Some Canadians have elevated adaptation to an art form - LeddarTech
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• JULY 2021 13
Some Canadians
have elevated
adaptation
to an art form
THE FOURTH ANNUAL CANADIANS TO WATCH
recognizes key players, influencers and rising stars across
the spectrum of the Canadian auto industry. There are
certainly many more Canadians to watch, but the stories of
the individuals selected for the 2021 edition provide a glimpse
of the creativity and energy devoted to an industry that’s in a
constant state of dramatic technological change. The last year,
in particular, has been dominated by the COVID-19pandemic,
a transformative work-from-home culture,
the shift to electric vehicles and consumers
who have grown even more accustomed
to shopping from their electronic devices.
MEET THEM PAGES 14-21
14 • JULY 2021
Accelerating a diverse industry
as one of the founders of Accelerate Auto, a
new nonprofit aimed at improving diversi-
ty in the industry, she’s helping encourage
other people of colour who, such as herself,
munications in 2017 and moved to her cur- might never have considered a career in
JENNIFER OKOEGUALE rent role as consultant in major events in
August 2020. Along the way, she developed
automotive.
Consultant, Major Events, Toyota Canada
a reputation for being a powerful advocate
for racial diversity across the automotive IN HER OWN WORDS:
CHOSEN BECAUSE: industry. In the aftermath of the murder “I was very nervous going out with
Jennifer Okoeguale never considered a last year of George Floyd in Minneapolis, [Accelerate Auto]. I was not sure how
career in automotive until a job listing at Okoeguale decided more needed to be done receptive the industry would be, but I
Toyota Canada appeared on her radar. “I’m to promote diversity across the industry. had a moment of personal reflection —
not a nuts-and-bolts person, I don’t know She lobbied Toyota Canada executives, who ‘Will this affect my career?’ The second
how a car works, am I ever going to fit in?” gave her the green light to become one of I started questioning that, I knew it was
she recalls asking herself. Nobody’s asking the automaker’s leading ambassadors for the right path. It has not been a risk at
whether she fits in anymore. diversity. She’s changing how Toyota com- all. The leaders have stepped up. They’ve
Okoeguale, 28, started in corporate com- municates with diverse communities. And seen the need for Accelerate Auto.”
Driver-assist Engineer is a
leader senses ‘best-in-class’ act
a new direction PARAN HILBI
Resident Engineering Lead, Stellantis
FRANTZ SAINTELLEMY CHOSEN BECAUSE:
In five years with FCA/Stellantis,
COO, LeddarTech engineer Paran Hilbi, 31, has progressed
from data analyst to a resident engineer-
CHOSEN BECAUSE: ing lead in charge of the 2021 Chrysler
Pacifica refresh and all-whee-drive
Frantz Saintellemy, 47, is COO of Quebec- launch. Steering a staff of more
based LeddarTech at a crucial moment for than 25 plant vehicle engi-
the industry and for the advanced driver-as- neers for the Pacifica
sistance system (ADAS) company. For a big
chunk of 2020, the pandemic largely paused
much of the industry’s development and test-
ing of ADAS technology.
For target marketing, refresh, she tracked
all engineering
issues to resolu-
tion.
her aim is true
But things have been heating up, and An expert in
LeddarTech sees itself leading this resur- manufacturing
gence. Saintellemy is helping guide the com- quality engi-
pany as it looks to address the diverse needs neering, Hilbi
of its customers. Some automakers are look- McKinnon, to develop online challenges her
ing for an incremental approach to adopting
ADAS technology while others want to make JENNIFER SONGVILAY campaigns they disseminate
through their own social media
team to be “best
in class.” She
huge leaps forward in short periods of time. Manager, Digital Marketing channels. developed “a
“It forces us to really be at the forefront of and Social Media, Songvilay, a graduate of team of leaders,”
problems to solve,” Saintellemy said. Hyundai Auto Canada Corp. Ryerson University with a bach- and she co-leads
elor’s degree in hospitality the co-op program
and tourism marketing, joined with the University
IN HIS OWN WORDS: CHOSEN BECAUSE: Hyundai in 2017 as digital mar- of Windsor, which
Jennifer Songvilay is con- keting coordinator. By using the
“We think we can be one of the compa- stantly looking for new ways to in turn has resulted
nies that can help consolidate the industry. wealth of available data on con- in numerous graduates
reach potential Hyundai buyers sumers’ habits and interests, her
In the last year, we have done two acquisi- through digital and social media being hired by Stellantis.
team developed a more target-
tions — one in Israel, one in Canada. The campaigns that resonate with ed online strategy that generat-
pandemic got rid of a their specific interests, such as
lot of the noise around ed better results at a lower cost, IN HER OWN WORDS:
mountain biking or motorsports. Songvilay said.
autonomous driving, “It’s about reaching the “It’s an honour to have been a part
around lidar, to right audience at the right time of the first-ever hybrid minivan launch
focus on ADAS and with the right message,” said in 2017, and the 2021 Chrysler Pacifica
advanced auton- Songvilay, 35. “I think that IN HER OWN WORDS: refresh and AWD launch. My vision is to
omy features and makes a huge difference versus “If you have an effective mes- continue to demonstrate resilience as I
pushing out [auton- just blasting everyone with an sage or creative that’s relevant develop myself along with developing the
omous vehicles] to ad.” to the consumer, it will resonate strongest and high-performing cross-func-
a more realistic To reach her target audi- with them more and they will tional team.
timeline.” ence, Songvilay often partners more likely take an action. And “My goal is to utilize passion as a lever
with online influencers, such as that action will drive a conver- to help the team do their jobs better, set
Calgary professional snowboard- sion, which will then result in clear expectations, drive collaboration
er Leanne Pelosi or Toronto’s greater cost efficiencies for media through respect, reinforce positive behav-
YouTube cinematographer Peter investments.” iors and drive results.”
In the EV era, he’s focused on customers decision that’s made at both the automak-
er and dealership level.
standpoint,” said Paladino, 44. IN HIS OWN WORDS:
VITO PALADINO Audi’s biggest challenge moving for-
ward is maintaining a continual focus on
“The key to ensure a smooth transition
is to continue to be customer-centric from a
President, Audi Canada balancing strong sales performance with corporate and dealership perspective, which
aggressively planning to be a premium will position us in the centre of the custom-
CHOSEN BECAUSE: leader in an industry undergoing seismic er journey. A customer-first mindset with-
In just seven years at Audi Canada, technological change, Paladino says. in our communications, training, customer
Vito Paladino has risen through the ranks, Starting in 2026, the Germany-based consultations and digital platforms will sup-
assuming the top spot in 2020. Throughout luxury brand says it will launch new elec- port the transition of our employees, dealers
his career, the auto industry has always tric models only. But customers, he said, and customers to the world of e-mobility
had an “innovative lens from a product must remain at the centre of every key and autonomous driving.”
16 • JULY 2021
The power for
a ‘megabattery’
factory
reduce charging times and allow-
SOROUSH NAZARPOUR
CEO, NanoXplore Inc.
ing EVs to go farther on a charge —
addressing two key areas of concern
among Canadian consumers.
This year, NanoXplore formed
CHOSEN BECAUSE: a joint venture with Ontario sup-
Soroush Nazarpour, 36, leads plier Martinrea International
NanoXplore Inc., a Quebec-based Inc. to prove graphene’s poten-
supplier of a substance — graphene
powder — that could make electric
vehicles more efficient and lead to
tial for EV batteries. If the JV,
dubbed VoltaXplore, is successful,
Martinrea and NanoXplore have sig-
naled interest in opening Canada’s
Rolls exec plays a new role for
their mass adoption. Despite being
incredibly thin, graphene is stron-
ger than steel and
more conductive
first “megabattery factory.”
a brand looking for separation
than copper, and IN HIS OWN WORDS: ning for the Canadian operations of
it will not break
down at high
“There are a lot of good tech-
nologies out there, but they are
MATTHEW WILSON
General Manager, Canada
Rolls-Royce’s parent, BMW — the move
requires rethinking how to run a car
temperatures. either not scalable or they’re company.
expensive and people really Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Catering to clients who demand a
Those prop-
erties could don’t use them. Graphene is bespoke car that is uniquely theirs — and
make it an something that can actually CHOSEN BECAUSE: pay as much as a 40 per cent premium
ideal materi- change the way people live. It Matthew Wilson, 43, started as Rolls- over the suggested retail price — requires
al for EV bat- impacts multiple industries. Royce Motor Cars’ Canada-based gen- a single-minded focus on the relation-
teries, helping It’s a very strategic material. eral manager in February, putting an ship and the understanding of what the
And for us, the mission was to executive in charge of the Great White client wants, and then seeing that vision
make it accessible to pretty much North for the first time in the carmak- through to completion with the factory in
everybody. Let’s bring the price er’s 116-year history. It’s a significant Goodwood, England, Wilson said.
down and bring the vol- step for a company that typically sells a
ume to scale.” bit more than 100 ultraluxury cars a year
in Canada. Rolls-Royce sells 3,000 to 5,000 IN HIS OWN WORDS:
vehicles a year, globally. “As soon as I saw this [job], I knew it
Why the change? It was time for was the right opportunity for me. This
the brand to carve out an identity in was the biggest shift, not like anything
Canada separate from that of the United I expected. I feel like I’ve left the indus-
States. For Wilson — who previously try, left the group, because the business
was national manager of product plan- model is so different.”
Her incentive strategy:
Making women matter
I felt like my voice wasn’t able
JESSICA TODD to be heard. I was just talked
over by the men at the table.”
Senior Manager, Incentives The resource group has
Strategy hosted companywide gen-
Hyundai Auto Canada Corp. der-equity conferences, given
talks at universities aimed at
CHOSEN BECAUSE: persuading more women to
For Jessica Todd, two key consider a career in the auto
accomplishments are a source industry, and encouraged
of immense pride. Since being men to join their group as
promoted to senior manager allies. The result has been an
of incentives strategy in 2018, increase in the percentage of
she has overseen a decrease in women working at Hyundai
Hyundai’s incentives spending Canada to 35 per cent from 30
by almost 50 per cent. She also per cent. The company has
set a personal goal two years also been certified as a Great
ago of making the automak- Place to Work for Women
er a better place to work for based on confidential employ-
women. Together with a col- ee surveys, Todd said.
league, she started a resource
group called Women at HACC
(Hyundai Auto Canada Corp.) IN HER OWN WORDS:
to raise awareness of the “It doesn’t mat-
challenges women face in ter that you’re
a male-dominated indus- a woman in a
try. male-dominat-
“There have been ed industry. You
countless times in have the ability
a meeting where to do anything
I’ve been the only a man can do
woman in the in this indus-
room,” said Todd, try.”
35. “A lot of times,
Great service. We’re driven by it.
Congratulations to the winners of the Nissan Award of Excellence
for great customer service and sales.
APPLEWOOD NISSAN RICHMOND HGRÉGOIRE CHOMEDEY HGRÉGOIRE VIMONT
Richmond, BC Laval (Chomedey), QC Laval (Vimont), QC
applewoodnissanrichmond.ca chomedeynissan.com nissanvimontlaval.com
HUNTCLUB NISSAN MYERS ORLEANS NISSAN MORREY NISSAN OF COQUITLAM
Ottawa, ON Orleans, ON Coquitlam, BC
huntclubnissan.com myersnissan.ca morreynissancoquitlam.com
NISSAN GABRIEL JEAN-TALON STE-FOY NISSAN ALTA NISSAN
Montreal, QC Quebec City, QC Woodbridge, ON
citenissangabriel.com stefoynissan.com altanissan.com
ALTA NISSAN RICHMOND HILL ECONOMY WHEELS HALF-WAY MOTORS
Richmond Hill, ON Lindsay, ON Thunder Bay, ON
altanissanrh.com lindsaynissan.ca halfwaymotorsnissan.com
ORANGEVILLE NISSAN VICTORIAVILLE NISSAN BOURGEOIS MIDLAND NISSAN
Mono, ON Victoriaville, QC Midland, ON
orangevillenissan.com nissanvictoriaville.com bourgeoisnissan.com
CORNER BROOK NISSAN RIVER CITY NISSAN SOREL-TRACY NISSAN
Corner Brook, NL Kamloops, BC Sorel-Tracy, QC
cornerbrooknissan.com rivercitynissan.com soreltracynissan.ca
CENTURY NISSAN HICKMAN NISSAN CLARENVILLE YARMOUTH NISSAN
Antigonish, NS Clarenville, NL Yarmouth, NS
centurynissan.ca hickmannissanclarenville.ca nissanyarmouth.ca
18 • JULY 2021
Engineer Building a future
guides GM’s for Oshawa plant
Super Cruise JACQUELINE
THOMSON
control General Assembly Area
Manager, Oshawa Assembly,
General Motors
PHILIP ASANTE CHOSEN BECAUSE:
Jacqueline Thomson,
Senior DevOps Engineer, 45, is the first female gen-
General Motors eral-assembly-area manag-
er in the history of General
CHOSEN BECAUSE: Motors Canada, helping pre-
Philip Asante, 32, is part of a growing pare Oshawa Assembly for
team at General Motors that’s develop- the return of vehicle produc-
ing the infrastructure for the automak- tion after the plant was idled
er’s Super Cruise advanced driver-as- in late 2019.
sist system, which debuted in 2017 and Thomson, a 21-year veter-
is expected to be on 22 vehicles by 2023. an of GM Canada, had previ-
it one of the fastest plant
Asante joined GM in 2018 after begin- ous roles in corporate com-
launches in its history.
ning his career at aerospace companies munications, labour rela-
such as Lockheed Martin. He and his tions and human resources.
team are responsible for bringing togeth- Now she spends much of her
er the hardware and software components time working on plant lay- IN HER OWN WORDS:
needed for Super Cruise to function. outs, safety planning and “I know the industry has
GM is investing heavily in new technolo- helping bring in new hires. transformed, and we’ve gone
gies, and for Asante and his team, “The sky After GM announced through different things in
is the limit, literally.” to be driving the vehicle, just imagine how that late last year a $1.3-billion lieu of that, but to me there’s
would change our lives. investment in the facility, such a pride within the
“You no longer need a driver’s licence. You Oshawa is set to produce Oshawa team. I’m ecstatic
might not need to have multiple cars if you have full-size pickups starting in to be back and a part of it. …
IN HIS OWN WORDS: multiple individuals in your household. You could the fourth quarter. GM calls It’s like a rebirth.”
“If we are able to expand this active safe- share the car and go to work and have your car go
ty and autonomous suite and eventually get drop your kids off at school. It’s an area that will
to a point where we no longer need a person help reduce congestion.”
A legal leader, be it
trade or pandemic
ZAHAR ORLOV IN HIS OWN WORDS:
“I don’t think there’s
Executive Legal Director, ever been a time — and
Martinrea International Inc. there probably won’t be
a time again in my life-
CHOSEN BECAUSE: time — where laws change
From working on merg- that frequently. Typically,
ers and learning new trade a law changes once in a
rules, to navigating con- blue moon. Here, you wake
stantly shifting pandemic up and it’s like, what hap-
regulations, Zahar Orlov, pened? You can’t trav-
37, has been critical in help- el here, you can’t operate
ing Martinrea International there, but you can operate
sort through major issues. here with exclusions. It has
As the auto supplier’s exec- been a lot of work, but it
utive legal director, he has has been a very fascinating
worked with the company’s time. Hopefully, we’re at the
executives and other indus- end of it.”
try voices on the implemen-
tation of the United States-
Mexico-Canada Agreement.
When questions arose over
how to count labour toward
the USMCA’s requirements,
Orlov and other Martinrea
executives gave government
officials a tour of the compa-
ny’s operations to show how
a modern plant works.
Since last year, Orlov
has helped Martinrea sort
through constantly shift-
ing COVID-19 rules and
regulations around
the world.
“It’s been a fasci-
nating time to prac-
tice law,” he said.
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20 • JULY 2021
True grit He’s plugging away
translates at buyer acceptance
into sales
CHRISTOPHER NABETA
success National Manager, Fleet CPO and
Remarketing, Volvo Car Canada
CHOSEN BECAUSE:
TANYA VAN DONGEN Christopher Nabeta’s current role
at Volvo is helping pave the way to
Sales and Leasing, Rose City Ford,
Windsor, Ont. a plug-in future. The automaker is
steadily boosting its electri-
fied powertrains, but custom-
CHOSEN BECAUSE: ers must want to buy them.
Being a young woman in a Nabeta, 37, is working to
largely male-dominated pro- expand buyer acceptance
fession has been no obstacle by integrating electric vehi-
for Tanya Van Dongen. The cles into Volvo’s fleet and
26-year-old sales and leasing rental channels. The idea is
employee at Rose City Ford to get more drivers behind
in Windsor, Ont., has been a the wheel and help make the
top one-percentile perform- ownership process similar to
er on the AutoCanada Inc.’s that of conventional cars.
Chairman’s List for the last two Nabeta worked in customer ser-
years. vice and dealer retail before joining IN HIS OWN WORDS:
It’s quite a feat for Van Dongen, Volvo in 2020. There he has used his “With remarketing, I take a holistic
who joined Rose City Ford about knowledge of customer behaviour to approach in supporting the company
four years ago. Born and raised in an IN HER OWN WORDS: help tailor programs for EVs, includ- by working with all our departments.
automotive family, she had initial- “It has been challenging to be not ing charging and roadside assistance. We look at marketing, customer expe-
ly planned to become a lawyer, but just female but young and successful, Remarketing EVs also presents issues rience, service, facilities and financial
decided to give selling cars a try to but I would encourage other young such as vehicle valuation and con- services to build brand equity, includ-
earn extra money. women to enter [the business]. You’ve sumer concerns over battery life, ing with electrification. Eventually,
“In the first month I didn’t think got to have grit, a strong will and a Nabeta said. The challenge is figur- every [internal combustion vehi-
it [sales] was for me; in the second strong head. I came into the industry ing out an EV’s future worth, and con- cle] will be replaced by an electri-
month, I got to the top of the [sales] to challenge perceptions. Much of my vincing buyers that the battery on a fied vehicle, and the company that
board,” where she has stayed since. success has come through repeat cus- used vehicle is going to last, he said. understands its customers and offers
tomers and referrals, the biggest com- the best solutions will have the lion’s
pliments for a salesperson ever.” share of that customer base.”
With sedan market stalled,
SHOWROOM QUALITY CLEAN she drives Sentra success
Aquarama Car Washes produce best-in-class wash quality
ers as business partners.”
and increase CSI thresholds – guaranteed!
JENNIFER LUONG In her most recent role as
senior manager of chief mar-
Senior Manager, Chief keting management, Luong
Marketing Management, led the campaign for the new
Nissan Canada Inc. Sentra, “doubling the share
from the outgoing model” to
4.8 per cent in March 2020
CHOSEN BECAUSE: from 2.4 per cent in April
Jennifer Luong, 28, has 2019.
been instrumental in boost-
ing market share for the new
Nissan Sentra at a time IN HER OWN WORDS:
when consumer “I call myself a
appetite is heavily business consul-
weighted toward tant working
crossovers, directly with
SUVs and pick- dealers, look-
ups. Successes ing for areas
in customer of oppor-
service and tunity to
incentives expand, best
at Infiniti practices
led Luong and access-
to Nissan ing more
Canada’s mar- business.
keting office, It is import-
where she ant to be the
manages cross- best version of
overs and passen- yourself, … be a
ger cars. She spent positive force, to
“I’ve installed an Aquarama Car Wash three-and-a-half years pay forward what I
in every one of my Dealerships. My customers in the field as a fixed-op- have learned through
and employees love the results” erations manager, working mentoring and networking.
—NAV BHATIA, President, Nav Bhatia Automotive Group directly with dealerships By keeping the customer in
across southwestern Ontario, mind, whatever you produce
info@auto-tecgroup.com • Toll Free: 1-855-332-0260 and as a dealer operations should resonate with the cus-
manager “engaging our deal- tomer.”
• JULY 2021 21
EV ambitions Trail blazer
put a jolt in VW trains
product planner brains
PATRICK DANIELSON LAUREN TEDESCO
Director, Product Planning, Vice-President, Learning and
Volkswagen Group Canada Ltd. Development, Automotive Parts
Manufacturers’ Association (APMA)
to allow established workers to gain
CHOSEN BECAUSE: skills at their own pace, with the pro-
After less than two years at CHOSEN BECAUSE: gram forecast to train as many as
Volkswagen Canada, Patrick Danielson Lauren Tedesco is on the front 5,000 workers in the first year.
finds himself stickhandling two key lines of the “war for talent” in
challenges: VW’s transformation to an Canadian manufacturing. Her mis-
electric-vehicle company; and ensur- sion is to position the auto sector as IN HER OWN WORDS:
ing that its prod- one of the global leaders in technol- “I joke it’s the Netflix of training.
uct line meets ogy and mobility by attracting and You go online and pick your courses.
the preferences training the workforce of the future. There are assignments to complete,
of Canadian con- Tedesco, 36, is the first female and then there’s an algorithm — you
sumers. vice-president in the Automotive took these types of courses; here are
other ones you might be interested
His role is par- Parts Manufacturers’ Association’s
ticularly press- IN HIS OWN WORDS: 70-year history. She oversees the in. So there’s a push on the platform
ing in light of this “Everything we do — from auto sales workforce-development programs to move people along so they can look
summer’s launch to our dealer network — ladders up from and policy for the auto-supplier sec- at the career-development piece rath-
of the all-elec- product planning. We are always lob- tor. er than just training in the role that
tric ID.4 and new bying on behalf of Canadian consumers She is currently building the first they’re currently in. With upskilling,
Taos into the fiercely competitive com- in the way our cars are contented and industrywide digital learning pro- training and being able to attract new
pact-crossover segment. priced. Everyone deserves to have a bet- gram, designed to address the short- talent, people can really be thoughtful
As Volkswagen works toward its ter car; that means we have to under- age of skilled trades. The program is about what the future of their compa-
goal of being completely carbon-neutral stand our customers and keep an eye on set to launch this year and will offer ny looks like, the future of the industry
in every facet of its global operations by the future by predicting their needs and courses in areas such as health and looks like and be a bit more strategic,
2050, Danielson, 33, will be at the centre wants even before they know what they safety, lean manufacturing, quality which ultimately makes us more com-
of the Canadian operation’s efforts. are.” assurance and leadership. The aim is petitive as an auto sector.” — ANC
CONGRATULATIONS JENN
on being named one of Automotive News’
Canadians to Watch!
For the second year in a row, Nissan Canada
has been certified as a Great Place to Work.
Even in a period of change in the industry,
we have remained focused on inclusion
and creating a highly collaborative culture
that is committed to fostering new and
exciting opportunities for our employees.
Jennifer Luong
Senior Manager, Chief Marketing Management
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