Scott Kirby, manager of environmental partnerships and initiatives (left) and Hamida Sachedina, associate vice-president of social strategy and advice, at TD Bank Group.Provided
The first thing Scott Kirby did when he started as a TD Insurance (TDI) adviser at TD Bank Group 17 years ago was join the Green Team, an employee-driven environmental committee, focused on raising awareness and empowering colleagues. Always passionate about sustainability, Kirby held several management positions in TDI before moving into his current role in 2022 as manager, environmental partnerships and initiatives.
“From my early days at TD, I’ve had the opportunity to bring my passion for the environment to work,” says Kirby, a recent TD Insurance Allstar annual award recipient. “My managers were consistently supportive, helping me find opportunities to be involved as a volunteer. Now it’s very exciting to officially have an environment-focused component to my mandate and be able to do what I love for my job.”
Kirby works closely with the TDI Advisory Board on Climate Change, including initiatives focused on climate resiliency and educating customers and the community on how they can reduce risks associated with extreme weather. For instance, TDI recently sponsored an event in Edmonton to raise awareness on the increasing issue of basement flooding risks. Another example is the Green Citizen Symposium, sponsored by TDI at Seneca College in Toronto, that hosted keynote speakers and held workshops on topics such as wildfire, biodiversity loss and the role of corporations in addressing the risks of climate change.
The bank supports environmental projects in the community with corporate giving and employee volunteering through the TD Ready Commitment – its corporate citizenship platform.
“I’m proud to work at an organization where I can participate in initiatives designed to make an impact, not only locally, but across the country and worldwide with some of the global programs we participate in,” says Kirby. “Every year, I look forward to TD Tree Days, which has a goal of planting one million trees and shrubs by 2030. It is great to see TD employees and members of the general public attend these events.”
Since the program began in 2010, more than 511,000 native trees and shrubs have been planted with the help of volunteers across Canada.
Hamida Sachedina, associate vice-president, social strategy & advice, says focus on sustainability is an integral part of the bank’s culture and corporate strategy. Sachedina leads the team that guides the social pillar of the TD sustainability strategy. Launched in 2023, TD Pathways to Economic Inclusion focuses on helping to improve employment, financial and housing access.
“Economic inclusion has long been core to the bank’s sustainability priorities,” says Sachedina. “The new TD Pathways to Economic Inclusion framework unifies our work across our business, philanthropy and employment practices, which inspires our future efforts toward improving economic inclusion.
“A great example of a recent initiative at TD to help improve economic inclusion is the Black Entrepreneur Credit Access Program, which is designed to provide more equitable access to credit for Black entrepreneurs, who disproportionately face hurdles to securing funding for their businesses.”
Sachedina attributes the achievement of TD Pathways to Economic Inclusion and her own success during her nine-year career journey at TD to the supportive culture she experiences, where people are willing to open doors and help others grow. Kirby would agree, saying, “We truly have a culture of care and a focus on engaging employees and empowering them to help make a difference for a better future.”
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Advertising feature produced by Canada’s Top 100 Employers, a division of Mediacorp Canada Inc. The Globe and Mail’s editorial department was not involved.