2021 Automotive News Canada All-Stars

Lawrence Hamilton, 50, has been with Hyundai Canada since 2015 and spearheaded the creation of a Digital Business Development function. Genesis launched in Canada in 2016 with online-only sales. Vehicles were delivered through 30 coast-to-coast distributors.

Hamilton joined Genesis in May 2021 to oversee the introduction of new utility vehicles as well as the brand’s entry into electrification.

Under Hamilton’s watch, a new omni-channel approach with physical Customer Experience Centres allows shoppers to see, touch and smell the vehicles. The centres provide an in-store experience, although test drives are handled through a “we-come-to-you” strategy and sales are handled online.

Genesis has seen sales more than triple to 3,791 vehicles through October, compared with its previous peak for the same period in 2019, according to the Automotive News Research & Data Center in Detroit.