19Industry Tech OutlookSeptember 2023resources so our team stays at the forefront of automotive industry trends," explains Vicki. "I cultivate innovation by encouraging creative thinking and embracing calculated risks. By instilling these principles, I empower team members to develop essential leadership skills and embrace their potential as great leaders of tomorrow." Becoming A Leader Vicki has achieved success in a variety of forms throughout her career. Some highlights in her career include graduating from NADA Dealer Academy in 1991, becoming one of the first female Dealer Principals in Canada in 2010, sitting on several automotive boards, and being the President of The Calgary Motor Dealers Association. She is proud of Crowfoot's growth and the fact that they remain the largest family-owned dealership in Alberta, but even more so of the fact that she was able to balance that growth with being a `hands on' mother. Raising her two strong, independent daughters to know that they can do anything they set their minds to while maintaining a work-life balance is, without a doubt, the thing Vicki is most proud of. For the pioneering leader, Vicki's father was a huge inspiration. Seeing the work and commitment he put in daily became the baseline for her efforts in business. After she graduated from University, Vicki decided to try her hand in the automotive sector. "My father suggested I work outside of the business to gain different knowledge and a perspective that I could bring back to our company. For the first few years, I worked as a business manager at a Chrysler dealership in High River, Alberta," she states. "This challenge to spread my wings really helped further my understanding of the industry and created an inner passion that continues today!" Beyond that, Vicki has been inspired by a variety of leaders, one being Marilyn Sheftel, who became the first woman Vicki Appleby, President, Crowfoot Dodge Chrysler
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