Greater Toronto's Top Employers (2026) Magazine - Magazine - Page 88
88
( 2026)
SPONSOR CONTENT
Mazda’s community culture drives employee engagement
E
ight years ago, a former
boss asked Soon Yong
to consider moving to
Mazda Canada Inc.
Yong spoke to others
he knew at the company and was
impressed by their consistent message. “It’s rare that all the people
you reach out to would talk about
the great culture,” says Yong,
now manager, service operations.
“And it’s true! We have a sense of
community.”
Our workplace approach is centred on
the employee. We want
to balance productivity
and well-being.
— Krista Kelly-Gombocz
Director, People and Culture
The company is responsible for
the sales and marketing, customer
service and parts support of
Mazda vehicles in Canada.
Headquartered in Richmond Hill,
Ont., Mazda Canada has 175 employees and a nationwide network
of 163 retail stores.
“Our workplace approach is
centred on the employee,” says
Krista Kelly-Gombocz, director,
people and culture. Employees
and leaders collaborated to
develop a workplace model in
which 90 per cent of roles are
classified as hybrid — to be done
at home or office as required. “We
want to balance productivity and
well-being,” she says.
For Yong, the culture begins
with the flexible workplace,
Employees at Mazda Canada deliver backpacks filled with school supplies to the organization’s community
partner, Pathways to Education.
which he feels aligns with Mazda’s
values. “We evolve and adapt
what works best for employees’
work-life balance but also what
builds a sense of community,”
says Yong. He finds that company
events and committee work build
camaraderie.
As a member of the committee
that supports Mazda’s charitable
partners, Yong works to encourage employee engagement. The
committee has hosted various
events, including a carnival, corporate barbecues and Halloween
costume events. Employees
support chosen charity partners
by buying tickets for games or
food, or donating items during
charity drives.
Mazda’s corporate team-building events have included a curling
experience in Richmond Hill with
Canadian Olympic champion
Jennifer Jones in attendance.
In the past, Yong participated
in a trip to Mont-Tremblant,
Que. “There were meetings to
build alignment throughout the
organization and events for team
building,” says Yong. “People also
had time to explore. I was able to
hike up Mont-Tremblant!”
In the beginning, Yong joined
Mazda as a specialist on the
warranty operations team. Two
years later, he applied to a posting,
became the successful candidate and moved to the service
operations department. Just over
four years later, he was promoted
to manager.
“Development is a constant at
Mazda,” says Kelly-Gombocz. “All
leaders host one-on-one employee
development meetings.” The
meetings take place monthly with
the employee’s direct leader or
supervisor.
Yong is also encouraged to network by taking on projects or roles
where he comes into contact with
people across the organization.
“I’m somewhat of an introvert, so
