Automotive News Canada - December 2023 - 21

21
SPECIAL
A
new movement shaking
the trees in high schools
and colleges trying to bring
women into the auto industry
is exploding in popularity
and, at least anecdotally,
appears to be making a difference.
Empowering Auto, a registered not-for-profit,
began in 2019 with a breakfast conference
and became a full-day event in 2022. It sold
out quickly, drawing 250 people, and in 2023,
there were more than 550 participants. About
half were students who attended for free
thanks to the sponsors.
Behind it all, from Hyundai Auto Canada
(HAC), are Aryan Habib, Jenn McCarthy and
Katherine Mior, who have collectively been
named Automotive News Canada Notable
Champions of Diversity.
Habib, manager of connected vehicles
and telematics business, said Empowering
Auto grew out of the employee resource
group Women at HAC when members decided
to do more to encourage women to seek
careers in automotive.
" There was this energy in the room, this
allyship, " Mior, manager of human resources
and DEI, said, " so I sent a message to Aryan
and said 'Let's rethink this conference idea. I
think we can do it.' "
They found one of their biggest allies
in company President Don Romano, who
backed the conference with sponsorship dollars
and championed their wish to take it to
the wider industry.
" He said, 'No, take it off-site, take [the
Hyundai logo] off. We'll be a sponsor and
we'll help out, but we don't need the logo,' "
Mior said.
Now, Empowering Auto is its own brand,
with Hyundai and Ford Canada as sponsors.
A date and venue for the 2024 conference
have yet to be announced, and while the
group expects growth, " we really like it to be
intimate, " Habib said. " I really enjoyed engaging
with the students who attended and telling
them about automotive as a career. "
" It really goes to who Don Romano is, "
McCarthy, national manager of public relations,
said. " He has been championing this
for a long time. We had our sworn enemies
come in and support this. We have the purest
attention to diversify. There's no hidden
Hyundai agenda. "
McCarthy said they don't expect overnight
results. " Empowering Auto isn't going
anywhere. We don't think we're going to see
major change for a few years, and that's OK. "
Still, Habib said she received a text from a
2023 conference participant asking for more
Empowering Auto isn't going anywhere. We
don't think we're going to see major change
for a few years, and that's OK. " - Jenn McCarthy
Aryan
Habib
AGE: 30
TITLE: MANAGER
OF CONNECTED
VEHICLES AND
TELEMATICS
BUSINESS,
HYUNDAI AUTO
CANADA
Jenn
McCarthy
AGE: 38
TITLE: NATIONAL
MANAGER OF PUBLIC
RELATIONS, HYUNDAI
AUTO CANADA
Katherine
Mior
AGE: 39
TITLE: MANAGER OF
HUMAN RESOURCES
AND DEI, HYUNDAI
AUTO CANADA
MORE DIVERSITY CHAMPIONS ON PAGE 22
FEATURE
information, and sees that as proof of concept.
Part of the challenge is also educating prospective
candidates that automotive encompasses
a wide variety of skills.
" We're just a regular corporation that has
all the regular roles: accounting, marketing,
legal, " Habib said. " For me, I always loved
cars, and it wasn't until I stumbled on a career
in automotive that I came here, so it's important
to pass on what I found. "
CONGRATULATIONS
FARID AHMAD!
At DSMA, we believe that diversity, equity and
inclusion are not just buzzwords, but drivers of
business success. We are extremely proud of our
Founder & CEO, Farid Ahmad for being the recipient
of this year's Automotive News Canada's Notable
Champions of Diversity Award.
DID YOU KNOW:
* DSMA's team members originate from
more than 20 different countries
* Our executive team consists of 50% women
* 90% of our support team members are under
the age of 40
* DSMA places on The Globe and Mail's fifth
annual ranking of Canada's Top Growing
Companies for the third consecutive year
Automotive News Canada - December 2023

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