Corporate Governance

Mr. Thorpe joined AutoCanada Inc. in the role of President, Canadian Operations in April 2022.

Previously, Mr. Thorpe was with AutoNation, the largest automotive retailer in North America for 24 years. He most recently held the position of Market President at AutoNation and was responsible for operations in multiple U.S. Markets and providing direct leadership over automotive dealership operations in Colorado, Minnesota, Chicago, Cleveland, Northern California, and Los Angeles. Mr. Thorpe has established himself as an effective leader that builds and mentors strong teams and people. Over his extensive tenure at AutoNation, Mr. Thorpe became well known in the industry for cultivating multiple dozen General Managers and senior leaders within the automotive ecosystem.

Mr. Feldman joined AutoCanada as Senior Vice President, Operations and Disruptive Technologies in April 2022.

Mr. Feldman has a proven track record of success over his 18 years of experience with AutoNation where he most recently held the position of Senior Director of Sales, overseeing national sales processes and pricing.

He previously held Senior Director roles at AutoNation responsible for Wholesale Parts Sales, Operations Strategy, and eCommerce Retail Operations. Over his time at AutoNation, Mr. Feldman developed subject matter expertise and revolutionized sales, marketing, training, and business development at a scale larger than can be found in the Canadian marketplace.

In his most recent role as the Senior Director of Sales, Mr. Feldman oversaw national sales processes, new inventory, and retail pricing. He managed all eCommerce, phone, and equity mining sales which represented over two million customer leads and 200,000 vehicle sales per year. Additionally, he created and facilitated national training curriculums including eCommerce Manager University, Introduction to eCommerce Sales and Advanced eCommerce Sale for sales consultants and managers.

Peter was previously a senior partner with Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP and is one of Canada’s leading M&A and securities lawyers. He has over 20 years of experience dealing with some of Canada’s most complex M&A, securities and finance transactions, and advising public companies and their boards on strategic and governance matters.

Drew Forret joined AutoCanada Inc. as the Chief Administrative and Transformation Officer in October 2023. In this role, he is responsible for HR, IT, Information Management, Financial Planning and Analysis, and Real Estate operations.

Drew is a finance and operations executive with over 20 years of experience, including strategic planning, general management, HR, financial operations, and the execution of M&A processes. He is passionate about leading organizations toward achieving a high-performance culture.

Before joining AutoCanada, Drew served as the COO/CFO at Voices, the largest global online marketplace matching voice-over talent with clients. Prior to his tenure at Voices, Drew held the position of COO/CFO at CarProof Corporation (now known as Carfax Canada). CarProof revolutionized how used vehicles were bought and sold in Canada through the provision of key information. This information determined whether the vehicle had experienced a previous accident and, if so, it specified the extent of the incurred damage. Before his role at CarProof, Drew was the President of Activplant Corporation. As President, he was responsible for the development of strategy and its sound execution of it. A major focus was transitioning the company from a complex technology solution to a repeatable business intelligence application sale.

Drew obtained his Chartered Accountant designation in 1999 and his Corporate Finance designation in 2009. He attended the University of British Columbia, where he earned his Bachelor of Commerce degree.

Casey Charleson joined AutoCanada Inc. in the role of Vice President, Finance in March 2021. Mr. Charleson is a leader in our Finance, Financial Reporting, and Corporate Accounting functions. Previously he was a Director in the assurance services group at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. Casey has a Bachelor of Business Administration from Capilano University and is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA).

Mr. Charleson resides in Edmonton with his wife and children.

Before joining AutoCanada in 2018 as Vice President, Special Finance, Jonathan already had 12 years of experience in the auto industry, starting his career in 2006 selling cars until the summer of 2010 where he transitioned his career to focus on special finance. Jonathan successfully built a special finance department that was one of the biggest in the country. Along with the success in sales he also helped build an entire brand and focus around special finance.

Jonathan’s leadership and knowledge has been instrumental in tripling growth in a three-year span and he is an expert in understanding how the banks operate and buy special finance paper. He also has very strong relationships with the banks and looks forward to graduating the special finance portfolio to prime customers for the AutoCanada dealer network.

• CA, CPA designation
• Bachelor of Commerce Honors from the University of Manitoba.

Mikel has 15 years’ of experience in the retail and insurance industries. Prior to joining AutoCanada in 2018 in the capacity of Vice President, Finance & Insurance, Mikel served as the Director of Finance & Risk Management of the F&I department of a large Canadian auto group. Mikel was successful in leading the growth of this department for five consecutive years.

In early 2017, Mikel transitioned into the Special Finance department of the same auto group, acting as Director of Finance and Risk Management where he was responsible for developing and administering the finance, accounting and lending policies, collections, and back-office systems. Mikel’s exceptional leadership and team work abilities helped the company triple it’s growth in just one year.

Prior to joining the automotive industry, Mikel articled with the international accounting firm Deloitte, where he earned his Chartered Accountant designation. During his time at Deloitte, Mikel specialized in the insurance and retail sectors of the firms’ audit practice, working on a number of high-profile public company audits, as well as serving private company clients in the retail automotive sector.

Oliver Lay brings over fifteen years of experience in the Canadian automotive industry, specializing in dealership operations. Currently responsible for the Import West dealership platform, he utilizes his extensive retail knowledge and outstanding OEM relations to support the development and success of the next generation of data-driven General Managers and automotive professionals.

Since joining the company in 2014, Mr. Lay has played a pivotal role in establishing AutoCanada as the leading automotive group in Canada. His contributions have been instrumental in driving the company’s success and growth.

Mr. Lay holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Northwood University. Prior to that, he pursued an Advanced Diploma in Business Administration with a dual major in Automotive Marketing and Management at Georgian College.

Mr. Lay resides in Calgary, Alberta, with his wife and two children.

Bryndon has over 40 years of automotive industry experience starting his career with General Motors, later working in a variety of retail leadership positions, and ultimately becoming the President and Managing Partner of two world-class Honda dealerships in the Greater Toronto Area. After successfully leading the buy-sell on his stores, Bryndon worked as a consultant, including overseeing several projects for AutoCanada before officially joining the organization in 2023.

Rob Medina joined at AutoCanada as a Platform Vice President on May 1, 2023. He is a highly experienced executive with nearly 30 years of retail automotive experience. He has held numerous leadership roles in the automotive industry, including working within a dealership, on a platform team, and managing multiple brands at scale with an emphasis in F&I.

Currently, Rob serves as Vice President of the Domestic West Platform at AutoCanada. Prior to joining AutoCanada, he spent the last 10 years with AutoNation where he served as the Western Region F&I Director and was responsible for the Finance & Insurance operations of over 120 dealerships.

Before AutoNation, Rob spent 8 years with Jim Moran and associates (JM&A Group) training and developing dealerships on the sales and finance operation. During his time in dealerships, he worked with various brands, including VW, Subaru, Nissan, Ford, and Stellantis.

Rob is passionate about innovation and driving growth, and he is committed to staying on top of industry trends and developments. He takes pride is growing and developing people.

Darren Brown joined AutoCanada in 2019 as a Dealer Partner. Demonstrating his capability and dedication, he earned a promotion to the executive team in August 2023.

Over the course of his 30-year career in the auto industry, Darren has established a strong foundation, initially beginning in the sales department. Based in Ottawa, Darren has held senior management positions within high-volume dealerships for the past 23 years, consistently emphasizing operational efficiency and effective leadership.

Blair Creed, an automotive industry professional, brings extensive Sales and After-Sales expertise from diverse retail and OEM backgrounds.

Before joining AutoCanada, Blair occupied key leadership roles at Mercedes-Benz, serving as Vice President of Corporate Retail and Vice President of Customer Services at Mercedes-Benz Canada Inc. Additionally, Blair served as the General Manager of Sales Operations & Volume Planning at Mercedes-Benz USA and managed Mercedes-Benz Manhattan, the flagship company-owned dealership.

Blair attended McGill University in Montreal and currently resides in Toronto, Ontario.

• Lean six sigma black belt from York University – Schulich School of Business
• Bachelor’s degree in business administration from Bishop’s University
• Marketing diploma from Mohawk College.

Arthur has 17 years experience combined in the car rental, MRO (maintenance, safety and operation supplies) distribution and collision industries.
Arthur began his career with Enterprise Rent-A-Car, last serving as an District Manager. During his tenure of nine years, he achieved the most profitable district in Canada. In the summer of 2010, Arthur transitioned to Acklands Grainger serving as a senior manager in the Manitoba region. There, he managed the team to record high sales.

Prior to joining AutoCanada, Arthur was with a large Canadian automotive retail group, operating as Director of Collision Centres. He managed the day-to-day operations and overall direction of each facility, which are recognized as a top revenue generating multi-store operation in Canada (Collision Repair Magazine). During his tenure, Arthur led a major modernization of the collision centre operations, successfully implementing industry best practices.

Patrycja Kujawa has spent over 20 years in multiple sectors mobilizing, analyzing and communicating information to support organizational growth. She is most passionate about unleashing the potential of team members to deliver business value through data and technology. Patrycja has been with AutoCanada since early 2020, initially as the Director of Business Intelligence and now as Vice President of Information Management.

Patrycja’s diverse portfolio of experience includes leading multi-disciplinary teams, working her trade as an economist through modeling, analysis and market research and conducting international business development. She has always strived for excellence and received awards and accolades in her capacity as a writer, researcher, editor and business development manager.

Patrycja has an MSc in Natural Resource Economics from the University of Alberta, a double BA from the University of Saskatchewan in Economics and Political Science, a Data Management and Business Intelligence certificate from NAIT and a journalism diploma from Grant MacEwan University.

CPA, CA Designation
Bachelor of Commerce Honors from the University of Manitoba

David joined AutoCanada in early 2017 as a Dealership Controller and shortly thereafter moved into the role of Chief Controller with the Domestic Brands Platform.

In 2021, David advanced into the role of Director, Acquisition Operations with the Acquisition & Integration team, which is responsible for the onboarding and full Operational transition of Dealership and Collision Center acquisition targets. In the first year in this capacity, he formed the team, developed the Acquisition Integration framework, and was responsible for the closing and integration of 15 Dealerships and Collision Centres. In 2022, David was promoted to Vice-President, Acquisition Operations.

Prior to joining the automotive industry, David articled with the international accounting firm Deloitte, where he earned his Chartered Accountant designation. During his time at Deloitte, David served clients in several different industries, including retail automotive within the private company sector, as well as high-profile public company clients where he worked on the audit of a few large acquisitions.

Andrew leads AutoCanada’s cross border used vehicle wholesale division, Gateway Leasing. Since 2018, he has assisted AutoCanada’s dealer network by providing market intelligence and buying strategy. This direction includes batch wholesale buying from large fleets, advice on wholesale purchasing at auction, and appraisal support for inventory at AutoCanada dealerships.

Prior to joining AutoCanada Andrew led a large automotive group’s used vehicle wholesale activity with involvement and coaching in used car inventory strategy, buying vehicles for the dealership network and disposing of the group’s wholesale vehicles.

Andrew has a B.Comm (Hons.) from the University of Manitoba and resides in Winnipeg, MB.

Darnelle has been leading software development teams for 8 years and building software applications for more than 13. After creating a one-of-a-kind F&I application for a large dealer group, he led his team through acquisition of the software by one of the largest Canadian insurance companies in 2017.

In 2018 Darnelle left the automotive sector to successfully build and take to market a digital retail insurance application before joining AutoCanada in 2022

Darnelle has a Diploma of Information Services Technology from Red River College Polytech.

Prior to joining AutoCanada in 2020, Cynthia served as a lawyer and partner at Davies Ward Phillips and Vineberg LLP. Her practice focused on corporate and securities law, mergers and acquisitions and corporate governance. Cynthia holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree (First Class Honours) from Queen’s University and a Juris Doctor degree (Dean’s Gold Key) from York University’s Osgoode Hall Law School.

Michael Fera is a seasoned finance professional with over 15 years of experience and a keen dedication to driving financial excellence, specializing in Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A). His commitment to enhancing organizational performance and fostering a culture of fiscal responsibility has been consistently demonstrated throughout his career.

In the realms of Strategic Planning and Budgeting, Michael has played a crucial role in leading comprehensive processes, ensuring that financial objectives harmonize with the organization’s long-term goals and objectives. Additionally, his efforts in Financial Discipline have successfully cultivated a culture of fiscal responsibility, especially in managing discretionary spending, leading to improved financial efficiency and optimized resource allocation. Moreover, Michael has excelled in Capital Management, enhancing the effectiveness of invested capital by leveraging a data-driven approach to capital allocation.

Michael is a proud alumnus of the University of Windsor and holds a CPA designation.