Shannon Spano, national sales manager, retail, Wakefield Canada was named the Automotive Industries Association (AIA) of Canada Young Executive Society 2018 Young Leader of the Year Award recipient.

The award was presented immediately following AIA’s 76th Annual General Meeting that took place at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel.

Shannon has been an essential member of the Wakefield Canada Sales team since 2006. She has held progressive positions within the organization, including category management and national account management, and was recognized as a National Account Manager of the Year for three consecutive years. Shannon consistently delivers strong performance, both individually and in leading her team, and has earned and retained the respect and trust of Wakefield’s valued customers and vendor partners.

Over the past few years, Shannon’s leadership in her role as national sales manager, retail, has resulted in consistent year over year growth for key customers. The contributions and efforts from Shannon and her team have been instrumental in Wakefield being recognized as the recipient of the Canadian Tire Vendor of the Year Award, Automotive Category, in both 2015 and 2016. Shannon is focused on the development and success of her team above all else, knowing that this makes the greatest contribution to Wakefield as a whole.

Shannon joined the AIA Canada YES Committee in 2014 and has recently joined the Association’s Ontario Division. Shannon actively participates in numerous association events and consistently promotes engagement throughout her network. She is passionate about promoting the inclusiveness of the Association and will continue to pursue a more active role in the AIA Canada Women’s Leadership Conference planning and evolving the Advancing Women in Automotive Knowledge Exchange (AWAKE) Mentorship Program.

An advocate for women and children, Shannon served on a board of directors for a local women’s shelter and volunteered on various crisis support phone lines. Shannon is also an active volunteer with Canadian Tire’s Jumpstart Charity and has been recognized with Wakefield as a Jumpstart Vendor of the Year.

About the Young Leader of Year Award

The Young Leader of the Year Award is presented annually to an outstanding young employee for his/her dedication to the industry, leadership, and innovation. The Award was created in 2007 by the Young Executive Society (YES) Committee to provide member organizations with an opportunity to recognize employees that have made an impact on their companies, their communities, and the industry.