Mercedes-Benz Canada recognizes Women on the Fast Track at Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Awards

• Women's Executive Network (WXN) announces the 2018 Top 100 Most Powerful Women, including 12 winners of the inaugural Mercedes-Benz Emerging Leaders Award Category
  
  
• Prior to the WXN Top 100 Awards Ceremony, Mercedes-Benz Emerging Leaders gathered for a unique experience that combined female empowerment and high-performance vehicles. See video here.

TORONTO, Nov. 22, 2018 /CNW/ - In order to recognize a group of women who are shaping the future from the driver's seat, Mercedes-Benz Canada hosted the winners of the inaugural WXN Top 100 Mercedes-Benz Emerging Leaders Award at "Women on the Fast Track" at Le Circuit Mont-Tremblant, a day that paired empowerment and networking with high-performance driving. Mercedes-Benz Driving Academy Instructor Melanie Paterson led the group of accomplished women in getting out of their comfort zones and onto the track to experience a new kind of exceptional performance.

Zahra Ebrahim, who has been recognized as a Mercedes-Benz Emerging Leader in the 2018 WXN Top 100 Most Powerful Women Awards, takes part in “Women on the Fast Track”. Mercedes-Benz Canada hosted the event, which paired empowerment and networking with driving on the track at Circuit Mt. Tremblant, exposing Mercedes-Benz Emerging Leaders to a different kind of high performance. (CNW Group/Mercedes-Benz Canada Inc.)

"The purpose of this program was to bring our Mercedes-Benz Emerging Leaders together to celebrate their impressive accomplishments and expose them to a different type of high-performance setting," says Virginie Aubert, Vice President of Marketing, Mercedes-Benz Canada. "We hope the 'Women on the Fast Track' experience will serve as a reminder for our winners to continue innovating and pushing their limits. In addition to taking on the track, they had many opportunities to engage in powerful conversations and to learn and be inspired by each other's experiences."

A video of highlights from the program is available on Mercedes-Benz Canada's YouTube page.

The Mercedes-Benz Emerging Leaders Award is a new category for the Women's Executive Network's (WXN) annual Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Awards. The category recognizes women who are early in their careers and are already making their mark through their vision, leadership, authenticity and innovative thinking.

The inaugural award recipients who will be recognized at the WXN Top 100 Gala on Thursday, November 22 are:

• Marcia Anderson, Section Head, Section of First Nations, Metis and Inuit Health, Department of Community Health Sciences, Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of Manitoba
• Zahra Ebrahim, Co-leader, Doblin, Monitor Deloitte, Deloitte
• Breanne Everett, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Orpyx Medical Technologies, Inc.
• Genesa Greening, President & CEO, BC Women's Hospital Foundation (BCWHF)
• Kim Hallwood, Head of Corporate Sustainability, HSBC Bank Canada
• Karina Kesserwan, Founder & Partner, Kesserwan Arteau Inc.
• Emily Mills, Founder, How She Hustles
• Genevieve Pinto, Partner, Renewal Funds
• Julie Quenneville, President, McGill University Health Centre Foundation
• Amanda Shatzko, President, Arts Council of the North Okanagan
• Nirvani Umadat, Doctor, Owner & President, Dr. Nirvani Radha Umadat Dental Corporation
• Maili Wong, First Vice President, Investment Advisory & Portfolio Manager, CIBC Wood Gundy

For photos of the Mercedes-Benz Emerging Leaders at Women on the Fast Track, visit the Mercedes-Benz Canada media site.

"Mercedes-Benz is proud to partner with WXN to celebrate female achievement and recognize the next generation of female visionaries," says Aubert. "Since 1888, when Bertha Benz was the first person to road test the Patent Motor Car, women have always played a role in Mercedes-Benz's story. When Bertha masterminded and executed this first road test – proving the capability and sustainability of the automobile – she demonstrated vision, creativity and ambition. As an organization we're proud to recognize and celebrate women who demonstrate these qualities and who continue to inspire us today."

"For 16 years, the Top 100 Awards has served as a great reminder of the importance of showcasing female leaders," says Sherri Stevens, CEO of PhaseNyne, parent company of Women's Executive Network, Canadian Board Diversity Council and SRG. "These initiatives help to drive positive change and progress which assists to ensure that gender diversity and equity is achieved in all walks of life. We're proud to be partnering with Mercedes-Benz to continue striving for positive change together."

About the Mercedes-Benz Emerging Leaders Award

The Emerging Leaders category recognizes high-potential women between the ages of 30 and 40 who have a proven passion for learning and innovation, and who have shown great potential or have been targeted for leadership positions in their fields. Nominees are judged on the following criteria:

• Vision and Leadership: How has the Nominee demonstrated clear vision and strong leadership at her current organization and throughout her career? How do her efforts reveal her commitment to excellence? How does she empower and motivate others to do their best, for themselves, for each other, and for their organization?
  
  
• Authenticity: How does the Nominee demonstrate integrity and purpose, inspire her colleagues' trust, and drive engagement within her organization?
  
  
• Innovative Thinking: How does the Nominee consistently employ creative problem-solving in order to achieve goals, improve outcomes, and achieve seemingly impossible tasks? Does she approach challenges with positivity and as an opportunity to learn?

About the Top 100 Awards

The Top 100 Awards span the private, public and not-for-profit sectors, with recipients selected by an independent advisory board. To date, 1004 powerful women have been given this prestigious award. The list of Award Winners is revealed the day prior to the Leadership Summit and Awards Gala, which will take place Thursday, November 22, 2018.

About the Women's Executive Network (WXN)

WXN delivers innovative networking, mentoring, professional and personal development to inform, inspire, connect and recognize our global community of more than 22,000 women, men and their organizations. WXN enables our partners and corporate members to become and to be recognized as employers of choice and leaders in the advancement of women.

Founded in 1997, WXN is Canada's leading organization dedicated to the advancement and recognition of women in management, executive, professional and board roles. WXN is led by CEO Sherri Stevens, owner of the award-winning, multi-million-dollar Workforce Management Company Stevens Resource Group Inc., which she established in 1990.

About Mercedes-Benz Canada

Mercedes-Benz Canada is responsible for the sales, marketing and service of the Mercedes-Benz and Mercedes-AMG passenger vehicles, Mercedes-Benz Vans and smart. Headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Mercedes-Benz Canada Inc. employs approximately 1,700 people in 21 locations across Canada. Through a nationwide network of 11 Mercedes-Benz owned retail operations and 48 authorized dealerships, Mercedes-Benz Canada sold 52,298 vehicles in 2017. This represents the best year ever for the company and has positioned Mercedes-Benz as the top luxury manufacturer in Canada for the fourth consecutive year.

Further information from Mercedes-Benz Canada is available at media.mercedes-benz.ca.

SOURCE Mercedes-Benz Canada Inc.

JoAnne Caza, 416-847-7550, [email protected]; Sinead Brown, 416-847-7588, [email protected]

Related Links

www.mercedes-benz.ca