Sylvia Silveira Winner of the Wendy B. McDonald Woman of the Year Award

We are proud to announce that NTN Canada’s Vice President of Human Resources & Operations, Ms. Sylvia Silveira, was selected as the 2023 recipient of the Wendy B. McDonald Woman of the Year Award by the PTDA Foundation Board of Trustees. The PTDA Foundation established the Wendy B. McDonald Award to honour Mrs. McDonald as one of the true pioneers in the power transmission/motion control distribution industry. The award is granted to a woman who has established herself as a critical contributor to her company’s success and has affected positive change within the power transmission/motion control industry.

Sylvia Silveira was appointed Vice-President Human Resources & Operations of NTN Canada in April 2018. Based in Mississauga, she leads NTN Canada’s continuing journey of being a best-in-class employer by overseeing leading human resources and labour relations practices and serves as the manufacturing liaison for the Mississauga Board of Trade spearheading Provincial Policy recommendations to the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. She is also a member of the Canadian Hire Right Fit People Panel, the PTDA Workforce Education, Research & Knowledge Committee and the BSA’s Talent Forum and Succession Planning Committees.

Sylvia is recognized throughout the industry for her outstanding contributions in people management strategies and leadership. Sylvia’s commitment to the Human Resource profession is wrapped up in her personal motto and philosophy that “Together, we are better and together we can deliver the Ultimate Bearing Experience to our employees and industry partners!”

Over the last year, Sylvia has implemented a range of employee engagement strategies that have played a pivotal role in improving the overall success of NTN’s business. To ensure NTN could retain top talent, Sylvia led the development of a recruitment strategy for attracting capable and talented people for the inside sales function. The program resulted in 95% achievement of recruitment goals with success attributed to the development of hybrid remote roles. With this approach, NTN embarked on virtual transformation of its business model, evolving from “in-person relationship selling” and “delivering value” to “project sales management”. Employees were also offered supplementary training ranging from Project Management Professional Certification to learning French as a second language. She also initiated a Senpai/Kohai mentorship, allowing experienced executives to offer advice to mentees to achieve personal and professional growth. These programs have contributed to building a positive working environment where all employees feel valued.

Sylvia is also known for her sense of community as evidenced by her work in managing NTN’s “Happier Smiles, Happier Faces” CSR initiative. Sylvia spearheaded campaigns to support people experiencing homelessness including women and children fleeing violence, seniors, and people dealing with mental health and addiction issues. Under her leadership, NTN employees have also initiated an electronics recycling drive as well as a community garden to grow and deliver fresh vegetables to those in need at homeless shelters. Other activities include clothing collection and food drives for charities across Canada such as Dixie Bloor Neighbourhood Center & Eden Food for Change.

As the face of operational excellence at NTN, Sylvia is the epitome of skill, kindness and customer service, a consummate professional who makes current staff, potential employees and industry partners feel comfortable and a key part of the team at NTN. Sylvia Silveira is a graduate of Human Resources Management at Humber College and she has completed an Executive Management program at York University’s Schulich School of Business.

This award was presented during the Annual Business Meeting at the PTDA Industry Summit in Amelia Island, FL. Learn more about Sylvia’s achievement in this article published in the PTDA’s “What’s Trending” Work Force Publication. In this interview, Sylvia shares insights on being a woman in a male-dominated industry.