TD colleagues show up for their communities

Seeking opportunities and a way to give back, Josh Brooks joined TD Bank Group 14 years ago after graduating from McMaster University. He felt that the TD values of social engagement and supporting the community aligned with his own, making it a great match.

Starting as a customer service representative in Burnaby, B.C., Brooks advanced through various banking roles, moving across different cities from Vancouver to Toronto to Whitehorse, where he’s currently a branch manager. In each location, he felt welcomed and found great camaraderie among colleagues who looked out for one another.

“TD has a culture of care, with leaders who genuinely support your development, making sure that colleagues have both personal and professional fulfilment,” says Brooks. “Everywhere I’ve been within the bank, I’ve found that same culture of care, with colleagues who understand and support you in your own endeavours, and accept who you are. As I grew into leadership roles, I’ve continued to uphold that culture, including mentoring others.”

As a member of the 2SLGBTQ+ community, Brooks says TD is a safe and inclusive environment where you can bring your authentic self to work.

“I’ve always been able to be my authentic self since the first time I walked through the doors,” he says. “That still remains true today.”

TD’s culture of care and commitment to inclusion has also played an important role in Jenn Lang’s career journey at TD. Coming from the broadcast industry, she was new to banking, and like Brooks, she was “supported, inspired and challenged from day one.”

After starting as senior manager of consumer insights in marketing, she quickly advanced to more challenging roles, leading the transformation and digitization of TD’s customer experience measurement and helping establish the centre of expertise on consumer behaviour as well as the diverse community insights practice team. Five years ago, she was promoted to her current role as vice president, enterprise customer experience and consumer insights.

“I was fortunate early on to work with several smart, driven and supportive women leaders who helped me onboard quickly and presented me with opportunities to demonstrate my expertise and skills,” says Lang. “TD executive leaders are all encouraged and expected to mentor colleagues and sponsor top talent.”

Additionally, Lang has dedicated time and energy to supporting diverse communities, both as an executive lead at TD and as a board member of a non-profit focused on rebranding disability through achievement. She says she feels inspired by the many TD colleagues and leaders who volunteer to help break down barriers, ensuring that individuals from multicultural and disability communities can grow, succeed and thrive – not just in their careers, but in their lives as well.
“As a Chinese woman with a non-apparent disability, diversity, equity and inclusion are core values in my life, and I believe they are essential in the workplace,” she says. “Though it doesn’t get easier, I continue to share my story in the hope of helping others navigate their own journey of self-identity.”

Like Lang, Brooks has been able to make an impact on the communities that matter most to him. His proudest moment was being selected for the TD Vision in Action Award, the highest honour at TD, in recognition of his volunteer work within the 2SLGBTQ+ community. TD not only encourages its more than 95,000 employees to volunteer, but also funds community giving, with a target of $1 billion by 2030.

“TD’s role in the community is a key part of this organization,” says Brooks. “We help lead our colleagues by focusing on doing what’s right for our customers, colleagues and communities where we live. Giving back is ingrained in our culture.”

This article appeared in the magazine announcing this year's Canada's Top 100 Employers winners, published November 15, 2024 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 welcomes a rich diversity of cultures

As a strong advocate of mentorship, Jeff Smolkin regularly volunteers for various programs at TD Bank Group, including the TD Legal and Canadian Association of Black Lawyers mentoring program that pairs TD lawyers with Black law students. Smolkin has also participated as a mentor in the Shalom TD, TD VisMin and TD Black Employee Network “Each One Teach One” mentorship programs.

Why? Smolkin’s experience of being mentored and sponsored by a senior leader, Jane Langford, currently general counsel of TD, helped him develop his own leadership skills shortly after joining TD 11 years ago.

“I want to provide the same dedication, support and guidance to my mentees that I received from my mentors and sponsors during my career,” says Smolkin, now vice president, legal. “My mentors were selfless in providing me with both their time, along with opportunities to watch how they work and be present during critical decisions.

“They also demonstrated the massive upside that’s created when you help foster and support a diverse and inclusive workplace. I’ve learned a ton from every mentee I’ve ever worked with, which has significantly broadened my understanding about other cultures.”

Taiwo Olubamise has also benefited from mentorship from senior executives at TD. As a newcomer from Nigeria with a background in oil and gas, she was initially skeptical about pursuing a career in financial services. However, the TD graduate leadership program for experienced hires and MBA graduates piqued her interest with its rotational program, which allowed her to explore different roles and learn along the way.

Olubamise joined TD in 2020 and was impressed by the supportive and inclusive culture she encountered. Now a senior product manager, external ecosystems, Olubamise pays it forward by mentoring junior colleagues, particularly those in the TD Nigerian community group.

“Mentoring is highly valued at TD,” says Olubamise. “I’m still benefiting from it, whether as a mentor or a mentee. Besides peer mentoring, I’m part of the Women at TD employee resource group and a member of the steering committee for our Nigerian community group, helping to facilitate workshops and lunch and learns for colleagues navigating career growth.”

Olubamise describes the culture at TD as feeling “like family,” with colleagues who are genuinely supportive.

“From diversity of cultural background to diversity of work experience, TD recognizes the value that people from different industries and countries can bring to the organization,” says Olubamise.

Smolkin agrees that TD goes out of its way to give all colleagues the ability to come to work and be their authentic selves.

“That helps motivate people, and if you’re motivated, you’re more likely to do great work and have a positive impact on your colleagues,” says Smolkin, who sits on the Legal team’s diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) committee and the TD Indigenous Peoples committee.

“For me, driving DEI is an important part of why people are successful when they come to work,” he says. “I’ve had the opportunity to make an impact, not just on the colleague experience, but by giving back to the communities we serve, such as Project Backpack, where we pack school supplies and non-perishable goods in backpacks and send them to families living in remote parts of northern Canada.

“Having the freedom to take time for philanthropy in our schedule gives people a boost.”

Olubamise has also enjoyed several opportunities to volunteer for the community, including the TD Mindpower Analytics for Social Good program, which allowed her to develop technical skills while supporting non-profits.

“Giving back to community has always been one of my core values,” she says. “At TD, you’re supported to do it as part of our culture.”

This article appeared in the magazine announcing this year's Canada’s Best Diversity Employers winners, published February 25, 2025 in The Globe and Mail. This article was prepared with the financial support of the employer, which reviewed but did not write its contents.

How sustainability is core to TD's business

Growing up in a family that loved nature, Murat Basarir was taught by his father, an agricultural engineer, about different ecosystems and how everything is interconnected. Years later, it was the need to protect those ecosystems that inspired Basarir to choose sustainability as a career.

Since joining TD Bank Group in 2020, Basarir, associate vice president, enterprise sustainable finance, has worked with teams across TD to advance sustainability initiatives that can support the TD Climate Action Plan. On a daily basis, he drives the TD enterprise-wide Sustainable Finance Strategy, which strives to help mobilize financing for renewable energy, clean transportation, and more.

“Banks can play a critical role in supporting the transition to a low-carbon economy, and TD stood out to me as a bank with many firsts in Canada — the first bank in Canada to set a low-carbon financing target and the first bank in Canada to issue a green bond,” says Basarir. “After joining TD, it was great to lead the development of the TD 2030 $500B Sustainable and Decarbonization Finance Target.”

Like Basarir, Anastasia Ostapchuk was drawn to the concept of sustainability, a passion that began while studying business at Western University.

“That’s where I first learned of the concept of sustainability, and was hooked from there on,” says Ostapchuk, who joined TD in 2014 after graduating. "Banking seemed like a logical choice for connecting my business education and sustainability skill set — and what better place to do that than at TD, which has long been committed to sustainability."

Throughout her decade at TD, Ostapchuk has been able to explore roles in various areas of the bank, including a stint in 2019 in retail banking as a product manager.

“Success in sustainability is actually rooted in understanding the business, so I wanted to get that perspective of how the bank operates,” says Ostapchuk. “I also wanted to diversify my skill set and try something new, which is one of the things I love about TD. You have an incredible ability to move around and try different things, which has really been beneficial for me.”

Now, as senior manager, strategic issues and engagements, on the sustainability team, Ostapchuk is focused on helping TD achieve its goal of net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050.

“We can’t get there alone, so a big part of my role is thinking about what kind of help TD needs from players like the government and other stakeholders to get there,” she says. “And how do we all work together to get to that goal?”

Outside of TD, Ostapchuk sat on the board of directors of Impact Zero, a small non-profit focused on creating the circular economy in Canada and helping small circular businesses succeed. In 2022, she was honoured with the prestigious TD Vision in Action Award, recognizing her leadership in climate advocacy and stakeholder engagement.

Basarir also sits on the board of Skills for Change, a non-profit organization that empowers newcomers and marginalized communities through mentorship and entrepreneurship training, a cause close to his heart.

"The need to help improve environmental and social outcomes for society is what drives me,” says Basarir. “And leading a dynamic team that fosters creativity is fantastic."

“When you have an organization that has a commitment to sustainability and is looking to help make a real, positive difference — that’s the kind of place I want to work.”

This article appeared in the magazine announcing this year's Canada's Greenest Employers winners, published April 22, 2025 in The Globe and Mail. This article was prepared with the financial support of the employer, which reviewed but did not write its contents.