Teri Currie

Group Head, Direct Channels, Corporate and People Strategies, TD Bank Group

By: Carolyn Patricia Grisold

This past May, at the 2011 ALLIES Mentoring Conference in Calgary, Teri Currie addressed attendees on how TD Bank Group made mentoring work for them. An advocate of positive leadership in general, Teri spoke of mentoring skilled immigrants and the benefit it can produce not only in an organization but also in the community.

A long-time mentor with TRIEC (Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council), Currie views mentorship as a reverse learning approach as much as it is a rewarding experience for the mentee. Watching her father apply mentorship principles to his work in academia, Currie was inspired by his approach, and when she entered the workforce she saw how mentorship could equally benefit the financial sector.

Over the last 25 years of her career, Currie has focused on the banking industry, primarily in the human resources and corporate reputation areas. Prior to joining TD in 2004 as senior vice president, Human Resources, Currie held executive HR positions with CIBC World Markets and Wealth Management and various senior line management and human resources positions with Canada Trust.

Currie was appointed executive vice president, Human Resources, at TD in 2005. In 2009 she took on executive leadership of Corporate and Public Affairs, and in 2010 Marketing and Government and Regulatory Affairs, including Corporate Compliance and TD Economics, were added to her portfolio. In 2011 she took on leadership of the Legal Team and Direct Channels (online, phone and ATMs).

As a member of TD’s Senior Executive Team, Teri Currie plays a role in determining TD Bank Group’s strategic direction. She is currently responsible for the bank’s direct channels, legal, talent management and people strategies, compliance and anti-money laundering.

Currie is a member of Appleby College’s Board of Directors and its Corporate Governance Committee and is Chair of the TD Pension Fund Society.

Previously, Currie served on the Board of Directors of TD Insurance’s regulated insurance entities and chaired its Human Resources and Ethics Committee. She was also a member of the Compensation Committee for the Canadian Bankers’ Association, and served on the National Cabinet of the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation’s Ride to Cure Diabetes. She also served on the Board of Goodwill Industries of Toronto and Career Edge, an organization that connects skilled graduates and internationally qualified professionals with Canadian internship opportunities.

Currie recently accepted the Eterne Award on behalf of TD Bank Group, presented by Tree Canada. A national award, the Eterne is given to an outstanding sponsor of Tree Canada to recognize their environmental stewardship and commitment to improving the lives of Canadians through greening and reforestation projects.

She earned an MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario, and graduated from the University of Calgary with a B.Sc. in Mathematics.

Being able to apply her vast experience in Human Resources towards positively influencing past and present mentees has allowed Currie to continue her reverse learning approach.

Teri Currie believes leadership comes from the head and the heart – that doing “what’s right” for your organization, your customers and your community is an integral part of finding success.