2022 Canadians to Watch

CHOSEN BECAUSE:

Al-Karim Awadia survived two traumatic business experiences — the demise of Nortel Networks and the bankruptcy of General Motors — and says each provided important lessons for going forward in business.

Awadia, 45, was a business consultant at Nortel when the tech giant’s share price collapsed from 2000 to 2002, and in 2008, was at GM’s headquarters in Oshawa when the automaker axed four brands and needed billions in government support as it went through bankruptcy.

Today, Awadia leads a team of 24 geared to helping automotive customers — automakers, dealers, parts suppliers, etc. — with digital solutions for  advertising that measure effectiveness and customer loyalty. Harnessing that data and providing critical analysis can change the way businesses operate.

“If you could measure the effectiveness of your advertising down to the final sale, it would change the way you advertise.”

IN HIS OWN WORDS:

“The GM bankruptcy was pretty formative. It taught me so much about resiliency, about maintaining optimism and how to achieve my objectives through those kinds of times.”