The Automotive Industries Association (AIA) of Canada has announced the election of five directors to the 2020-2021 AIA Canada Board of Directors, along with other changes to its Board during its 78^th Annual General Meeting (AGM) held on April 29^th 2020.

In response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s AGM was held online.

The Association announced the election of Susan Hitchon, the first woman to become chairman, and included the presentation of this year’s Young Professionals in the Aftermarket (YPA) Young Leader of the Year Award to Derek Suen of Dorman Products.

Board of Directors

The newly elected directors are:

Steve Leal, President & CEO, Fix Network (returning for a 3 year term)

Steve Leal has been with the Fix Network since 2004, when he joined as a franchisee. In 2011, he was appointed Chief Operating Officer of Fix Auto Canada, responsible for overseeing operational processes of the Fix Auto concept. In 2013, Mr. Leal became the largest shareholder of Fix Auto Canada, and, in 2014, he purchased rights to the brand worldwide. He took majority control of both Fix Auto Canada and Mondofix, the global master franchisor for Fix Auto World in 2015.

Shannon Spano, Vice President, Sales, Wakefield Canada

Shannon Spano began her career in the automotive aftermarket in 2006 when she joined the Wakefield team. She has since held progressive roles in category management, strategic accounts and national retail sales management. Ms. Spano currently leads the national sales and customer experience team at Wakefield Canada in her role as Vice President, Sales. In 2018, she was recognized with the AIA Young Leader of the Year Award.

Bruno Leclair, P.Eng.,President and CEO, Unimax / Point S Canada, Stox Distribution

Bruno Leclair has 35 years of experience in markets and operations in North America and across the world. For the past nine years, Bruno has served as president and CEO of Unimax / Point S Canada. He was also the driving force in the creation of Stox Distribution, which he also presides over.

Ryan Bruno, Chief Financial Officer, CSN Collision Centres  

Ryan Bruno’s aftermarket experience began when he worked in a management position at his family’s collision repair business while in high school and university. Throughout his career, Ryan has held progressively senior roles at many leading Canadian organizations, including the Bank of Canada, TD Securities, Bell Canada and Economical Insurance. Since 2018, he has served as the Chief Financial Officer for CSN Collision Centres.

Bill Hay President,Bestbuy Distributors Limited

Bill Hay’s career in the automotive industry began on the manufacturing side of the business at Dayco Canada where he held various management positions. Later, Bill changed focus and moved to distribution, joining Uni-Select Canada as regional vice president responsible for Ontario, Manitoba and Atlantic Canada. Most recently, Bill joined Bestbuy Distributors Limited as president.

The Executive Committee will now be as follows:
Susan Hitchon, business development manager, Automotive Aftermarket E-Learning Centre Ltd., was elected to the role of chairman ;Bob Jaworski, president and general manager, Auto Electric Service, was elected to vice chair, and; Jason Best, senior vice president sales, Uni-Select was elected to immediate past chair.

Additionally, AIA Canada thanked former directors Bob Greenwood, Tony Del Vasto, Brent Hesje, Brent Windom and Rick Orser for their commitment and service to the board. The remaining AIA Canada Board members and terms that were voted on at the last AGM will remain in place.

You can view the full list of AIA Canada’s Board of Directors, here.