Notable Interview: Ford Motors Canada Ltd. President and CEO Dianne Craig

After the phenomenal partnership between Ford and Notable.ca on our Quebec Notable Awards Powered by Fusion, which brought together over 600 of the top young professionals and entrepreneurs from over 20 industries (click here for the video), we jumped at the opportunity to meet with Ms. Dianne Craig, President and CEO, Ford Motors Canada Ltd., in Vancouver. 

Our Vancouver Editor headed down to the Vancouver International Automotive Show last week to scope out the latest four-wheeled offerings from major manufacturers from around the world, as well as the latest designs on the market from our friends at Ford Motors Canada. In addition to perusing the iconic brand’s newest (and sleekest) vehicles, we scored a bit of quality one-on-one time with the company’s President and CEO, Dianne Craig, who herself is a force worth noting.

Having made our way through the seemingly never-ending sea of cars replete with polished chrome and vibrant colours, we landed in Ford’s swanky Lincoln Lounge (which served as a show-stopping backdrop for our interview). We found ourselves surrounded by a fleet of the latest in luxury Ford vehicles about to make their debut on the market. After being warmly greeted by the Ford team and Ms. Craig herself, we took our seat across the table to begin our Q&A session. 

Dianne Craig is a woman who has more than made her mark in an industry that’s seen its fair share of tumultuous times. We detected no indication of whatever past challenges she may have endured in her position; instead, we were instantly struck by her easy sense of confidence and warmth – perhaps not what we expected from a woman who’s diligently worked her way up with the Ford brand for more than 28 years. A sense of genuine openness pretty much granted us carte blanche where our discussion was concerned. And so we set to work, teasing out tidbits of insider insight our readers can make use of. 

Our one-on-one went beyond auto-minded shop talk in order to get Dianne’s take on what truly counts in today’s competitive corporate culture: what skills make you shine and what you need to learn to get there. We asked Dianne how today’s young professionals can ultimately make an impact in their careers while achieving that fine work-life balance. We also found out just what keeps the motor running at Ford and how the company aims to maintain a sense of brand loyalty amongst young professional buyers.

On building and maintaining brand loyalty, Dianne offered up this sentiment: Ford Canada is consistently working to engage with younger, professional buyers through the use of social media (find Ford Motors Canada on Twitter here), the introduction of a variety of vehicles such as the new Focus (ST), Fiesta, 2013 Fusion and eco-boost/hybrid models younger (environmentally conscientious) buyers are attune to while recognizing the need for affordability.


When we asked Ms. Craig for insight on finding a sense of work-life balance, she offered up these sage tidbits of advice:

1. Work hard, but be sure you love what you do for work. And if you don’t love what you do, strive to find work you do love.

2. Source out strong mentors throughout your professional career and understand that these mentors can come from different aspects of your life, not just from within your workplace.

3. Build and maintain a strong support network. This can stem from friendships, family, colleagues and others who will all help you with your goals and the attainment of life aspirations.

And what did Dianne have to say about that rewarding ideal we as hard-working young professionals all seek (work-life balance)? She advised that, “Young professionals strive to maintain a sense of flexibiliy and understand that the level of expectations (for young professionals) has shifted in corporate environments such as Ford Motors Canada.”

Dianne went on to explain that Ford recognizes this shift and has in turn sought to grow its own culture in order to attract today’s sought-after YP talent accordingly.

We wanted to know just what that might entail for our readers, and were pleasantly surprised to learn that Ford Canada has introduced plenty. Some of these perks include telecommuting, flexible hours, progressive thinking and open communications.

To round out our chat with Ms. Craig, we had time for one final question before she had to jet out (and up to Whistler): What does it take to get noticed in today’s workplace; what helps inch you toward that lucrative promotion?

Without missing a beat, Ms. Craig simply stated the following: Leadership, compassion and courage.   Learn to nurture mentorship and don’t be afraid to push the envelope in order to gain experience and exposure. Work to create a professional environment that is open and fosters a sense of creativity and pride.

Our last words: What does the future hold for Ford Motors Canada?

Diane’s simple answer was the following: To focus on understanding and delivering to the customer by continually working to create vehicles that possess great design, quality, fuel efficiency and technology while harnessing great eye-appeal.

If you haven’t driven a Ford lately, we’re thinking you just might want to…