The Unobvious Ones is a monthly look at movers and shakers who fly below the radar in the Canadian auto industry.
IN CHARGE OF THE CASH PROVIDED TO CHARITIES
It’s a job many people would envy: As community relations coordinator for Honda Canada in Markham, Ont., Kate Matthew gets to give away someone else’s money.
Specifically, she distributes about $2 million each year from the Honda Canada Foundation to its charity partnerships.
“The funds come from our member companies of Honda Canada, Honda Finance and Honda Manufacturing,” Matthew said. About half goes to eight national partners, including the Canadian Red Cross and Habitat for Humanity, “and the other half goes to community grants and local grassroots all across Canada.”
Matthew is in frequent contact with the large partners, finding ways to promote and support one another. For the smaller grants, she reviews about 1,500 applications a year. “We have a system for people to apply [for funding] and I read every one,” she said.
“We have four pillars of engineering, environment, education and family, so I see if [applications] fit within these pillars and if they’re a registered charity. There are no fancy algorithms, just me.” If she feels it’s a good fit, she forwards it to a grant committee for further approval.
“We have four pillars of engineering, environment, education and family, so I see if [applications] fit within these pillars and if they’re a registered charity. There are no fancy algorithms, just me.” If she feels it’s a good fit, she forwards it to a grant committee for further approval.
The 43-year-old earned a degree in environmental studies, then became a buying coordinator at a natural foods co-op. From there, she worked in brand management for a broker that distributed natural foods to Canadian stores from the United States.
Seeking a change and interested in public relations, she joined Honda in 2018, managing the media vehicle fleet. She moved into her current position in 2020.
“I’m interested in people making an impact in their community,” she said. “It could be [someone] saving turtles or helping educate kids about STEM. They’re so passionate, and I get jazzed up about what they’re doing. There’s so much need out there, and it’s so rewarding to say, ‘You got the funding.’”
VERONIQUE ANDERSON
A FRESH PERSPECTIVE TO DEALERSHIP BEST PRACTICES
Customer surveys cover the good and the bad. In her role as manager of customer experience at Subaru Canada in Mississauga, Ont., Veronique Anderson addresses both, all in the interest of continuous dealership improvement.
“I take a look at the results and work with the dealers to pinpoint areas of opportunity for them, as well as celebrating the small and big victories,” she said.
While dealers are different, her national focus shows that stores in similarly sized markets usually face similar challenges.
“It’s less about regional ... so we can share best practices that are working,” she said. “We don’t say everyone needs to do X, but if you’re a big metro dealer, your challenges are similar to other big metro dealers.”
A third-party vendor compiles the daily surveys, and Anderson goes over them each morning. While she’s mostly in the office, she meets with dealers when she can, either digitally or in person, to find opportunities for improvement.
Anderson, 40, first worked for a screening company, obtaining background checks on behalf of companies hiring staff. She worked as a marketing analyst for a medical supply company and joined Subaru in her current position in 2017.
Her lack of an automotive background is often an asset, she said.
“It’s about putting yourself in the customer’s shoes, and if you’ve been in this for decades, you can forget the intimidation for a customer getting service or the wonder of buying a car. The experience matters because customers have a choice” and will drive as far as necessary to find a dealer that will meet their needs.
Ongoing gradual improvements are important, Anderson said, because “an overnight fix isn’t necessarily sustainable. We’re promoting small changes to processes that are probably already good, but those little things make a difference.”
