Women's History Month spotlight on Alison Perdue

At TD Securities (TDS), we are proud to celebrate the achievements and contributions from women to history, culture and society. In celebration of Women's History Month, we sat down with Alison Perdue, Head of Canadian Interest Rate Trading and Canadian Government Finance, and Jason Cope, Executive Managing Director and Head of Global Fixed Income, to discuss why workplace champions and a culture of inclusion are keys to success.

Alison, tell us about a pivotal moment in your career in which an ally has championed your success.

I've been at TDS since starting my career in 2004 and have held progressively senior roles on the team ever since. In 2018, I was approached to consider a broader leadership position on the team. I was really excited about this opportunity, and I wanted to fully immerse myself in the role, but I was about to go on maternity leave. I was hesitant as my focus needed to be on my family and I was worried about leaving my new team without a manager for a year. Taking a full maternity leave, balancing the demands of motherhood and a leadership role of this magnitude had never been done in my group before, so I didn't know if accepting the promotion would be possible.

Jason understood my reservations, and explained he had a long-term strategy. His focus revolved around having the right people, in the right seats and that this process doesn't just occur over weeks or months. I was very encouraged by Jason's support and the discussion around his long-term strategy and vision for our business.

This year's International Women's Day theme encourages us to embrace equity. How do you think workplace champions can help us to embrace equity?

Jason assured me that upon my return I could balance the demands of my roles at home and at work. He knew that to perform, I needed be fulfilled on and off the job. To me, this speaks to an important part of what embracing equity is all about: having champions – whether they be men or women – remove barriers and enable your success. Undoubtedly, there was work involved for Jason to promote me into this role as there was a short-term trade off he and the broader team needed to make in my absence, but he believed in me and his vision and was willing to take the necessary steps to ensure the best outcome for his team and our firm.

Jason, why was it important to you to see Alison move into this role?

I championed Alison for the same reason I champion all top talent – to create a profile for strong leaders who can contribute to TDS's culture, leadership and business results. More specifically, championing Alison has not been about giving her a particular opportunity, but rather it has been a deliberate focus on creating space for her exceptional work and diverse perspective that has a valuable impact on the team and culture overall. Her leadership style prioritizes flexibility, which has positively influenced our broader culture and paves the way for other high-performing future leaders to join and develop at the firm.

How did the culture at TDS also help to champion your success?

That sense of long-term vision or appreciation of diverse perspectives in the industry wasn't there when I started out. To pursue this opportunity, I had to release my own insecurities about having responsibilities at home as well as at work. I'm a proud leader, but I am also a proud Mom, and I didn't want to hide the commitments that come along with being a successful, working parent. TDS has an environment that supported me to do just that.