Mercedes-Benz Canada Celebrates Strong Emerging Female Leaders

Bertha Benz embodied "The Best or Nothing" with her ingenuity and strength and Mercedes-Benz Canada is carrying forward her legacy by celebrating female leaders across Canada.

As part of She's Mercedes, a global platform for inspiring and connecting successful women, Mercedes-Benz Canada is proud to highlight a series of exciting initiatives, including a growing partnership with the Women's Executive Network (WXN).

"It's important to bring together strong women, celebrate their accomplishments and support their ongoing success and mentorship of others," said Virginie Aubert, Vice President of Marketing at Mercedes-Benz Canada. "As part of the She's Mercedes global initiative, Mercedes-Benz Canada is thrilled to further its commitment to connecting strong female leaders across the country."

Mercedes-Benz Canada expanded its partnership with WXN in 2018 to include sponsorship of the Mercedes-Benz Emerging Leaders Award category, which highlights the professional achievements of women aged 30 to 45 who are at the mid-level stage of their careers. These women are seen as high-potential contributors within their organizations and have been targeted for successive leadership positions.

The ten award winners were announced on November 21 at the annual Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Awards gala, which celebrates high-achieving female leaders in the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors.  

This year's winners are:

• Frances Donald, Managing Director, Chief Economoist and Head of Macro Strategy, Manulife
• Justine Janssen, Senior Vice President, Strategic Initiatives, Ceridian
• Tevi Legge, Managing Director Everyday Financial Services, ATB Financial
• Gwen Madiba, President, Equal Chance
• Carolyn McPherson, Associate Vice President, Backyard Living and Seasonal Canadian Tire Corporation, Ltd.
• Mavis Shang, Vice President, Pricing and Analytics, RBC Insurance
• Hélène Timpano, Senior Vice-President, Operations, Kinross Gold Corporation
• Annesley Wallace, Senior Vice-President, Pension Services and Communications, OMERS
• Tara Wilson, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Income Access (Paysafe Group)
• Zoya Zayler, Canada Inclusion and Diversity Lead, Accenture

Mercedes-Benz Canada invited the 2019 Mercedes-Benz Emerging Leaders Award winners to attend a day of networking, female empowerment, and off-road driving at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario. The program brought them together in an authentic, poignant way, offering them the opportunity to connect with one another, as well as with the Mercedes-Benz brand. Through a series of interviews, they were able to share stories about their successes and challenges in a meaningful way.  

Video coverage of this exciting event is available here.

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About: The Women's Executive Network (WXN)
WXN delivers innovative networking, mentoring, professional and personal development to inform, inspire, connect and recognize a global community of more than 22,000 women and men, as well as their organizations.  Founded in 1997, WXN is Canada's leading organization dedicated to the advancement and recognition of women in management, executive, professional and board roles. WXN is led by CEO Sherri Stevens, owner of the award-winning, multi-million-dollar Workforce Management Company Stevens Resource Group Inc., which she established in 1990.

About: She's Mercedes
Mercedes-Benz Canada is proud to highlight its commitment to She's Mercedes, a network for women who make things happen. It is a global platform for inspiring and connecting successful women, and for helping them to unleash their best. It has been designed to drive change and to highlight the importance of women's needs, whether in communications, sales, or after-sales. Here in Canada, our own activities reflect those global priorities.

About Mercedes-Benz Canada
Mercedes-Benz Canada is responsible for the sales, marketing, and service of Mercedes-Benz and Mercedes-AMG passenger vehicles, Mercedes-Benz Vans, and smart. Headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Mercedes-Benz Canada Inc. employs approximately 1,200 people in 14 locations across Canada. Through a nationwide network of seven Mercedes-Benz own retail operations and 52 authorized dealerships, Mercedes-Benz Canada sold 49,758 vehicles in 2018. This positioned Mercedes-Benz as the top luxury manufacturer in Canada for the fifth consecutive year.

For more information, please contact:
Zakary Paget               (647) 267-5932                       zakary.paget@mercedes-benz.ca

Further information from Mercedes-Benz Canada is available at media.mercedes-benz.ca.