Automotive News Canada - December 2022 - 24

24
* DECEMBER 2022
SPECIAL
H
osting many of the leading voices in
Canadian automotive at this year's
TalkAuto conference in Toronto in
mid-November, Yolanda Biswah could
not help but feel emotional about the
change seven years has made. The
senior vice-president and general manager of Canadian
Black Book (CBB) vividly recalls being the only Black
person in the room at her inaugural TalkAuto conference
after joining the automotive data and valuation company
in 2015.
" I think we've come a long way, " Biswah said, reflecting
on the far more diverse audience and set of panelists at
the 2022 event she played a key role in organizing.
Biswah, who oversees all operations and sales at CBB,
is a strong advocate for increased Black and female representation
within the Canadian automotive industry.
" That's a big part of getting people to apply to your
Yolanda
Biswah
FEATURE
AGE: 54
TITLE: SENIOR VICE-PRESIDENT AND
GENERAL MANAGER, CANADIAN BLACK BOOK
[job] postings and also changing diversity in your organization, "
she said. " You have to have representation.
When I came up, there was no representation, there was
just me. "
Under Biswah's leadership, CBB has become one of
the most diverse organizations within Canadian automotive,
with roughly 60 per cent of staff being from traditionally
under-represented groups. For this, Biswah points to
the impact the presence of a Black leader has on applicants,
as well as her willingness to pursue hires through
non-traditional avenues.
" When I look to hire, or we look to bring people onto
our team, I don't necessarily look for diverse people. I
look for people who are best for the job, but I know how
to go into other venues to get to other applicants, such as
community programs ... where most traditional businesses
don't go. "
Throughout the recruitment process, CBB also avoids
certain queries that can discourage some job seekers,
Biswah said, such as questions about what neighbourhoods
job seekers live in and their credit history.
" We're changing small things as we learn, to make the
process more inclusive for everyone. "
In addition to her day job, Biswah is also involved in
Hearst Level Up Ventures at CBB parent firm Hearst
Communications Inc. She supports Black and Latino
entrepreneurs launching new businesses, specifically in
the automotive industry where representation is lacking.
She also volunteers her time to take part in Accelerate
Auto's internship committee, helping to forge partnerships
with universities to bring students from traditionally
under-represented communities into automotive. This process,
she said, has proved less laborious than expected,
with schools typically jumping at the opportunity.
" Every school and organization that we've called
across Ontario has responded promptly and immediately,
saying 'absolutely.' It just shows you that there is an absolute
attitude for change. "
Canadian automotive has made progress on diversifying
its workforce over the past several years, Biswah said,
but dealerships, automakers and other industry actors
cannot let up.
" This conversation needs to be continuous. It cannot
be based on your stats, or percentages of where you
need to be. This needs to be an intentional conversation
that carries forward. "
That's a big part of getting people to apply to your [job]
postings and also changing diversity in your organization.
You have to have representation. When I came up, there
was no representation, there was just me. "
Steve
Milette
S
AGE: 50
TITLE: PRESIDENT, NISSAN CANADA
ince taking over
as president of
Nissan Canada
Inc. (NCI) in 2019,
Steve Milette has
used the posting
to " elevate " both his own and
the company's focus on diversity,
equity and inclusion.
" At the time, we had one
female director on the executive
committee at NCI and our leadership
pipeline was not as robust
as it should be in terms of diversity, "
he said.
Milette said he had always
focused some of his time on
the diversity file, but high-profile
events such as the murder of
George Floyd in the United States
and the death of Joyce Echaquan
in Canada, both in 2020, resonated
with him, and reinforced that
" it was time for change. "
Over the past three years at
the helm, Milette has challenged
the team at NCI to take numerous
strides to increase the diversity of
its workforce, ensure voices of all
staff are heard, and build closer
ties with the diverse customer
communities it serves.
The early efforts, Milette said,
started with opening the lines of
communication with staff.
" We are fostering and encouraging
open dialogue with our
teams to open up and share our
vulnerabilities and to find solutions
that would make this a better
place to work, " he said, noting
he believes the hard work has
created an environment where
everyone is heard.
And staff voices are translating
directly into tangible changes at
the company.
NCI hosts a range of business
We are fostering and encouraging
open dialogue with our teams to
open up and share our vulnerabilities
and to fi nd solutions that would
make this a better place to work. "
synergy teams, such as Women,
Generations and Gay-Straight
Alliance Nissan, which see interested
staff come together for
educational events, networking
and celebrations. Several corporate
recommendations have
come out of these groups, Milette
said, including one for a " green
room " at the NCI office where
staff can go to decompress if
stress levels get too high. The
company is currently in the process
of setting up such a space,
he added.
When it comes to boosting
diversity through recruitment, the
company continues to hire the
best candidate for the job, Milette
said, but its process to identify
these candidates has evolved.
" What has changed is
approach to ensure we attract
candidates that would not normally
consider our industry or
our company and to standardize
the hiring process to ensure we
remove any biases. "
Among other steps, the company's
human resources team
has created diverse interviewer
committees and begun using
standardized interview questionnaires
to remove biases from the
hiring process.
Following the advice of an
external consultation in 2021,
Milette also pushed for the creation
of a new role focused entirely
on the diversity file to " guide
us through all aspects of the
business, placing a DEI lens on
everything we do. "
the
" Although [the position is] in
its infancy, our senior manager
of DEI recently led the organization
through a series of rich
inclusive conversations with our
team members. People want to
be heard, but they want to ensure
they can share their concerns
and ideas in a safe environment. "
Milette expects to see a far
different Canadian auto sector
emerge as changes at NCI and
other companies take root.
" The next 25 years will look
nothing like the last 25 years
and we will undoubtedly attract
a diverse workforce to tackle the
new paradigms of our industry. "
" The next 25 years will look nothing like the
last 25 years, " said Nissan Canada President
Steve Milette, second from left.
Automotive News Canada - December 2022

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