At the corner of Parliament and Front Street, across from the historic Distillery District in Toronto with its restored brick industrial buildings converted to galleries and trendy restaurants, Toronto’s exclusive Porsche dealership stands out as both modern and sleek.

In the spectacular showroom that feels more like a race track, glossy Porsche beauties are lined up- black Macans, cloud white Panameras and Boxster convertibles. An open steel staircase framed by glass railings rises up to the second floor leading to the office of Helen Ching-Kircher, Dealer Principal, President & CEO of Downtown Auto Group (DFC). Over the last few decades, Ms. Ching-Kircher, along with her husband, Dr. Peter Kircher, have turned DFC into a multi-million dollar luxury car business. Although her drive to succeed throughout her career remains a constant, she is, above all, fueled by her unwavering commitment to helping others.

“I’m deeply passionate about supporting endeavors and initiatives that promote health, culture and the arts.  Perhaps that’s the common denominator in my business and personal life: being passionate about everything that I do,” she says softly.

Ms. Ching-Kircher’s path to becoming a highly successful player in the luxury car business-a typically male- dominated industry- was not an easy one, but she admits that it was one that she would have not missed.

Helen Ching-Kircher has always been “driven to succeed.” Since high school, she already had big plans for herself. “I knew that I wanted to move to the beat of my own drum. I was more interested in creating a business than going to work for someone else. This was always my dream.”

In the early days, one of the biggest challenges she faced was being taken seriously by her male counterparts. “ At meetings, I had to make sure I was better than the men in the room. Now, in 2016, the barriers to women being considered as equals are crumbling away in the automotive field.  We have women executives running manufacturing companies, owning dealerships and bringing new ideas and approaches that are shaping the automotive industry.”

Before emigrating from Hong Kong in 1989 to start a new life in Canada with her two children, Kristy and Ken, Ms. Ching-Kircher was a partner in an import and export trading company that operated in the Far East, United States and Australia. Shortly after her arrival in Toronto, she took over a small printing business that grew to serve many large clients including airlines, major hotels and car dealerships. “We printed everything except money,” she jokes.

Along the way, she met a “wonderful man”, Dr. Peter Kircher, who was in the luxury car business. They fell in love, soon married and today, continue to work side by side at DFC.  Dr. Kircher is a Director of the DFC Auto Group, which also includes the Audi Uptown dealership.

Ms. Ching-Kircher has been internationally recognized for both her professional and philanthropic work. She is a recipient of the National Humanitarian Leadership Award (2014), the Outstanding Asian Canadian Award (2012) as well as the Queen Elizabeth ll Diamond Jubilee Medal(2012).  She was chosen by the Association of Canadian Chinese Entrepreneurs to be “ The Entrepreneur of the Year” in 2009. Her company, DFC, received the Premier Porsche Dealer Award for being the most outstanding Porsche dealership in Canada several years in a row.

Feeling fortunate to live in Canada and to have the opportunities that she’s had, Helen looks at philanthropy simply as “giving back.” She is an appointed Member of the Ontario Trillium Foundation, one of Canada’s largest granting foundations, a member of the Board of Governors of Mount Sinai Hospital and the Yee Hong Wellness Foundation for Geriatric Care. The list of charities that Helen supports is extensive which includes the Princess Margaret Hospital, Ronald McDonald House, and Doctors Without Borders, but she is especially connected to organizations and individuals in the Chinese community.

“As someone born and raised in Hong Kong, my attachment to my past and the wonderful memories I have stem from the teachings of my family and place in society. I also love to support the cultural institutions that promote an awareness and understanding of Chinese culture for all Canadians to enjoy.”

In fact, Ms. Ching–Kircher stepped in to help a young Asian-Canadian figure skater, Patrick Chan, at the beginning of his career. Patrick’s mother was introduced to Ms. Ching-Kircher through a common friend. Helen recognized Patrick’s talent and was also taken with his mother, who had quit her job to make Patrick’s dream of becoming a champion come true. She asked the Kirchers to cover the cost of airline tickets which would allow them to go to competitions. The Kirchers didn’t hesitate and said, yes. “We didn’t know then that he would become an Olympic silver medalist, but my husband and I just wanted to give him the opportunity, ” Ching-Kircher says.

Years ago, a gifted young violinist named Yi-Kia Susanne Hou performed solo at the Chinese Cultural Centre in Toronto. Helen was in the audience at the time and later encouraged Hou to produce a CD that would showcase her magnificent work, which she did.  The Kirchers gave every customer who purchased a car at their dealership a copy of this CD. Ms. Hou went on to become a renowned virtuoso violinist in the international concert scene.

Just as Patrick Chan and Susanne Hou needed help to make their dreams come true, Helen Ching-Kircher had a significant person in her life, her mother, who taught her everything she knows. “ My mother was a high school principal at a time when it was extremely rare for a woman to occupy such a position in Hong Kong. I observed from a young age that my mother was capable of doing most anything. She brought me up based on strict morals and ethics.  I was to respect people, to help others less fortunate than myself, to give my best to achieve any goals and to hold fast to the belief that nothing is impossible.”  Her mother, now 92, lives in Australia and continues to be her advisor and confidante. An emotional Ching-Kircher continues, “Without hesitation, my mother is my inspiration. She was and is my role model.”

Although Helen is openly proud of her business accomplishments, her greatest pride are her two grown children. “They give me endless pleasure and I’m delighted that my son, Ken, is following in his mother’s footsteps by joining me in the luxury car business.” Her daughter, Kristy, lives in Hong Kong.

Helen Ching-Kircher is a woman who has fought hard to be in the driver’s seat. She hopes her story of success will inspire other women to follow their dreams despite setbacks and disappointment. “In the end, the measure of your success will be whether you’ve attained your goals and how involved you were in helping others along the way.  Remember- the measure of a community’s success is the degree of involvement its citizens have.  It’s an idea I embrace wholeheartedly.”

> This article by Rena Godfrey appeared in the Fall 2016 issue of Lifestyles Magazine.