Hyundai Auto Canada recently announced a partnership with the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL), after recently being named one of the 2024 Best Workplaces for Women by Great Places to Work.

The multi-year Canadian partnership with the league includes naming Hyundai as the first-ever Official Vehicle of the PWHL.

The partnership also names Hyundai Canada as the Official Vehicle of the league’s three Canadian teams in Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto.

And Hyundai Canada is working on marketing and communications content for the OEM and the PWHL.

For almost 15 years, the brand has been involved in hockey through grassroots initiatives, broadcast-based relationships and sponsorships.

“Inclusion is one of our core values at Hyundai Canada. We’re committed to having a workforce as diverse as our customer base and it’s something we hold ourselves to every day,” Hyundai Auto Canada director of marketing Christine Smith said in a news release. “We jumped at the opportunity to reflect these values within our sponsorship activities and support a new league for the greatest female hockey players in the world. We are honoured to work with the PWHL to move the game of women’s hockey forward in a way it has long deserved, and wish the league continued success.”

The PWHL partnership represents Hyundai Canada’s commitment to creating equal opportunities and closing the gender gap and is an evolution of its commitment to driving hockey forward, according to the OEM.

“Having the support of major brands is so valuable to the PWHL and its players, especially at this early stage of the league. We know there’s a lot of excitement and demand for women’s sports and brand sponsorships are essential to supporting the PWHL as we reach new heights,” said Amy Scheer, PWHL senior vice president of business operations. “We are grateful to Hyundai Canada for their support and excited to grow with the brand as they continue their commitment to driving hockey.”

One of the reasons the company was named as being among the best places to work for women is its ability to initiate, retain and promote female team members, with 50% of national managers self-identifying as women.

The automaker also offers benefits and flexibilities to support caregivers and mothers.

“This award is testament to all the incredibly talented women in our organization who help propel our business forward,” says Jennifer Maki, senior manager of human resources, in a press release.  “Our goal as an organization is to have a workplace were everyone thrives on the professional and personal levels. We are thankful to our leadership team for sustaining our foundational values of equity and inclusivity in their decisions, and to Great Place to Work for recognizing our commitment to this, which we try to demonstrate in tangible ways every day.”

The company has also set up several hiring and onboarding strategies to attract, retain and grow talent, and regularly hosts networking sessions titled “HACC Attracts.”

The automaker recently celebrated the five-year anniversary of Women@HAC, an employee resource group that promotes dialogue for change and the empowerment of female team members, customers and partners.

Further, Hyundai Canada also offers top-up for 15 weeks of maternity leave payments and has also increased insurance plans to support parents looking to have surrogacy, adoption or IVF treatments.