Hyundai Capital drives on a road less travelled

At 10 years old, Hyundai Capital Canada Inc. (HCCA) is a newcomer among auto finance captives, as the wholly owned financial services subsidiaries of carmakers are known. And it really shows, says president and CEO Mark Di Donato.

“We’re rather unique in having been created in the last decade,” Di Donato says. “The legacy auto captives can get caught up in long-established policies and procedures and become very hesitant to make any change to what has worked for the last 50 years. Here at HCCA, everyone is continuously asking ‘Why are we doing things this way?’”

It makes for the kind of workplace Di Donato, a 20-year veteran of the industry, didn’t see much of in the first half of his career. “We welcome employees who are creative, curious and, just as important, flexible. You can’t walk into a job here and just ask for the standard procedures manual, because we're usually creating or updating it to reflect continuous change and progress in our business,” says the CEO.

“So, we’re looking for people who thrive in a start-up environment, which offers a lot of opportunities for them but can also be challenging,” Di Donato says. “Our people are empowered to make decisions, often with imperfect information, taking risks and sometimes failing – but that’s okay as long as you learn from it, because it makes the company better.”

That’s the situation Kyle Hill found five years ago when he joined straight out of university. “It’s very open door here, and if I want to make changes, I can present those to my director right away,” says Hill, manager, product, pricing, and strategy. “I was given opportunities immediately to take on tasks. I’ve worked my way from one team to another and into a manager position, and I can definitely attest to the opportunities.”

HCCA strives to promote from within, Hill adds. “Once somebody in the company shows interest in a job posting, they automatically get an interview if they qualify,” he says, “and if they are not successful, HCCA will explain why and what skills they might need to move to a new position or new team. We do not want to lose good talent.”

As a part of the global Korean auto giant Hyundai Motor Corp., HCCA shares its parent’s focus on corporate culture. “We have one person inside HR – whose actual job title is associate, talent development and engagement – dedicated to looking at how we can make sure employees are engaged,” says Di Donato.

“They administer our internal ad hoc surveys and coordinate participation in the annual global Hyundai Motor Group corporate culture survey. Then, they and our employee engagement committee champion the voice of our employees when the results come out and we jointly put together action plans to address what the survey has told us. We are very attentive to our people.”

Beyond surveys and opportunities, the commitment to a welcoming workplace culture also includes flexible work hours, tuition reimbursement, an annual $2,000 health and wellness benefit that can be used for anything from gym membership to therapy sessions, and global travel that includes a visit to head office in Seoul.

“There are all kinds of clubs and events through the year, which makes for happy employees, and the quarterly town halls when leadership tells us what’s been happening and where we’re going,” Hill says. “That I really appreciate because it gives everybody from the bottom up an idea of the company’s direction. You won’t get that everywhere, but here we all know what we’re working towards.”

This article appeared in the magazine announcing this year's Greater Toronto’s Top Employers winners, published December 3, 2024 in The Globe and Mail. This article was prepared with the financial support of the employer, which reviewed but did not write its contents.