QUÉBEC CITY, March 7, 2022 /CNW/ - The Scotiabank Women Initiative^® is proud to launch the Women in Auto Accelerator, a first-of-its-kind mentoring and networking accelerator program to help women build their careers in the Quebec automotive industry. The program, offered free of charge to participants, connects young professionals with experienced industry leaders for mentorship and direct coaching and supports peer–to–peer exchanges by promoting ties between professionals from across the province.

"The Scotiabank Women Initiative is dedicated to empowering women entrepreneurs and increasing their economic and professional opportunities," says Sloane Muldoon, Senior Vice President, Retail Performance and Co-Chair of The Scotiabank Women Initiative. "To help close the gender representation gap in the automotive industry workforce, the new Women in Auto Accelerator program will support women by providing exclusive networking and mentorship opportunities."

Women in Auto Accelerator Virtual Conference

The Women in Auto Accelerator program will kickoff on March 15^th at 10:30 AM ET through a virtual conference co-hosted by Isabelle Maréchal, President of Iprod and Editor in Chief of Premières en affaires, and Ana Marinescu, Senior Manager of The Scotiabank Women Initiative. Experts from different disciplines will come together to discuss industry issues including workforce diversity and women in leadership. Featured speakers include Sarah Houde, CEO of Propulsion Québec, Robert Poëti, former Transport Minister and current CEO of the Corporation des concessionaires automobiles du Québec (CCAQ), a partner of Scotiabank.

The conference is free for anyone to attend. To register, please visit the RSVP page here.

"The Women in Auto Accelerator program is a chance for the Bank to create a network of women in automotive, spotlight women who have success in the industry, inspire the succession to follow their lead and give them support," says Sylvie Gagnon, Director of Sales Market Lead in Quebec for Scotiabank's Dealer Finance Centre. "The program will allow us to form connections between professionals in the industry and to encourage diversity."

Supporting women and increasing representation in the industry

Women in Quebec make up only 18% of the workforce in automotive services, and only 6.4% of the skilled trades.¹ According to a study from Deloitte, nearly half of women in the automotive sector in North America said that they would choose a different line of work due to the lack of diversity and inclusion in the industry.²

Scotiabank, the CCAQ and Corporation Mobilis

Scotiabank has worked closely with automotive dealers for over 65 years, providing comprehensive custom services to meet a variety of distinct needs. The Bank is drawing on this expertise to proudly renew its partnership in 2022 with Corporation des concessionnaires automobiles du Québec (CCAQ) and Corporation Mobilis. The automotive industry employs nearly 500,000 professionals, making it one of the largest manufacturing sectors in the country. Scotiabank is proud to play an active role in the Quebec Auto Show Month while highlighting the contributions of women in this industry.

About The Scotiabank Women Initiative

The Scotiabank Women Initiative is a signature program designed to increase economic and professional opportunities for our clients who identify as women or non-binary to be successful, now and in the future. This globally expanding, unique offering helps thousands of women pursue their best professional and financial futures by providing unbiased access to capital and tailored solutions, bespoke specialized education, holistic advisory services and mentorship. Whether supporting women to take their careers and businesses further, collaborating with inclusion-focused leaders and companies, providing women-owned and women-led businesses with equitable access to funding or helping women take charge of their finances, The Scotiabank Women Initiative breaks down barriers to empower women to succeed on their own terms. For more information, visit scotiabankwomeninitiative.com.

About Scotiabank

Scotiabank is a leading bank in the Americas. Guided by our purpose: "for every future", we help our customers, their families and their communities achieve success through a broad range of advice, products and services, including personal and commercial banking, wealth management and private banking, corporate and investment banking, and capital markets. With a team of approximately 90,000 employees and assets of approximately $1.2 trillion (as at January 31, 2022), Scotiabank trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: BNS) and New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BNS). For more information, please visit http://www.scotiabank.com and follow us on Twitter @ScotiabankViews.

SOURCE Scotiabank