Originally elected as a Conservative , she later crossed the floor to join the Liberals. After leaving politics, she served as the executive vice-chairman of Magna International , Canada's largest automotive parts manufacturer, until December 31, Stronach is the chairman, chief executive officer and president [ 2 ] of The Stronach Group and the founder and chair of The Belinda Stronach Foundation, a Canadian charitable organization.
She also co-founded Acasta Enterprises and served as its director until , when she resigned from the board. In the early s, Stronach was highlighted by the World Economic Forum and by media outlets such as the National Post and Fortune magazine as a promising future leader. Stronach was a member of the board of directors of Magna from until She was hired by her father in In , she became a vice president of the company and was promoted to executive vice president in , before being appointed president and chief executive officer.
She also chaired the boards of Decoma International Inc. Additionally, she served as a director of the Yves Landry Foundation, [ 5 ] which supports technological education and skills training in the manufacturing sector.
In January , she also assumed the role of president. During her tenure as CEO, the company added 3, jobs in Canada, 1, of which were in the Newmarket-Aurora area, which she would later represent in Parliament. Under her leadership, Magna achieved record sales and profits each year. Although he held no formal operational role at that time, Frank Stronach continued to serve as the chairman of the board.
As CEO, Stronach was widely seen as more conciliatory toward organized labor than her father, who was known for his strong opposition to unions at Magna.
