Cox Automotive Canada presents awards to Georgia College’s Canadian Automotive Business School to support inclusion and diversity

Cox Automotive Canada announced the establishment of the "Cox Automotive Canada Inclusion Award" and "Cox Automotive Canada Diversity Award" for eligible students from the Automotive Business School of Georgia College, Canada. Beginning this fall, Cox will donate US$2,500 to each award and will be awarded to two successful winners who believe that the automotive industry has an opportunity to promote or support change, and:

for the Inclusion Award, self-identify as Black,

for the Diversity Award, self-identify as female, Black and/or self-identify as being of Indigenous ancestry.

Both awards also recognize and support the efforts being made by Accelerate Auto, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to increasing Black representation in the Canadian automotive industry.

“The globalized nature of the auto industry requires a diverse workforce that welcomes everyone, which is why we are proud to support Accelerate Auto’s vision with Georgian College’s help to champion students with inclusive values as future leaders,” said Maria Soklis, president, Cox Automotive Canada & Brazil. “Diversity and inclusiveness are not only pillars at Cox Automotive Canada but shape our business success by attracting and keeping the best talent. We are committed to promoting equal opportunity in the automotive sector.”

The announcement of the awards is also in commemoration of this year’s World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development on May 21. Championing inclusion, diversity and equity in the workplace contributed to Cox Automotive Canada being named one of Greater Toronto’s Top Employers for 2021. Cox is devoted to driving positive change through internal efforts like the organization’s Black Employee Network (BEN) and Women With Drive (WWD) employee resource groups, and by supporting and collaborating with groups like Accelerate Auto and the BlackNorth Initiative on inclusiveness.

“It’s rewarding to see highly-respected leaders like Maria Soklis, who lead progressive organization’s like Cox Automotive Canada embrace educational opportunities for Black students and other groups in the automotive industry,” said Jennifer Okoeguale, founding member of Accelerate Auto. “The Automotive Business School of Canada offers a range of programs that are an ideal launch pad for successful careers in automotive, and this is a fantastic opportunity.”

The award will be awarded to the full-time Georgian College with a good academic status Of students are enrolled in the Bachelor of Business Administration with Honours (Automotive Management) (Partnership) course or Automotive Business (Partnership) course. Georgian College will manage the selection process, and Cox Automotive Canada is currently committed to funding the award for three years. As a donor, Cox Automotive Canada does not participate in the selection of winners.