2022 Automotive News Canada All-Stars

Lawrence Hamilton’s success as executive director of Genesis Canada in boosting sales and implementing the company’s new retail centres, designed to augment its online presence, turned enough heads that he was tapped to take over Genesis’s fledgling European operations.

Hamilton, 51, took over the top job at Genesis Canada in May 2021 after six years leading Hyundai Auto Canada’s marketing division. He helped the brand carve out a significant chunk of the luxury market, with year-to-date sales of 5,320 to Nov. 30, a 21-per-cent increase over the same 11 months in 2021, according to the Automotive News Research & Data Center.

“Genesis has redefined the automotive purchase and ownership experience for consumers,” Hamilton said. His automotive career began in 2004 with Kia U.K. He detoured to a Saudi Arabia Toyota dealership before returning to the U.K.

In 2015, he began with Hyundai Auto Canada.