Peter MacDonald, President and CEO of four auto dealerships on Prince Edward Island, became the 77th Chairman of the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association at the board of directors' meeting in Winnipeg, in October.
MacDonald takes over the chairman role from Marc Bourassa. MacDonald moves into the chairman’s seat from his previous role as the association’s First-Vice Chair.
Apart from many years of experience on the CADA board, MacDonald has also served as President of the Prince Edward Island Automobile Dealers Association (PEIADA).
The new chairman can look forward to a busy and challenging term, as he oversees many of the association’s key files in the coming months. This includes the battle over HST on insurance products, getting vehicle recall legislation passed, the fight against small business tax changes, ensuring CADA's voice continues to be heard in Ottawa, monitoring interventionist legislation regarding zero-emission vehicles, and a new Auto Career Start initiative to help spark more interest in dealership careers.
“Peter brings with him extensive knowledge as the head of several dealerships in P.E.I., and an abundance of experience having participated in several dealer-related activities and industry groups,” said President & CEO John White. “This will help him guide the association through its endeavours on behalf of dealers.”
MacDonald graduated from the University of Prince Edward Island with a Bachelor of Business Administration major in accounting. He started his career in public accounting before moving into management in the private sector.
In 1984, he decided to work for and buy the family Ford dealership in his hometown of Summerside.
In 2006 he purchased the Ford dealerships in Charlottetown and Montague, and several years later he opened Summerside Hyundai with his brother.
MacDonald is a former recipient of the Maclean’s Dealer of Excellence award for Prince Edward Island. He was also awarded the 2011 Entrepreneur of the Year for the Greater Summerside Chamber of Commerce, and he was nominated twice for the “Edsel B. Ford II Salute to Dealers” international award recognizing dealers contribution to their community.
