MIAMI, Oct. 16,
2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Gabrielle Abinion of Fox Valley
Volkswagen in St. Charles,
Illinois was honored with this year's "Ally Sees Her" award for her proven leadership
in the automotive industry, becoming a dealership general manager
at only 25-years old – decades ahead of most in that role.
Juan Niebles, Ally's senior
director of auto sales, presented Abinion, a general manager at Fox
Valley Volkswagen, which has been owned by Abinion's family since
2006, with the award during the National Association of Minority
Automobile Dealers (NAMAD) annual conference.
"Gabrielle is a trailblazer in automotive retail becoming a
general manager at 25 years old and an inspiration to the next
generation of minority dealers," said Niebles.
Abinion, a proud Filipina, embodies the spirit of the Sees Her
award. This award was established by Ally and NAMAD six
years ago to recognize significant achievements of women of color
in the auto industry and their commitment to strengthening their
communities.
"Growing up in the automotive industry, I always admired my
mentors and coaches, most of whom were men," Abinion said.
"However, my perspective on the industry changed when I started
selling cars at a Land Rover Jaguar store and was taken under the
wing of an African American saleswoman, Alicia Houston, right out of college. She taught
me the importance of having women in our industry and how by
challenging traditional masculine norms, we can create a culture of
diversity that inspires innovation, growth, and meaningful
change."
To celebrate Abinion's commitment to giving back to her
community, Ally will donate $10,000
that will be split between two non-profit organizations: Cal's
Angels, which supports pediatric cancer research and helps families
affected by the disease, and Naomi's House, which provides housing,
job-skill training, and mental health services to victims of
commercial sex trafficking. Through Abinion's leadership, the
dealership has donated 10 vehicles to graduates of the Naomi's
House program since 2019 to give each participant a fresh
start.
The St. Charles native and
Loyola University-Chicago graduate
began her career in the automotive industry as a sales consultant
at Howard Orloff Imports in Chicago. She credits mentoring as
instrumental to her development, leading to a promotion to finance
manager at the Land Rover Jaguar Volvo franchise dealership within
a year. She has completed the NCM's General Management Executive
Program and Ally's Financial Leadership Academy, which are
specialized dealer training programs. Abinion is also a member of
the General Motor's Dealer Development National Candidate Pool. In
February 2023, she was selected as a
finalist for the "What Drives Her Retailer of the Year" award at
the Chicago Auto Show.
About Ally Financial Inc.
Ally Financial Inc. (NYSE: ALLY) is a financial services company
with the nation's largest all-digital bank and an industry-leading
auto financing business, driven by a mission to "Do It Right" and
be a relentless ally for customers and communities. The company
serves more than 11 million customers through a full range of
online banking services (including deposits, mortgage,
point-of-sale personal lending, and credit card products) and
securities brokerage and investment advisory services. The company
also includes a robust corporate finance business that offers
capital for equity sponsors and middle-market companies, as well as
auto financing and insurance offerings. For more information,
please visit www.ally.com and follow @allyfinancial.
For more information and disclosures about Ally,
visit https://www.ally.com/#disclosures.
For further images and news on Ally, please
visit http://media.ally.com.
Contact:
Brenda Rios
brenda.rios@ally.com
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SOURCE Ally Financial