Skip to content

Maria Soklis, COO of Kia Canada, is Driving Change

Maria Soklis addressing Kia Canada dealers at the annual National Dealer Meeting

Maria’s story is proof you don’t have to reinvent the wheel to reinvent yourself

BY ALLISON LAWLOR

Few women make it to the top ranks in the automotive industry, and fewer still do it without a business degree. But Maria Soklis, COO of Kia Canada, unknowingly set herself on that unlikely course when she chose to study social work at the University of Waterloo. “I wanted to save the world,” she says with a gentle laugh. “I was young and naïve.”

Like many university grads of all generations, she eventually left home to travel and when she landed in Switzerland, she knew she wanted to stay. However she was unable to work as a social worker because she didn’t speak Swiss German (making it impossible to offer emotional or psychological support), so she decided to look outside her field. She ended up learning the language while living in Europe, but turned to where they predominately work in English—the world of international business. “I didn’t necessarily choose the auto industry,” she says. “We found each other.”


Growing up the eldest of three girls in a tight-knit, immigrant family in Kitchener, Ont., cars played a big part in her childhood. Her father frequently took her by his side as he tinkered, teaching Maria more than the basics of how to change the oil. “I always had a passion for cars,” she says. When she got her first job in the auto industry in Quality/Manufacturing at General Motors Europe in Zurich she knew she was in the right place. “I loved the competitive, fast-paced environment.”

Before joining Kia Canada in 2006 and rising through the ranks to become COO and Vice-President only three years later, Maria spent a decade working at General Motors Europe, GM International Operations in Germany (Aftersales—International Operations overlooking HR) and eventually General Motors Canada. The first woman ever to join the senior executive ranks at Kia Motors, Maria is responsible for 184 dealerships across the country and leads a team of over 160 corporate staff.

In an industry she describes as “viciously, viciously competitive,” Maria says passion is key not only to her success, but to staying ahead of her competition. Brimming with ideas, she often wakes at night and grabs a notepad by her bed. “It’s really easy to maintain my passion because I love what I do,” she says. “I think my passion fuels my drive.”

As a mom of three, Maria says she wouldn’t be where she is today without exceptional time management, multi-tasking and organizational skills. “The more organized you are in your work, the more effective you are and the more work you can take on,” she says. “You need to keep your head down and focus on the work.”

This level of organization allows her to be home most nights by about 6 p.m. so she doesn’t miss dinner with her husband and two younger sons, ages eight (turning nine) and 10 (her stepson is 24 years old). She waits until her sons have gone to bed if there is still work to be done at night, and she’s up at five each morning.

Family is integral to Maria’s life. When not working, she’s often driving her kids (in her Kia Sorento SUV in the winter or her Kia Rondo in the summer) to the martial arts studio. Having practised the sport as a child, she understands their passion. She also spends time with her parents, who live nearby in the same house where she grew up. Maria credits them for instilling her strong work ethic and social conscience. As immigrants from Greece, they helped other newcomers adjust; their door was always open to welcome someone in for a meal or to talk. That could be why, “even though I’m not in social work, I’m still committed to giving back to the community,” she says. Her current position has allowed her to do that on a national level.


Leveraging Maria’s talents, passion, and ability to empower Kia’s staff and dealers to make changes, the company launched Drive Change in 2011. Through the annual event, Kia encourages all of its dealerships to make a difference in their own backyards by, for example, volunteering in a soup kitchen or building a home with Habitat for Humanity. Maria was particularly touched the time her team delivered a new car to a mother who had no vehicle to drive her sick child to hospital appointments.

Drive Change isn’t the only national community initiative Maria has spearheaded at Kia Canada. The company also provides vehicles and funding for MADD Canada’s (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) school assembly program, which educates young people on the dangers of impaired driving.

After hearing horror stories of drinking and driving from her husband, a police officer with York Regional Police, Maria was convinced she should help. MADD Canada estimates there are four car crash deaths related to impairment each day in this country. “If we can prevent one of those four deaths, then it is a partnership worth having,” she says. Maria’s good works haven’t gone unnoticed. In 2012, she received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for dedicated service to her peers, community and the country.

Maria credits her background in social work for much of her success in the corporate boardroom, too. She learned the car business on the job, but she was guided by strong communication and negotiation skills gained during her years of study. “It’s easier to teach the business side or the technical side,” she says of her specialized industry. “The softer skills, you kind of learn as a kid.” Clearly she was a good student.

Kia Canada’s market share has risen to just under five percent, up from slightly over two percent, under her leadership. But heeding the advice she gives to young, ambitious women, Maria isn’t focused on the future. Instead, she’s working mindfully on what needs to be done now. “Get focused. Commit yourself. Work hard. Stay humble and someone is going to notice you.”

Hear more of Maria’s story and strategies for success when she speaks at the Women of Influence Luncheon event on October 28, 2014 in Kitchener. Click here for tickets!