As originally appeared in Autosphere, August 21, 2025
Author: Huw Evans
An interview with Drew Collier
In July, LGM Financial Services announced a strategic financial investment from Marubeni Corporation, one of Japan’s largest and most respected general trading companies.
With this partnership, the aim is to create major advancement in Canada’s automotive industry through responsible mobility and innovation. The partnership will also enable LGM to significantly build upon the solid foundation it has established as a leading provider of F&I solutions for automotive retailers and its extensive network of OEM partner brands.
To gain insight into this partnership and what it represents for both LGM and Canada’s automotive retail sector, we sat down with Drew Collier, President & CEO of LGM Financial Services.
Autosphere: Can you tell us a little about some of the key factors that led LGM to partnering with Marubeni Corporation?
Drew Collier: For us, there were three things that really stood out for us when it came to Marubeni that were key differentiating factors. One was core values. We felt there was a great deal of alignment between both organizations. Marubeni has a key focus on innovation, fairness and harmony built around their company creed and they also have made significant investments around responsible mobility, which very much aligns, with LGM’s core objectives. The second component revolves around financial strength. Marubeni is a global Fortune 500 company, and the investment really changes the game for LGM. Thirdly, we wanted to ensure that we could enter into a partnership where we can keep our team together and continue to focus on the same products and services that have elevated our organization to the reputation it enjoys today. So, essentially, for us it was about finding a great partner that would be instrumental in future growth and innovation, as well as an organization that would enable us to continue enhancing value for our partners including our OEMs and dealers.
AS: What do you feel is essential going forward when it comes to providing solid support and solutions for the automotive retail industry in Canada from a F&I perspective?
DC: There are a few things that we feel are essential. Quality service is critical, as is solid product coverage. Additionally, technology is becoming ever more integral and important and continues to grow at a rapid pace. Also, fair pricing is essential. Pricing, and coverage frequently go hand in hand, and providing optimal solutions for both can be a challenge. One trend we’re starting to see more of in the marketplace, is dealers that are starting to play a longer game. Gone are the days where the dealer could sell a lower cost product with lower coverage in order to maximize their markup. In the long run, such tactics tend to kill customer loyalty due to their transactional nature, plus they also invite greater regulatory scrutiny. Savvy dealers are seeing the longer-term value by cultivating customer loyalty, delivering quality products and seeing that translate into repeat purchases—essentially creating a full customer life cycle. This approach is one that enables maximum long-term value for both their customers and for their franchise. Marubeni, like LGM has always been focused on taking that long-term approach. For LGM, we see ourselves very much about driving loyalty for the dealers and loyalty for the brands that we work with. Marubeni also sees it that way, and they really want to support that. So, by keeping LGM’s focus on that combined with Marubeni’s values and financial resources. it really helps us continue on that path and focusing on the aspects we feel provide the best long-term solution for customers, dealer franchises and OEMs.
AS: What do you think is essential when it comes to finding the right strategic partner and were there any particular aspects that stood out, regarding Marubeni Corporation?
DC: LGM has a proven track record and an earned reputation for providing quality service and bringing value to our dealer and OEM partners. And Marubeni Corporation wants to give us the autonomy to keep doing it. Key questions they have been asking, are how do we support you? Where do you want to go from here? And how does that look in terms of different forms of investment in technology, or potential acquisitions or expansion into new products—all of which would enable us to support our OEM and dealer partners? By having the right investor in our business, we can continue to create and look for opportunities while at the same time, contributing to the long-term sustainability goals we have. We’re very excited about working with Marubeni to explore some of those opportunities and although it is still early days, there is a great deal of optimism about having that solid foundation and building upon that.
AS: In a recent news announcement regarding the LGM and Marubeni partnership, it mentions, broader innovation and collaboration going forward—was there any particular aspects you’d like to touch upon?
Before we started the process of creating this strategic partnership and conducting an investor search, we looked at the concept of what’s known as the three ‘V’s—vision, values and valuation. Often, there is a tendency to focus on valuation first when putting business deals together and who is going to be paying for what etc. In reality however, if you don’t have alignment on vision and values, you won’t be able to create success over the long term and you won’t be able to extract the best value for everyone involved. That’s why in our case, it was critical to have a shared vision and shared values, since they are key to making the economics work. Having those shared values and vision is also critical for our OEM and dealer partners, especially over the longer-term. Marubeni’s North American and global footprint is substantial and combined with a similar philosophy and shared values, including their commitment to the mobility space, we’re already seeing synergies that can benefit our customers and strengthen the commitment we have to our OEM and dealer partners, as well as the mobility sector overall.
AS: What do you feel is essential to creating long-term value while also driving a truly sustainable approach when it comes to business?
DC: Even though we are currently just a few months into the partnership, we’re already starting to explore some of those synergies between us. Marubeni has many assets within their portfolio and is very committed to the mobility space. It’s very exciting to see what they can do working with us here in North America, and we’re excited to explore some of those opportunities. The one thing I would say, is that we will always be focused on our commitment to our OEM and dealer partners and that will always take precedence. Whatever we do has to make sense for the OEMs and the dealers we work with. They are what got us to where we are today and are very much core to who we are and what we do as an organization.
AS: What do you feel is essential to creating long-term value while also driving a truly sustainable approach when it comes to business?
DC: I think that again, it goes back to some of the values that LGM has and how we how we operate. Often it comes down to your own objectives and having the best of intentions as it relates to stakeholder interest, doing what’s fair, considering everybody’s values and doing the right thing. And that’s where a good deal of the sustainability aspect comes in. We talked earlier about dealers taking a longer view in doing what’s best for their customers and benefiting from customer loyalty and maximizing lifetime value and sales through F&I. The same thing applies to administrators. For us, it’s knowing that when we help our OEM and dealer partners be more successful, that success comes back to us and then creates that long term sustainable benefit. This in turn, allows us to keep moving forward and doing what we do. The other thing I would add is the importance of involving employees and creating a great employee experience at all levels. It’s just so critical in the marketplace today to have an exceptional team that is highly engaged. And that’s something that we at LGM, are continually focused on. Ultimately, it’s our employees that create the great products, that create the great technology, and that great experience for our dealers, their customers, and for our OEM partners. You can’t do it without your employees, and we’re fortunate to have an amazing team that has worked incredibly hard to put this deal with Marubeni together. I know that we’ll continue to work incredibly hard on behalf of our OEMs and our dealers to stay focused on the long term so we can create that great outcome for all involved.
AS: Any final thoughts regarding the LGM and Marubeni Corporation partnership?
The investment with Marubeni represents a new chapter for our LGM team, and we’re very excited to be able to demonstrate that we’ve made the right choice in picking the right partner, with our own OEM partners and dealers’ interests in mind. I have no doubt that going forward, it will result in a much stronger LGM, with more innovation within the organization and also for the industry.