Automotive News Canada - June 2024 - 11

* JUNE 2024
11
What will the next list of 100 Leading
Women reveal? It's time to apply
NEXT MAY, FOR THE SIXTH TIME,
Automotive News will celebrate 100
Leading Women in the North American
Auto Industry. This may be the first time
some Automotive News Canada readers
have heard about the project, but it has
been done by sibling publication
Automotive News since 2000.
For the next two months, we're accepting applications
for our prestigious list of 100 leading women.
Calling all
Canadian female
automotive
leaders: It's time
to celebrate
your drive and
accomplishments
in a big way.
Coordinating the selection of
these impressive executives every
five years has been a key mission
of mine since the project began
almost 25 years ago.
When we first set out to spotlight
top female executives, I suffered
through jokes like, " Are
there 100 women in the auto
industry? " Many top-level women
24 years ago were in the " soft "
disciplines - human resources,
legal services, public relations.
The road to CEO almost always
winds through the " hard " heart of the business - manufacturing,
engineering, sales. That year, I heard a lot of
war stories about being a woman forging a career in an
industry whose ranks skew heavily male.
Since then, I've paid close attention to who's in,
who's out, who's on her way up. Automotive News has
included 372 super smart, talented and accomplished
women on the five lists.
The second list, in 2005, was more robust. There
were more great candidates and less talk of boys' club
barriers.
By the time of the 2010 list, the Great Recession had
downsized the auto industry dramatically. Companies' priMARY
BETH
VANDER SCHAAF
AUTOMOTIVE NEWS
SENIOR DIRECTOR
OF EDITORIAL
OPERATIONS
orities changed, and massive cost cutting
reduced opportunities for women.
Gender diversity suffered as some
women lost their jobs, and nearly half
of the 2005 Leading Women had bolted
automotive to seek firmer footing in
other industries that were perhaps
more welcoming. What a loss of talent.
And then, in 2015, women made a comeback.
Companies seemed to have caught on that they should
put deserving women in key operating roles to prepare
them for the top jobs. Women had more clout. And one
of the women on that list was and still is the CEO of
General Motors.
In 2020, there were more opportunities for women
- a good portion of our list came from
branches of the industry that barely existed
five years before. The list showed that
the status of women in the industry had
continued to improve. It included 13
CEOs of automakers and suppliers, up
from six in 2015 and two in 2010.
SCAN TO APPLY
Multiple store purchases expand
group's Detroit Three presence
BANNISTER AUTOMOTIVE
Group has added a third Ford
store to its portfolio in Western
Canada, capping a busy May
for the dealership group that
now has 21 new-vehicle locations
across Alberta and British
Columbia.
The Kelowna, B.C., company
said on its social media channels
May 14 that it had
acquired Skaha Ford in
nearby Penticton. Terms
were not disclosed.
It is the family-owned
group's third dealership in
the small Okanagan Valley
city, where it also owns
General Motors and Kia
stores.
It has been fascinating to watch women rise in this
transforming industry. I can't wait to learn about the
remarkable accomplishments of the leaders who will be
on our next list.
If you're a female leader in the automotive field in
Canada who makes major decisions and has significant
influence at your company, apply at
autonews.com/leadingwomen2025.
The nomination and application window closes Aug.
12. The list and profiles of the 100 Leading Women in
the North American Auto Industry will be published in
May 2025. Honourees will be celebrated at a gala in
Detroit.
I'm prepared to be overwhelmed with applications.
- ANC
Skaha Ford was previously
owned by Brad Jinjoe and
was rebranded Bannister Ford
Penticton following the deal.
The acquisition comes
on the heels of Bannister
Automotive's purchase of
O'Connor Dodge-Chrysler-JeepRam
in Chilliwack, B.C., and
Mighty Peace Harley-Davidson
in Grande Prairie, Alta. Both
acquisitions were disclosed at
the start of May.
MONTREAL AREA DEALS INCLUDE
HYUNDAI, MITSUBISHI STORES
TWO QUEBEC DEALERSHIPS
changed hands in separate
acquisitions at the start of May.
Dealer Maxime Allard added
a fourth location to his network
of stores on the outskirts of
Montreal with the purchase of
Hyundai Longueuil. Allard disclosed
the purchase in a social
media post May 1 without sharing
the terms. The dealership
was previously owned by the
Rozon family.
Allard also owns Hyundai
St-Constant on Montreal's
South Shore. Two General
Motors locations - SteMarie
Automobiles and
Hawkesbury ChevroletCadillac
- round out his
portfolio.
In a separate acquisition,
Jocelyn Roy and
Maxime Desnoyers bought
Saint-Hyacinthe Mitsubishi in
the small city east of Montreal.
Terms were not disclosed.
The dealership was previously
owned by Dominique Fortin.
In a social media post May 1,
the former owner said he leaves
the dealership in " good hands "
after 18 years at the helm.
Both deals were brokered by
Dealer Solutions Mergers and
Acquisitions. - ANC
SEND US YOUR BUY-SELL NEWS
Whether you're directly involved in a buysell
deal or have a tip, send an email about
it to us: david.kennedy@autonews.com
http://www.autonews.com/leadingwomen2025
Automotive News Canada - June 2024

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