From left to right: John White, President and CEO of Volkswagen Group Canada. Dianne Craig, President and CEO of Ford Motor Company of Canada, Maria Soklis, Vice-President and COO of Kia Canada, and Rick Gauthier, President and CEO of the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association met yesterday to discuss the CADA Summit.
With just over a month to go before they take part in a panel session at the CADA Summit on Feb. 13, the Canadian leaders of Ford, Volkswagen and Kia met yesterday for an in-depth planning session with the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association.
The meeting was organized by Rick Gauthier, CADA’s president and CEO, and hosted at the Markham, Ont. offices of Universus Media, publishers of Canadian auto dealer.
Although there are times when their business requires them to be on opposite sides of the table, on this day they were on the same page — trying to ensure that the sessions presented at the CADA Summit provide value to the dealer audience.
In an interview with Canadian auto dealer immediately after the meeting, the leaders expressed their excitement at being part of the inaugural CADA Summit event.
“I am excited and flattered to be part of this panel and I am really looking forward to the day,” says Dianne Craig, president and CEO of Ford Motor Company of Canada.
“This is going to be a very informative session,” says Maria Soklis, vice-president and COO of Kia Canada. “I’m very excited to be taking part in the Summit.”
Soklis says there will be a lot of information at the event about where the industry has been and where it’s going in the future.
John White, president and CEO of Volkswagen Group Canada said the event provides an opportunity to look forward and consider where the automotive retail industry is going. “Most of the time we are talking to our dealers about what is happening now, and what is happening this year, as opposed to really sitting back and talking more strategically and from a future perspective about trends and where we see the automotive business going,” says White. “I think this will be a great opportunity to do that. The Summit is fantastic and it looks like it’s well organized and I’m looking forward to being there.”
White says he was “excited and honoured” to be asked to join the panel. “I am surrounded by a lot of expertise and intelligence. It will be great to hear the different perspectives from Maria and Dianne.”
These panelists are among more than 20 speakers and panelists from Canada and the U.S. that are taking part in the one-day event.
Niel Hiscox, publisher of Canadian auto dealer attended yesterday’s briefing and will moderate the panel session.
Patrice Maltais, the Industry Relations Officer with the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association says the event is shaping up well.
“A panel session really brings value if the panelists are willing to turn it into a discussion where there is a real idea exchange between the participants,” says Hiscox. “If yesterday’s meeting is any indication, I think it’s going to be lively, and there will be some very interesting lines of discussion and a real willingness to talk frankly and openly.”
While not divulging the details of the discussions, Hiscox says the leaders appear to be excited about taking part in the session. “They are pleased with the approach and feel the topics we are going to be exploring are relevant and important and align with the key issues they see in the marketplace.”
Hiscox says he appreciates the fact that these leaders are willing to put themselves on stage in front of Canada’s auto dealers. “We wanted to make sure that they were comfortable with the approach I am taking with the panel.”
Also attending the briefing session was Patrice Maltais, CADA’s Industry Relations Officer, and the primary coordinator of the CADA Summit event.
“It’s something that’s been almost unheard of in Canada to have that amount of knowledge and insight in one day,” says Maltais. “I tried to put a program together that I wanted to see.”
Maltais says the calls he has been fielding from delegates who have signed up have been very positive. “Initially we had a great response from people outside Ontario and they wanted to make sure they got their spot,” he says.
Maltais says organizers wanted to limit the size of the CADA Summit so the dealers and speakers could still interact. “Interaction for us in the Summit was very important,” he says.
But because spots are limited, CADA is holding them for dealers and their management team but they need to act now to get their spots, he says, adding they are already almost half filled up.
“With the Summit we are trying to be ahead of the wave, so you can surf it instead of being crushed by it,” says Maltais. “Those attending can be be better prepared.”
Maltais says the event was designed in part to provide ideas and insights to CADA’s Industry Relations committee so they can be better informed about the challenges dealers are likely to face in the near future. It also builds on the findings of a CADA whitepaper about the dealer network of the future. “We want to be able to get the dealers involved,” says Maltais, adding that dealers and their senior managers can spend one day at the Summit and help them gain insights into forces that will shape their dealerships for years to come.
“The CADA Summit will give you a way to understand where you have been, where you are, and where you are going,” says Maltais.
The event is also designed with networking breaks, and includes lunch and dinner so that dealers will have a chance to network with speakers, OEM leaders, and their peers. They can also then attend the Canadian International Auto Show that starts the following day.
The event’s other featured keynotes include Bob Lutz, automotive industry legend and former Vice Chairman of General Motors and Steven Rattner, who was appointed by President Obama’s administration to oversee the historic restructuring of the U.S. auto industry.
TD Auto Finance is the exclusive CADA Summit sponsor.
- For more information visit: www.cadasummit.ca
- To view the agenda visit: www.cadasummit.ca/agenda
- To view the speaker’s bios visit: www.cadasummit.ca/speakers
- To register, visit: www.cadasummit.ca/registration
- The event is being held at the Hilton Toronto at 145 Richmond Street West, Toronto, and CADA has booked rooms at a special CADA Summit rate. For more information, visit: www.cadasummit.ca/hotel
