2 Canadians named Champions of Diversity by Automotive News

The Notable Champions of Diversity is a program at sibling publication Automotive News in Detroit.

It recognizes leaders who have demonstrated their commitment to improving diversity, equity and inclusion in the auto industry.

They are selected by a panel of Automotive News editors and reporters from nominations submitted by our readers.

The honourees work in various corners of the industry: manufacturing, supply chain, marketing, retail, finance and remarketing.

Their personal experiences inform their approach to DE&I and fuel their passion.

This year, two Canadians find themselves honoured. You can meet them below. And, you can find the entire list at the Automotive News website.

Phil Sadler, 44

General manager, quality control, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada

Phil Sadler, general manager of quality control for Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada, oversees more than 500,000 vehicles built annually at plants in Cambridge and Woodstock, Ontario. 

Despite the added responsibility that came with assuming this role in June, he was not prepared to give up his position as a champion for diversity, equity and inclusion. Sadler volunteered for that job two years ago, spurred in part by the movement for racial justice in the U.S. Diversity, equity and inclusion is a passion for him, and he doesn’t intend to sit on the sidelines.

“I was kind of galvanized to action because I realized that although it mattered in my personal life, I was maybe not embodying it as a leader,” he said.

Sadler guides the diversity, equity and inclusion program at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada, serving as advocate, coach, thought leader and ally. Trained as an engineer, he said “not being an expert” in this field could be seen as a weakness, but it has allowed him to step back, surround himself with the right people, and encourage others to do the same. 

“Our job is not being the savior or showing the way — it’s learning to bring the right voices to the table, listen to them, respect them, and take action based on what they’re telling us,” he said.

Sadler oversaw Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada’s response to the discovery of unmarked graves at residential schools in 2021, engaging with Indigenous leaders to find ways for employees to learn and take part in reflection and mourning. He mentors leaders of employee-led business partnering groups that support underrepresented people in the company’s work force.

Education remains one of the team’s primary functions, Sadler said. Though the status quo on the production floor has long been to avoid certain topics, he said he aims to arm colleagues with the knowledge needed to participate in meaningful discussions. Ultimately, he expects this will pay dividends by pulling in new voices and creating a closer-knit, inclusive work force. 

“There’s a lot of discussion right now about how tough the labor market is and what we are doing to hire and retain people,” said Sadler. 

“I think that diversity, equity and inclusion has an important role to play in creating belonging in people, creating a reason to be here, to work with us, to choose us.”

— David Kennedy

Ted Lam, 35

CEO, AITHR Automotive Intelligence

Ted Lam has always nurtured a diverse team during his time in the Canadian auto industry, first as a manager at various leading dealerships and now as the CEO of auto finance software company AITHR Automotive Intelligence.

The Chinese-Canadian Lam started out as a salesman in a predominantly white dealership and worked his way up through the auto retail ranks. Once in dealership management roles, Lam said he hired young people without focusing on gender or color. All that mattered was an “ethical mindset” and strong work ethic, he said. 

“Because I believe in opportunity,” Lam said. He said his parents were given an opportunity when they immigrated to Canada, and he felt an obligation to provide it as well.

Lam said he also ignored candidates’ resumes but participated in every interview. For a sales job, “what’s on paper doesn’t matter,” he said.

This combination of hiring philosophies wound up organically producing a diverse staff. “It just happens that there is 25 percent of every [demographic] that fits [the job],” Lam said, referring to his own experiences hiring staff. 

Lam said his last auto group reaped the rewards of this mindset, with no turnover on his team for several years — a rarity in the industry. “I had a lot of inclusion, and that’s why people liked it,” he said. 

Lam’s sales teams also led the Calgary, Alberta-based Sunridge Mazda, Sunridge Nissan and Calgary Hyundai dealerships to first-place rankings for the country.

But he ultimately walked away from his successful dealership career to found AITHR. The company’s business includes software comparing available models and loan approvals to find a vehicle for subprime borrowers. It also attempts to help phase out a customer’s negative equity, Lam said. 

According to AITHR Chief Communication Officer Anne-Marie Bruzga-Luchak, Lam’s impetus for creating the company included a desire to provide a better experience for subprime borrowers, a clientele that skewed toward immigrants and fellow minorities. She said Lam’s time in retail exposed him to how the subprime market took advantage of those groups.

Lam set inclusion goals for his new company, desiring half of the staff and half of the leadership team be women or minority. AITHR achieved both in its first 6 months.

“It’s making us super different,” Lam said.

Lam said this 50-50 split developed organically as he sought to add different skills and languages to AITHR. Now, the company actively seeks to preserve that ratio, and it named Bruzga-Luchak its diversity, equity and inclusion leader a few months ago with an eye toward that end, he said.

“I think the automotive industry needs a little bit of a shake-up,” Lam said.

He said he was also inspired to create the post after hearing war stories from women in automotive about interactions with men. 

“I heard their pain,” Lam said. He recognized he had felt the same as an Asian interacting with whites in the industry.

“It really changed everything for me,” Lam said.

— John Huetter