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Flavio Volpe is an internationally recognized champion of Canada’s automotive industry. Since 2014, he has proudly led the APMA, representing 200+ suppliers to the worldwide automotive industry.
Working closely with officials in Ottawa, Washington & Mexico City during the 2017-19 NAFTA renegotiations, he led the effort to secure an unprecedented increase in Regional Content for suppliers in the new USMCA. In 2022, he was named to the Ontario Premier’s Council on US Trade & Competitiveness.
When the global COVID19 pandemic created a dangerous medical equipment shortage in Canada in 2020, he launched one of the biggest peacetime mobilizations of the country’s industrial capacity in its history. Dubbed a ‘Manufacturing Hero’ by the Toronto Star for his leadership, this work resulted in the largest build-orders of critical ventilators, PPE & test swabs in Canada’s history.
In 2022, when anti-government actors illegally blockaded the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor costing the industry $1B, he led the APMA to secure an injunction in Ontario Superior Court to force the reopening of Canada’s most critical international border crossing.
A passionate technology leader, his response to the Prime Minister’s challenge for a net-zero economy by 2050 was to launch an all-Canadian, zero-emissions, autonomous concept prototype, Project Arrow. Described by the Globe and Mail as ‘an audacious play to build an all-Canadian electric car’, Project Arrow was revealed at the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas to global coverage & serves as a premier showcase of Canada’s automotive technology cluster.
Flavio is a sought-after voice by leading global publications including The Economist, New York Times, Bloomberg, Wall Street Journal, CNN, BBC, CNBC, FOX & the Washington Post. He speaks frequently on industry issues at House of Commons Standing Committees in Finance, Industry and Trade.
Top 100 Most influential People in Government and Politics, The Hill Times, 2023 Top 50 People Influencing Canadian Foreign Policy, The Hill Times, 2021, 2022. 2023 Industry Leader of the Year, Canada Newsmakers, Automotive News Canada, 2017 Impact Award, Champion for Diverse Talent, Center for Automotive Diversity, Inclusion & Advancement, 2021 Industry All-Star, Automotive News Canada, 2018, 2019, 2020 Top 100 Lobbyists in Canada, The Hill Times, 2022, 2023 ‘Next Generation’ Honoree, ICCO, 2011Flavio holds a BA in International Relations from the University of Toronto & an MBA from York University’s Schulich School of Business.
She leads the Future of Work portfolio, building the first industry-wide digital learning program and established the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Fund which invests in careers of those historically excluded. The latter won her the CADIA Impact Award – Champion for Diverse Talent. Lauren was recently named one of WXN’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women and recognized globally as one of Reuters DRIVE Award Winners for Women in Auto. Profiled in the Globe and Mail as one of “Five Trailblazing Women in the Male Dominated Auto Industry”, Lauren was also named an Emerging Leader by The Peak and won the Next Generation award from the Italian Chamber of Commerce Ontario.
Lauren served as an advisor to the Law Society of Ontario in addition to teaching Communications at Sheridan College. Her experience at leading public relations agencies set the groundwork for senior roles in the public sector including Director of Communications to the President of the Treasury Board and Minister of Education. At each step, her insight and foresight guided the formulation and launch of major public policy initiatives, underscoring the need for strong strategic planning for disruptive agents of change.
Lauren holds an Honours B.A. from the University of Toronto, a Postgraduate Certificate in Communications from Sheridan College and a certificate in International Project Management from the University of Toronto.
Gian Paolo oversees all of the APMA’s legal matters ranging from complex contract management and negotiation to the administration of all technical and legal requirements under the APMA’s public-partnership programs. Gian Paolo also serves as the Secretary to APMA’s Board of Directors.
Prior to joining the APMA Gian Paolo was in private practice at a Toronto-based law firm where he practiced in the areas of civil litigation, corporate-commercial and real estate law. Gian Paolo has managed and facilitated complex transactions and has represented clients before the Ontario courts at different levels. Gian Paolo has also held roles in the public sector working for the Ontario Minister of Economic Development and Trade.
Further to his role at the APMA Gian Paolo also sits on the Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) for Defence Research & Development Canada (DRDC) as the legal member. He advises the Committee on informed-consent matters, consent-form construction, privacy and conflict of interest issues.
Gian Paolo holds a B.A. (Hons) from York University in Political Science, a Law Degree with Honours from the University of Leicester and was called to the Ontario Bar in 2015.