After an exhaustive search throughout the Summer, the OARA Board of Directors are please to announce that we have hired Mathieu P. Dagonas as the association's next Executive Director.
Mathieu (Mat) Dagonas
OARA Executive Director
17 Forest Road
Ajax ON L1S2N2
(416) 458-3396
mathieu.dagonas@oara.com
Mathieu starts on October 7th working beside Steve Fletcher.
Prior to OARA, Mathieu served in government for nearly 10 years, in several senior leadership roles advising several Cabinet members. Most recently, Mathieu was Director of Communications and Stakeholder Affairs for the Commission for Complaints for Telecom-television Services (CCTS), Canada’s national and independent ombudsman dedicated to resolving customer complaints about telecommunications and television services. He has been in the Executive Director role previously with the Documentary Organization of Canada. Mathieu has also served on many boards, including Firefighters Without Borders, and the Canadian Centre for Housing Rights.
Steve Fletcher, our long-serving Executive Director, will be stepping away from his Ontario role at the 2025 OARA Convention & Trade Show in Niagara Falls in March. Until then Mathieu and Steve will be sharing the Executive Director role to ensure a seamless transition. Steve will be staying on in his role as Managing Director at the Automotive Recyclers of Canada (ARC) for the foreseeable future and will be available to mentor Mathieu and continue to support OARA and its Members.
Greg Woodbeck, OARA Chairman commented on Mathieu, “The OARA Board is very excited to welcome Mat into his new role. Mat has a wonderful background and personality that will ensure a positive transition and that OARA’s needs will continue to be met. Mat also brings a wealth of knowledge, skillsets and experiences that will positively affect OARA and the industry.”
“I am excited to join OARA as Executive Director at a pivotal time for automotive recyclers, with innovation and sustainability driving rapid transformation. I look forward to collaborating with our partners and Members to promote the benefits of responsible auto recycling,” said Mathieu.
We will be celebrating Steve’s involvement with OARA during the 2025 Convention and we are calling all past, present (and future) Members to attend and join the celebration. We are expecting this to be our largest event ever, and look forward to the support we receive from our Associate Members, Exhibitors and Sponsors.
An exclusive “Get to Know Mathieu” Zoom call with Members is planned for October 17th.
Please join us in welcoming Mathieu to OARA and to the auto recycling industry.
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OARA Board of Directors
