TD empowers its people through career growth

When he was a college student in 1999, Alex-Bobbie Mason began working for TD Bank Group (TD) as a senior customer service officer after a friend encouraged him to apply. It would turn out to be a personal turning point. As a visible minority, a member of the LGBTQ2+ community and a person living with a disability, he would find a mentor – and become comfortable with his true self – at work.

“Growing up, I was bullied because of my speech impediment,” says Mason, who has been in his current role at TD as manager of customer experience since 2018. “It’s a constant struggle, with the goal of being ‘perfect’ always hovering over my horizon. I consider myself lucky because of the support I’ve received from within TD and the encouragement to challenge myself.”

Promoted to senior relocation services officer in 2005, Mason spent the next eight years helping his TD colleagues manage their moves and make relocation experiences as seamless as possible. During that time, he met Al Ramsay, associate vice president of LGBTQ2+ and Black customer segments. Shortly after, Ramsay became Mason’s mentor and made a big impact in his life and career.

“It’s rewarding to see someone grow in their career and pursue their full potential,” says Ramsay. “I recruited Alex to the Black Employee Committee at TD and nominated him to lead our community outreach pillar, where he excelled at bringing his volunteerism to life. In the process, Alex taught me resiliency and helped me understand what it’s like to be a member of the people with disabilities community.”

Ramsay first joined TD in 2005 to support diversity and inclusion initiatives, tasked with leading the community relations strategy to build the brand in diverse communities across Canada. “At TD, my Blackness and queerness has been an asset, not a liability,” he says.

Although Mason felt the same way about his own diversity within the bank, and he was doing well there, in 2012 he left to explore and focus on self-discovery. The next year, he returned to TD with a renewed sense of purpose and confidence, and chose to shift his career path and work within the customer-facing side of TD. He says the bank encourages colleagues to unlock their full potential and constantly explore new career paths and goals.

“I felt that I could give back to my community more by working in customer service,” says Mason. “Internally, I started to get more involved in diversity and inclusion initiatives, which is easy to do at TD because they genuinely believe in and prioritize equality issues. I want to work for a company that cares for me and encourages my career choices, and TD truly does.”

Upon his return, Mason joined the bank’s Black Employee Network, as well as Toastmasters to help strengthen his public-speaking skills and confidence. Embracing his new role in customer service, he enjoys working with his close-knit team at a branch in Toronto’s Leslieville neighbourhood.

“We’re a small family, and the way we pull together for each other and our community – especially during the challenges of the pandemic – is a beautiful thing,” says Mason. “TD is committed to helping enrich our lives and encourages us to gain new perspectives and build our skill set to feel confident about our future and our career development. I’m surrounded by supportive leaders who want to help make a difference.”

And although Ramsay is now a senior leader himself, he echoes Mason’s feelings: “The executives I first interviewed with are still my biggest champions, both personally and professionally.”

This article appeared in the magazine announcing this year's Canada's Top 100 Employers winners, published November 12, 2021 in The Globe and Mail. This article was prepared with the financial support of the employer, which reviewed but did not write its contents.

At TD, career mobility means new opportunities

When Shibani Ahuja was considering leaving her job as an insurance- company executive in the Philippines to return to Canada, TD Bank Group (TD) was her first choice. “I joined TD because of their dedication to diversity and inclusion,” she says. “I knew I could be my authentic self.”

As a member of the LGBTQ2+ community, TD’s progressive diversity and inclusion policies and practices appealed to Ahuja. In 2017, she was hired as an associate vice president of enterprise business solutions in human resources. The next year, she was promoted to vice president, enterprise solutions and enablement, before moving into a completely different area of the Bank.

In November 2020, Ahuja became vice president, digital performance, Canadian personal banking. “I had been working at an insurance company in Asia, and TD brought me in and moved me around,” she says. “There’s no rigid career path for anyone here.”

Mentorship has been an important part of Ahuja’s journey – in particular, the Women in Leadership ‘Coffee Connections’ program through which she had a 30-minute phone call with an executive vice president. “When they asked, ‘What can I do for you and your career?’ I asked them to introduce me to someone else, to give me even more opportunities to grow my network,” says Ahuja.

Ahuja is a mentor herself, through her role as chair of the LGBTQ2+ women’s committee, which she established in 2019 to help ensure that TD is attracting, developing and promoting LGBTQ2+ women. She also mentors through TD’s Each One, Teach One initiative with Black community members, and several other enterprise programs.

Support was also on hand in July 2021, when Ahuja started maternity leave just two months after starting in an expanded role, with plans to return to work after three months and trade parental leave with her partner. “My leadership team was tremendously supportive of my unique needs given my early return to work and was willing to accommodate a flexible arrangement,” she says. “TD has a trifecta of caring – for our customers, colleagues and communities.”

Aliona Arestova is another employee who has felt supported since she was hired permanently in 2015 as a quality engineering manager, then promoted to senior IT manager a few years later. She learned about TD during a consulting role with the Bank in 2014, and her manager at that time was expanding his team. “His vision for growth was so compelling, I wanted to be part of that,” she says.

Arestova values the informal mentoring she receives from colleagues. “If I need to bounce ideas off someone to highlight my blind spots and help brainstorm a solution to a problem, there are many people I can reach out to,” she says. “Collaboration is one of the key elements of our team – it takes a village to innovate and think about things differently.”

Arestova’s career decisions were driven by her desire to look at a different aspect of technology and continue to build her leadership skills. “I’ve never had anyone at TD say no to me – TD has paid for internal and external courses that have helped build my skills as a manager and leader.”

Although Ahuja and Arestova have missed working in person with their colleagues throughout the pandemic, they have maintained connections through virtual coffee chats and community events, as well as video calls with their teams.

“I’m getting messages from colleagues saying they miss me,” says Ahuja. “There’s a genuine warmth and camaraderie when you work at TD – we’re like a family.”

This article appeared in the magazine announcing this year's Greater Toronto's Top Employers winners, published December 3, 2021 in The Globe and Mail. This article was prepared with the financial support of the employer, which reviewed but did not write its contents.

Diversity leads to a stronger, more inclusive TD

Joshua Cayer didn’t intend to find a career in banking, but after 15 years of service and various roles at TD Bank Group, his journey has fulfilled him in surprising ways. Over time, the University of Ottawa sociology and criminology graduate found himself taking on diverse roles in customer experience, fraud and anti-money laundering. “There’s no shortage of learning and growth opportunities at TD,” says Cayer.

A proud member of the Kitigan Zibi Anishnabeg Algonquin First Nation near Ottawa, Cayer wasn’t always connected to his culture, but embarked on a path of discovery to find his authentic self when he became a father. “I felt a responsibility to help make the world a more welcoming place for my daughters and my community,” he says.

At TD, Cayer was able to live his passion for diversity and inclusion through internal training and mentorship, which is how he landed his current role as a diversity talent recruiter for Indigenous Peoples in December 2020. With a focus on sourcing external talent, he does outreach at Indigenous student centres at colleges and universities and forges connections with other professional associations. “I try to be the point of contact for talent from Indigenous communities so they know they have a person internally who can provide support, advocate for them and highlight their gifts,” he says.

Relationship building and networking are key skills. Cayer aims to showcase how a career at TD can be a great opportunity for Indigenous Peoples, one that not only provides many ways to advance professionally but also gives back to communities in meaningful ways. “I want to continue to be able to influence the business on the importance of hiring from Indigenous communities and showcase how that strengthens TD Bank as an organization,” he says.

Like Cayer, Jennifer Page connected with her authentic self during her more than two decades at TD. In May 2000, a master’s degree in economics and finance landed her a position as senior analyst, quantitative analytics. But for the first decade, when she completed the annual voluntary, confidential employee self-identification survey to help TD better understand and embrace its employees’ diversity, she didn’t self-identify on the form as Indigenous.

“I joined TD straight out of graduate school at age 28, and there weren’t many women working in quantitative finance then,” says Page. “My colleagues were predominantly older men with PhDs in physics and math, so I already felt like an oddball. It wasn’t until years later that I felt confident enough to click on the self-identification box.”

Proud of her Manitoba Métis heritage, Page also ticked a box on the survey that said, “I’m willing to be contacted.” She’s happy she did, and now encourages others to do the same.

Around that time, Page’s family had started giving back in their home community. “I asked myself, what am I doing to support my community?” she says.

One way Page lends support is through the TD Indigenous Employee Circle, where she met Cayer while participating on a panel at an event for youth from Indigenous communities. They work both internally and externally to increase Indigenous representation, raise awareness and create excitement about opportunities. Because of her finance background, she especially enjoys speaking with university students in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) programs.

“TD’s focus on diversity and inclusion is one of the foundations of our culture,” says Page. “We recognize its importance and celebrate it – and you get the best outcomes when you do.”

This article appeared in the magazine announcing this year's Canada’s Best Diversity Employers winners, published March 8, 2022 in The Globe and Mail. This article was prepared with the financial support of the employer, which reviewed but did not write its contents.

TD Bank Group builds on a history of sustainability

I n 2009, Danielle Quenneville walked into her local branch with her resumé to apply for a customer representative role at TD Bank Group. She submitted her application and crossed her fingers. A few days after her 18th birthday, she got the job.

“I wanted to work where I knew I’d have career opportunities,” says Quenneville, who at the time was preparing to study communications science at Université de Montréal. “I connected to TD’s values, especially around the environment, and it felt like a good fit.”

Three years later, Quenneville left the Bank to study in Switzerland for a semester. When she came home, she returned to TD in Montréal, this time as an insurance broker. Several years and promotions later, she is now a regional manager with the TD Friends of the Environment Foundation (TD FEF) team.

Quenneville spoke with her manager about her interest in a position related to environmental initiatives at TD. “My manager helped me identify what skills I needed and helped me build a network by encouraging me to join relevant employee committees,” she says. “I’ve been lucky to have been mentored by a number of leaders who have helped me achieve my goals.”

Currently, Quenneville enjoys reviewing grant applications from local charitable organizations, then providing her recommendations to the local TD FEF Regional Advisory Boards, which decide which projects receive funding. She has also volunteered for TD Tree Days, where TD and TD FEF employees and their families and friends meet on a weekend to plant native trees and shrubs in the Montréal area, including at Mount Royal Park. “It’s a great way to get to know people within the enterprise,” she says.

Now, working on a master’s degree in environment and sustainability, Quenneville aims to develop her knowledge about environmental initiatives – and she appreciates her employer’s support during her studies. “I’ve been given flexibility in my schedule if I have to leave early for a class,” she says. “Everyone helps each other at work, making it a very collaborative environment.”

In 2012, Nicole Vadori read in an article that TD had become carbon neutral in 2010. That same year, armed with an engineering degree, an MBA and experience in environmental consulting, she was hired as a management associate at the Bank. She is now vice president and head of environment at TD and was promoted to that position in 2021.

“My heart has always been with the environment, and I was lucky to be mentored for many years I n 2009, Danielle Quennevilleby the Bank’s chief environment officer, who retired in 2018,” says Vadori. “When that position was posted, I applied. Getting it was a dream come true for me.”

Vadori is tasked with figuring out how to use the Bank’s business activities to help drive positive environmental change, starting with supporting investments in the low-carbon economy. In 2020, TD made a commitment to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with its operations and financing activities by 2050, aligned to the associated principles of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement. “We spent over a decade reducing GHG emissions from our own operations, and we have expanded our focus to supporting reductions for our clients in high-emitting sectors,” says Vadori.

In recent years, Vadori has seen the Bank’s customers and business clients face increased risks from climate change, whether by fires, floods, droughts or severe storms. “No one is left untouched – we are all connected in this global climate challenge,” she says. “I’m proud that as a member of the global community, the Bank is bringing its resources to bear to help tackle the climate challenge.”

This article appeared in the magazine announcing this year's Canada's Greenest Employers winners, published April 20, 2022 in The Globe and Mail. This article was prepared with the financial support of the employer, which reviewed but did not write its contents.