Despite the progress and profile, the percentage of women in auto hasn’t spiked as much as you might expect
While the Canadian automotive industry is encouraging women to become a part of it and many have risen into managerial roles, there are still only relatively few who are Dealer Principals or Managing Partners.
In fact, you could probably count the collective group on two hands, mainly because there aren’t many opportunities available and it’s been limited to a succession plan in the family business or through experience working in one dealership or a series of dealerships.
“There are still not many women in leading automotive roles, but I’m meeting more each year,” said Monika Carmichael, who is the Dealer Principal/GM of Trent Valley Honda in Peterborough. “Generally, traditional practice has been to grow a male General Manager from within, or train and educate sons in the family business.”
This year marks Carmichael’s 30th anniversary as GM. She purchased the majority interest in the store from her parents 20 years ago. She said it was always an option or opportunity, though never an expectation or assumption to be an owner.
Monika Carmichael
“I’ve actually run the store longer than my parents did now,” said Carmichael. “It took a lot of hard work, sacrifice and investment. From the very beginning, if I had any interest in becoming an owner, there was a price to pay. You don’t get approved as a General Manager or Dealer Principal by your franchise simply through succession planning. I had to borrow money, make many personal and relationship sacrifices, and work many hours, garnering results for the store, all to ultimately earn the opportunity to buy the dealership.
“I have been called a trailblazer for many years and have had the privilege of mentoring countless young women entering this industry. This experience has been truly inspiring for me. I have participated in numerous mentorship programs and continue to support and encourage women to join this exciting field. I am fortunate to have a strong network of remarkable women in the automotive industry whom I rely on and support. We lift each other up.”
“When I started in my early 20s, I would attend meetings with 200 dealers and often be the only woman in the room.” — Monika Carmichael
Carmichael took part in the 2023 Scotiabank Women’s Initiative Program, a national initiative focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion and helping women grow their businesses and advance their careers. The Women in Automotive Accelerator Program paired eight female automotive leaders in the Ontario/Atlantic Canada region with eight women aspiring to become Managing Partners and General Managers.
“When I started in my early 20s, I would attend meetings with 200 dealers and often be the only woman in the room,” said Carmichael. “But 10 years ago, there was a pivotal moment when my Zone Manager was a woman for the first time, and my District Manager was also a woman for the first time. Those roles were traditionally held by men. I consider myself fortunate to witness that progress and to be a part of it.
“I like to call myself a potential addict. It’s an inspiring passion for me to see women succeed in non-traditional roles within the automotive industry.”
Carmichael’s observations are backed up by the data.
Alyssa McKeown
In its CADA Workforce Study released in 2024, the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association (CADA) found that the number of women working in automotive has not been rising as we might expect.
At the end of 2023, 23 per cent of active employees in Canadian new car dealerships were women — which is virtually unchanged since 2021. And what’s worse, is the female ratio has increased less than 2 percentage points since 2016.
In terms of the roles they do play, F&I Managers have the highest ratio of women at 41 per cent, followed by Service Advisors, 35 per cent.
Alyssa McKeown, Managing Partner/GM of Forbes Motors in Kitchener, said the women’s movement in ownership is evolving.
“I think we have hope now more than ever, but I just don’t think we’re there yet,” said McKeown.
McKeown has an extensive resume in the business working for various companies and brands, beginning in 2000. In August 2022 after it acquired Forbes Motors in Kitchener, AUTO IQ offered her the chance to become Managing Partner/GM. She had been working for more than three years previous as GM for Kitchener Hyundai, also owned by AUTO IQ.
“I never thought it was possible because I never really saw any females in that role as I was growing up in the business,” said McKeown. “Without seeing it, you don’t think it’s possible. My motto is, ‘just say yes.’ If somebody approaches me with an opportunity, I’ve always said, ‘Yeah, let’s do it.’”
McKeown hopes to acquire a second store in five years and has purposely hired many women to give them opportunities and experience. She said it has been harder for women to climb the managerial ladder.
“It’s not conducive to having a great home life and family necessarily because we march to the customer’s drum,” said McKeown. “When the customer wants to do business, we need to be able to do it.”
McKeown was the 2024 recipient of the Motor Vehicle Retailers of Ontario (MVRO) Women Driven Leadership Award in the category of Influencer & Advocacy Leadership.
Tammy Roach
Tammy Roach, Dealer Principal Charlottetown Mitsubishi, worked 19 years in the industry in Prince Edward Island when she was apprised Mitsubishi was looking for an open-point store in the province. John Vernile, an executive with Volkswagen Group Canada who had then gone to work for Mitsubishi, asked if she was interested. She had great success doubling her market share as GM of Brown’s Volkswagen in Charlottetown.
“I never thought I would have the opportunity because I didn’t come from money or entrepreneurs,” said Roach. “I tell everybody I was raised on Kraft Dinner and tuna, but when given the opportunity I ran with it. I worked really, really hard and took a lot of chances. I put my whole life on the line and took the leap. I didn’t know how I was going to get the money, but I did.”
She put together a business plan and sent it to everyone she thought might have money, thinking she needed to raise between $500,000-$1 million. An Ontario-based woman GM who knew Roach talked to her Dealer Principal about helping. He then called Roach and told her that she needed more capital than she realized and flew in for a meeting. He gave her the majority of the money she raised. She also put her own financing on the line.
“It was really hard, the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” said Roach. “I just kind of kept doing it. Every day I’d just kind of take another step forward. I just kept pushing and pushing until I got my money. I was probably the brokest Dealer Principal ever when I first opened, but I knew I could do it if I could get the funding in place.”
She had great support from her husband, Robin, who worked for her VW dealership as the Used Car Manager.
“He was really helpful, 100 per cent in, and knew some things better than I did,” she said. “I always say, ‘Surround yourself with people smarter than you.’ I don’t have a big ego.”
Christy Fines
Christy Fines, who received the 2024 MVRO Community Leadership Award winner, has been in the business for more than 20 years and is Managing Partner/GM of 400 Chrysler and Barrie Chrysler. Her automotive career began in a summer job in 2004 detailing cars and some other things at Hallmark Toyota in Orangeville. She intended to go to university and enter law school after that but “fell into the car business” and shifted to Business Marketing at Sheridan College. During that interval, she sold a car one day when the dealership was short staffed.
“The rush of selling my first car and the high that comes with that, I knew I was hooked,” said Fines.
“The automotive world is fairly male dominated, so even when you get strong females I think traditionally it has been hard to move into those roles,” — Christy Fines
After college, she began working at Barrie Ford for more than 10 years and then moved to 400 Chrysler, starting out as General Sales Manager in 2018 and later GM. She also did the Automotive Dealership Management Program at Georgian College. In mid-2020, she became the GM for Barrie Chrysler. She subsequently moved up to Managing Partner for both stores. She never really thought she’d have a chance to become involved in ownership, but said she had a mentor in Michael Stollery, the Founder and Owner of Barrie Ford, who recognized she had leadership ability. He recommended she take the Georgian College Automotive Program as a good entry way to get a good knowledge of the whole business if she wanted to further her career.
“Once I sunk my teeth into that Georgian Program there was no turning back,” said Fines. “I was going to pursue (ownership) and make this happen and now I can’t imagine anything else but automotive.
“My husband and daughter have had to make sacrifices on family things. You miss out on family time because you are invested and want to see these dealerships succeed because they are a huge part of you.”
She works six days a week, visiting both stores every day, which she said places a priority on time management.
She said some women may not think they can work up to that level of becoming an owner or to go for it when they probably should.
“The automotive world is fairly male dominated, so even when you get strong females I think traditionally it has been hard to move into those roles,” said Fines. “It’s really going to be hard to grow that many. Over time we’ll slowly see it grow, but I don’t think it will be a quick growth.”
Nathalie Aumont
Nathalie Aumont is the President/Dealer Principal of Joliette Toyota in Notre-Dame-des-Prairies, Quebec, and will soon become the first-ever President of the Board of Directors of the Corporation Des Concessionaires Automobile Du Quebec (CCAQ, the Quebec Car Dealers Association).
Aumont’s father, Gilles, began the family-owned business in 1977. Nathalie joined the business in 1989 and became Dealer Principal in 2000. She went to university to study Human Resources with a goal to pursue a career in that field but said in her second year she began to think more about joining the family business and did so upon getting her degree. She said there was a succession plan in place to sell her the business, which necessitated getting a loan.
“I’m not necessarily a business woman but a car woman,” said Aumont. “I like the car world.”
She said many people have the patience for the car industry, but it’s the passion and the action that drives some toward wanting to become involved in ownership.
All these women are symbols that the opportunities, though rare, are at least possible. With more support and awareness of the gaps that still remain, the doors are opening for another generation of women to ascend to leadership roles in our industry.
