How Accelerate Auto plans to increase Black representation in Canada's auto industry

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“If you see it, you can be it,” Jennifer Okoeguale states.

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It’s an emphasis during a discussion about Accelerate Auto, the non-profit organization she co-founded. Okoeguale and her colleagues at Accelerate Auto want to increase Black representation in Canada’s automotive industry, and to tackle anti-Black and systemic racism.

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Her point is that representation matters in every industry and every position. Seeing someone similar to yourself in a position of success provides a vision and that image will help spur the next generation forward. Accelerate Auto wants to help people find new opportunities that they didn’t know existed for them before.

The organization tackles this mission in a few important ways, but perhaps most important is through education. Accelerate Auto worked with Cox Automotive and Georgian College’s Automotive Business School of Canada to develop the Inclusion Award, for students who self-identify as Black, and the Diversity Award for those who self-identify as female, Black and/or as being of Indigenous ancestry. These awards come with a $2,500 donation for recognizing an opportunity in the automotive industry to drive change.

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Hyundai Canada is also committing some $250,000 over the next seven years to support Black and Indigenous automotive business students through entry awards.

“Our mission, in its simplest form, is to increase Black representation in the industry,” said Okoeguale. “There are many layers to that, but more paths for students will lead to more career opportunities.”

It’s about the journey, so Accelerate Auto looks at the student level in all three levels of education to raise awareness about the automotive industry. “We want to encourage STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) in high school,” she says. Accelerate Auto is working with Hyundai Canada and Georgian College’s Automotive Business School of Canada on a presentation for high school students, with the aim of illuminating pathways and increasing Black representation in the automotive industry. Later, the awards come in so that “we can help at the university level with scholarships.”

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Okoeguale explains that it’s important to tackle the access to funding for students. “It’s about supporting students and increasing a workplace’s access to that talent pipeline.”

One step leads to another for Accelerate Auto. The organization also envisions a way to develop skills for Black hires. “The lack of diversity has become normalized in the Canadian automotive industry,” she says. “There is no lack of talent, just barriers.”

“I want to see automotive as a top contender in terms of industry and careers of choice for underserved children,” she says. “Our industry is moving into a ton of unique spaces, in terms of innovation and mobility, and we should be seeing more Black representation and diverse talent in leadership positions.”

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This is an important next step for Accelerate Auto. “We absolutely want to see Black-owned dealerships,” says Okoeguale. “To our knowledge, there isn’t one. We want to see more diverse ownership.”

To do that, it takes cooperation from many parties. Accelerate Auto wants to help develop the skills of Black hires. “Now we’re looking at skills development for Black students and Black hires,” Okoeguale says. “How do we get them to those next ranks?”

Mentorship is one possibility, and the organization is seeking out ways to develop a sustainable mentorship program.

Additionally, Accelerate Auto has met with automakers, dealership groups, and associations to consult them on rolling out programs to support their Black and diverse members. “A lot of the leaders say this is fantastic, they want to make a change, but don’t know how to start,” says Okoeguale.

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Fortunately, Accelerate Auto has members in many different corners of the Canadian automotive industry. “We represent OEMs, suppliers, associations, dealerships, aftermarket, automotive media, manufacturing and students,” she says. “And we take a collaborative approach to consulting.”

Some of these are regular meetings and consultations, letting the organizations talk to each other openly about their struggles and ideas for the future. Okoeguale explains that it helps them find out what challenges they face and how to make an impact when they roll out real programs.

Accelerate Auto has its goals and methods, but it’s clear this isn’t a change that will happen overnight. They want to do a lot and beyond a superficial level, so they’ve focused on a few high-impact items: education, skill development and collaboration. That final item might be where you, the reader, might want to get involved. “Our strength is our people,” says Okoeguale. “We have a diverse group and we’re looking for passionate people.”

Through their many pilot programs, they’re finding new members in different locations, but they can always use more, highlighting Quebec as somewhere where they can improve their visibility.

However, seeing the scholarship announcements and other organizations developing advocacy groups for their diverse workforce means that the actions Accelerate Auto is taking are having real results. Following Okoeguale’s “if you can see it, then you can be it,” perhaps a more diverse Canadian automotive industry is on the near horizon.