Automotive News Canada - December 2020 - v2 - 14

* D E C E M B E R 2 020

LEADING WOMEN ROUNDTABLE

What women
need: Men
as mentors
There are no gender
barriers for solid career
advice from colleagues
MEN WHO SUPPORT THE CAREER
advancement of women must be
recruited in the campaign to bolster
female ranks within Canada's auto
industry, according to panelists on
Automotive News Canada's Leading
Women Roundtable.
Maria Soklis, president of Cox
Automotive Canada and Brazil, said
the male mentors who offered her
guidance and support early in her
career were instrumental in keeping her engaged
in the industry,
especially as she
progressed into
executive positions.
" I really needed some strong
mentors in order
for me even to
find the courage to take that
step, " Soklis said.
Having male
" I couldn't have
mentors for
done it without
guidance and
these male counsupport were
important early in terparts, really
good role models
her career, said
[with] good colMaria Soklis of
laboration saying:
Cox Automotive
'It doesn't matter
Canada and
if you didn't come
Brazil. F I L E P H O T O
from automotive.
... You have the work ethic, you can
execute well, and we're here to support
you.' "
With women making up only 25 per
cent of the Canadian automotive industry's workforce, fostering a culture that
creates equal advancement opportunities can only succeed when men play
an active role, said Lorrie King, a partner at Deloitte Canada.
" The men at the top have to acknowledge the issue, for starters, and then they
have to demonstrate a strong commitment for change. Part of that commitment for change is having mentorship
and sponsorship programs that really
do start at the top of the organization,
because then it will permeate through.
" If it's not there at the top, it's not
going to change that culture. "
Men can signal their support
of women as they progress in their
careers by being aware of the preconceptions that men bring to their
actions and being overtly receptive to
female participation, Soklis said.
" I remember one incident in
Germany where everybody was walking in and handing me their coats,
only to find out that I was overlooking
their career path. Just having a seat at
the table, being interested in what my
opinion is even if it's different ... that,
for me, is critical in me staying and
doing as well as I have in the industry. " - ANC

Diversity must begin early
Industry should show girls - and
parents - opportunities abound

INITIATIVES AIMED AT ENCOURAGING GIRLS
to consider an automotive career should be a family
affair, said Diane Reko, CEO of Reko International
Group in Windsor, Ont.
" Quite often it's the parents whose frame of
mind we need to influence because they're the ones
that have grown up with the stereotypical thoughts
of our industry, " Reko
told the Automotive
News Canada Leading
Women Roundtable.
" If we can include
the parents in the
broader discussions
in our recruitment
efforts at a much
younger age, I think
that we probably
have a better chance
at making positive
strides on the way
If the auto industry wants we're perceived. "
In the Windsorto attract more women,
Essex region, an orgathe effort must begin
nization called Build
when they're girls and
a Dream was foundinclude parents, said
Diane Reko of Reko
ed in 2014 to encourInternational Group in
age young women to
Ontario. F I L E P H O T O
consider careers in
science, technology,
engineering and mathematics (STEM) by offering
career expos, workshops and hands-on activities.
" Their parents are there with them at Build a
Dream events taking them through, company by company and table by table, talking about career opportunities for their child, " said Shelley Fellows, chair of
Automate Canada.

Windsor-area organization Build a Dream has
helped demystify the auto industry and helped
girls consider it as a career option, said Shelley
Fellows of Automate Canada. F I L E P H O T O

" They're seeing role models. They're able to ask
questions. We're demystifying it. "
Sarah Hindle, general manager of future
retail at the Ontario-based dealership group Pfaff
Automotive Partners, said demonstrating that the
automotive business offers career opportunities
outside of selling cars has been eye-opening for
many high school students she has spoken with.
" If I can talk about somebody who started for me
as a lot assistant at some point who is now managing a store or managing a department, there's nothing better than that. They're [thinking]: 'There are so
many things that I could do. I don't have to sell cars.
I don't have to want to be a technician. ... Giving
them that full view of all of the opportunities is very
important from a young age.' " - ANC

Women are often top performers
The bottom line: Diverse
work force delivers higher sales
THE FEMININE TOUCH IN THE SHOWROOM
can increase sales and revenue, auto industry executives say.
With women influencing 80 per cent of car buying decisions, it is critical for businesses to employ
a workforce that represents their customer base,
said Joy Quaile, manager of the customer experience team at Hyundai Canada.
" We want to make sure our customers understand they're represented and,
if they ask questions, that they
can be responded to by people
that understand them, " Quaile
said during the Automotive
News Canada Leading Women
Roundtable.
" When there are conversations that have to be had, especially if they're not necessarily positive ones or there's a
Hyundai Canada's 'no' that has to be delivered,
we have the representation
Joy Quaile said a
workforce should [and] their needs are being
met. "
be as diverse as
A growing body of
its customers.
research points to the benePHOTO VIA
JOY QUAILE
fits of a diverse workforce.
Organizations with an inclusive culture are twice as likely to meet or exceed
their financial targets, six times more likely to be

innovative and agile and eight times more likely
to achieve better business outcomes, according to
a 2018 report by Deloitte titled " The Diversity and
Inclusion Revolution. "
And a 2018 report from the global-management
consulting firm McKinsey and Co. found that of
1,000 companies surveyed in
12 countries, those within the
top 25 per cent of female representation in leadership were
21 per cent more likely to be
more profitable.
Women could also be more
adept at closing sales than men.
A 2017 study performed by the
marketing software developer
HubSpot analyzed more than
30,000 sales calls and found that
women had an 11 per cent highHiring women
er closure rate.
has improved
customer
Laura Zanchin, execusatisfaction, said
tive vice-president of Zanchin
Laura Zanchin
Auto Group, said hiring
of Zanchin
women for consumer-facing
Automotive
roles has improved customer
Group.
satisfaction at her dealerships.
PHOTO: ZANCHIN
" People tend to feel a litAUTOMOTIVE GROUP
tle bit less intimidated if they
have to ask a question about a car or about a service. [Women] bring about a different way to communicate through conflict. We don't necessarily go
chest-out. We like to understand why the customer
is feeling the way that they are, and then we'll go
about it to try and find a resolution. " - ANC

Automotive News Canada - December 2020 - v2

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