Hyundai Auto Canada has received some diversity accolades from two separate institutions lately.

First, the Canadian branch of the Korean automaker, was recognized as one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers for 2024 by Mediacorp.

“To better serve our diverse customer base while fostering an inclusive organizational culture, we are always re-examining our hiring processes to help ensure our career development policies are equitable,” said Kirk Merrett, director of human resources at Hyundai Canada, in a March 11 news release. “Our people-centric approach is at the forefront of all our decisions, and this recognition from Mediacorp underscores all the hard work and collaborative efforts our leadership team implements to ensure team members across all levels are taken into consideration.”

The company said 39 per cent of its team members self-identify as women and 50 per cent of the company’s national managers identify as female.

If that wasn’t enough, the company was recognized on the 2024 Best Workplaces for Women list by Great Place to Work.

This is the fifth year it has been recognized by Great Place to Work.

“This award is testament to all the incredibly talented women in our organization who help propel our business forward,” said Jennifer Maki, senior manager of human resources, in a March 13 news release. “Our goal as an organization is to have a workplace were everyone thrives on the professional and personal levels. We are thankful to our leadership team for sustaining our foundational values of equity and inclusivity in their decisions, and to Great Place to Work for recognizing our commitment to this, which we try to demonstrate in tangible ways every day.”

Official vehicle of the PWHL

Also on March 13, Hyundai Canada announced a multiyear Canadian partnership with the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL), with Hyundai named the first ever official vehicle for the PWHL, as well as for the league’s three Canadian teams in Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto.

“Inclusion is one of our core values at Hyundai Canada. We’re committed to having a workforce as diverse as our customer base and it’s something we hold ourselves to every day,” said Christine Smith, director of marketing, in another March 13 news release. “We jumped at the opportunity to reflect these values within our sponsorship activities and support a new league for the greatest female hockey players in the world. We are honoured to work with the PWHL to move the game of women’s hockey forward in a way it has long deserved, and wish the league continued success.”

Mediacorp’s Best Diversity Employers examine successful diversity initiatives for employees in five groups, which are: women, members of visible minorities, persons with disabilities, Indigenous Peoples and LGBTQ people.

Seven per cent of the company’s workforce identifies as Black, which is a five per cent increase since 2021, while the number of women hired over the last three years has increased by eight per cent.

The company’s head office includes all-gender washrooms, a worship room and a room for nursing parents.

Hyundai Auto Canada is headquartered in Markham, Ont. and operates more than 250 dealerships across the country.