Black History Month 2023: Meet Tania Kuoh
February 15, 2023
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4 Minutes
At TD Securities, we are committed to creating positive changes, championing an inclusive workplace and amplifying the voices of the next generation of TD talent. In celebration of Black History Month, we're spotlighting four rising Black colleagues, sharing how they kickstarted their careers with TD Securities and highlighting their experiences and the significance of this month to them.
This week, we're celebrating Tania Kuoh, an Electronic Foreign Exchange Trading Associate, who joined TD Securities just 6 months ago.
Tell us about your educational background. Where did you study?
I earned an undergraduate degree from McGill University where I majored in Statistics and minored in Finance. I've always liked numbers, and as I started learning more about economics and finance, I developed a true passion for the fields that intersected business and data science.
Being a Black woman in STEM felt challenging at times but I had a great support system with amazing mentors behind me. Ultimately, the sense of purpose I felt knowing that I was helping to pave the way for more women like me in this field outweighed any fears or negative experiences I had in the beginning.
Being a Black woman in STEM felt challenging at times but I had a great support system with amazing mentors behind me. Ultimately, the sense of purpose I felt knowing that I was helping to pave the way for more women like me in this field outweighed any fears or negative experiences I had in the beginning.
What attracted you to TD Securities and how has the experience been so far?
TD Securities is truly unlike any other firm. On the first day of my internship, the CEO came to speak to the entire intern class, and that's not something you see everywhere! The company structure is very flat which is something that I love, and leadership is extremely attentive to junior level colleagues. At the same time, expectations are high, which makes it a very stimulating environment. You'll be pushed to deliver your absolute best work, but never without the appropriate support. Overall, I am having a great experience with amazing learning opportunities at TDS.
Diversity and Inclusion aren't just buzzwords, they are core values at TD. There's a multitude of employee resource groups that host events regularly and have specific programs that elevate and empower not only employees, but also members of the broader community. For example, we have mentorship programs that extend to university and high school students as well. Some of them are catered towards groups that have been historically underrepresented in finance, which is one of the ways we help reduce the impact of pipeline issues in the recruitment process. Personally, I sit on the Women at TD Events Committee, which has allowed me to network with incredibly talented women at the bank and provided me the opportunity to give back.
Another element worth mentioning is the culture of allyship here at TD. Most of our employee resource groups gather both members of these groups and their allies, and the allies are always very engaged and willing to learn. There's a true desire to create meaningful and sustainable change, not just from HR, but from all employees across all business lines and at all levels.
Diversity and Inclusion aren't just buzzwords, they are core values at TD. There's a multitude of employee resource groups that host events regularly and have specific programs that elevate and empower not only employees, but also members of the broader community. For example, we have mentorship programs that extend to university and high school students as well. Some of them are catered towards groups that have been historically underrepresented in finance, which is one of the ways we help reduce the impact of pipeline issues in the recruitment process. Personally, I sit on the Women at TD Events Committee, which has allowed me to network with incredibly talented women at the bank and provided me the opportunity to give back.
Another element worth mentioning is the culture of allyship here at TD. Most of our employee resource groups gather both members of these groups and their allies, and the allies are always very engaged and willing to learn. There's a true desire to create meaningful and sustainable change, not just from HR, but from all employees across all business lines and at all levels.
As a young Black leader, what aspirations do you have for yourself?
In the future, I hope to be in a position where I can be a pillar of support and hope to my community. I chose fields where the Black Community has historically been underrepresented. Part of why I pursued this career was completely unintentional, I just happened to gravitate more towards quantitative disciplines, but I was also motivated to be representation I didn't have growing up.
In addition to working in an innovative field where I can continue to find new ways that technology can support financial activities, I also want to carve out time to support the causes that matter to me. My first love is and will always be social entrepreneurship and I hope to be able to dedicate some of my time to social causes that matter to me. I want to use my resources, knowledge and connections to help as many people as possible.
In addition to working in an innovative field where I can continue to find new ways that technology can support financial activities, I also want to carve out time to support the causes that matter to me. My first love is and will always be social entrepreneurship and I hope to be able to dedicate some of my time to social causes that matter to me. I want to use my resources, knowledge and connections to help as many people as possible.
What does Black History Month mean to you?
Black History Month is always a bit bittersweet for me: on one hand it's a celebration of our community, our people, our culture, our resilience and our achievements, but on the other hand, it's a reminder that our stories are so often forgotten/written out, that we now need an entire month to recount them, because to this day, people still do not know about Black History. We as Black people don't even know our own history very well, because again, so much has been destroyed, erased, or completely changed to fit a narrative that we don't identify with. It's a time of reflection and an opportunity to ask ourselves: where do we go from here?
