer. "
Lee, 34, studied mathematics
and statistics at the
University of Toronto. After
earning his degree in 2013,
he interned as an analyst
for consulting firms. That
same year, he joined Nissan
on contract as a remarketing
analyst, examining
vehicle prices at auction to
help position the company's
offerings. Lee eventually
became a full-time employee,
working through various
roles to his current position in 2019.
Part of his responsibility is being a liaison
between Nissan's finance and auto divisions.
About 90 per cent of his time is spent in meetings
and strategic planning.
" We are the department proposing the
[financing] programs, and then the decision
is made with the executive teams in different
departments. "
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DEALER DISCUSSIONS
Helping dealers succeed in the
new retail environment.
The programs are then relayed to dealers.
" This is critical because if a program is great
but communication isn't resonating with the
retailers, it's not effective. "
Lee believes his greatest asset is his curiosity.
" I'm always asking 'why,' what's the purpose,
why are we doing this? It gives me deeper understanding.
If you don't find the answer, you can't
move on to the next question. "
TAUSHA BRIDEAU
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BUILDING BUSINESS WITH 'PEOPLE INITIATIVES'
BIGGER ISN'T ALWAYS BETTER. AFTER
working at large corporations, Tausha Brideau
prefers someplace smaller.
As human resources
manager for Erin Park
Automotive's Toyota and
Lexus stores in Mississauga,
Ont., she has built relationships
with every employee.
" My role is a balance
between aligning HR practices
with day-to-day operations
and also supporting
how we'll grow the business
through people initiatives, "
she said.
from just selling
vehicles.
PHOTO: NOELLEN
BOLLOZOS
Brideau, 41, initially
planned to focus her studies
on finance and accounting.
" But I had the best professor
and she inspired me
After studying at Durham College in Oshawa,
Ont., and Alberta's Athabasca University,
Brideau became a certified human resources
leader and a member of the Human Resources
Professional Association (HRPA).
Brideau worked for companies specializing in
telecommunications, packaged goods and entertainment,
moving around " just to learn more
about business and operations. "
She spotted an ad for HR at Erin Park
Automotive and joined the company
in 2012.
Brideau handles onboarding,
employee relations, employer compliance
and health and safety, ensuring
that employees and customers comply
with COVID-19 protocols. She also
creates the strategy for the company's
" Building a Career " pages on its websites.
" I
emphasize employer value and
why it's great to work at Erin Park, "
Brideau said. " We've changed from
just selling cars to being a people business, and
we need to find the right people to be able to provide
that service at the level we expect. "
There's a stereotype that HR can make or
break employees, Brideau said. She works with
managers to overcome that.
" My role, and the managers' role, is to coach
people to success.
" Communication between a team member
and a leader is key, and that includes me. "
JESSI KESSEL
LOCATING THE RIGHT PEOPLE FOR THE RIGHT JOB
IN THE HUNT FOR TALENT, JESSI KESSEL
and her team at Auto Careers Group help pair
prospective job candidates with employers.
" We work with automotive companies and
our main core service is recruitment, selecting
the right individual to hire, " said Kessel, 38,
national director at the Toronto-area company.
" Our primary business is dealerships and
some [automaker] hiring. "
Among her duties is training employees who
recruit the people with the
skills being sought by clients.
" I
look at how we're hiring
and training our internal
staff and overseeing the
sales cycles and numbers, "
she said. " I look at core operations
and how to make it
more efficient, and then our
marketing and branding. "
While studying to
become a paralegal, Kessel
worked part-time as a dealership
receptionist, but
finally decided against law.
" Automotive is more fun
and different, full of dynamic
and interesting people. "
Kessel: The
most valuable
dealership
employees adapt
well and have
broad skillsets.
PHOTO: AUTO
CAREERS GROUP
After completing her schooling, Kessel
worked in several auto-related positions, including
launching her own dealership-marketing
company, before joining Auto Careers Group in
2019 as director of operations.
" I'm very entrepreneurial, and building a
team... and determining strategic direction is
what I know how to do. "
She was promoted to national director in
January.
Brideau: Her
dealerships have
transformed
into people
businesses
to combine my passions for business and working
with people, and I decided on HR. "
" On a typical day, I could be talking to
account representatives about their sales, to our
clients to update where we are on a search, or
our marketing team about our social media. "
Declining vehicle sales during the pandemic
led to layoffs in auto retail and Kessel now finds
that dealers are maximizing existing staff, hiring
only when absolutely necessary.
" The most valuable people must be adaptable
and have varied skillsets to match the different
needs of the business of today, not the business
of 10 years ago. " - ANC
Automotive News Canada - July 2021

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