Female Leadership – Young Sylvie Demers, a recent graduate of HEC Montréal, began her career at TD at the age of 22. After holding positions in all areas of business since 1985, she became President of the Quebec Region in 2015. If there is one person able to testify to the place of women (and mothers!) in Quebec affairs, it is her.
However, when she was younger, she never imagined pursuing such a career. She does not hesitate to emphasize that she has been able to get to where she is today thanks to a network of mentors and sponsors who have supported her. “Even going to university didn’t come naturally to me. I went there because someone around me encouraged me to do so. I quickly understood the impact a good network can have on a young woman’s career,” she says.
Finding a place as a young woman and mother: a real challenge
From the beginning of her career, like many young women of her time, she experienced a degree of adversity in this male-dominated field. For example, it happened several times that his assistant was immediately seen as the responsible person by clients because of his gender.
When she later became a mother, she felt how the looks of her peers changed. But the time when the snide remarks and criticism were strongest was when she was working four days a week to Toronto later in her career. The mother of two boys, then still teenagers, was facing a court case. Things would certainly have been very different if a father had accepted the same mandate…
“It was the inappropriate comments I heard that made me realize how important it is for women to support one another in our community. I also realized that nothing was gained and that it was absolutely necessary to continue our actions at TD and elsewhere to ensure that colleagues, women and mothers, have the same opportunities as their male colleagues. says Sylvie.
Female leadership: a plus for organizations and for society
One of the values she proudly passed down to her two now grown sons is the importance of respect for diversity. Luckily for him, these sons take differences very seriously: they accept people as they are, without prejudice. “It is no coincidence that I have been with TD for 38 years. The values of the institution and the concrete measures it has taken for decades to promote the inclusion of all people, regardless of their gender, sexual orientation and physical appearance, are in line with my personal beliefs. »
It’s no secret that TD excels at being involved in communities and making many efforts to make them more vibrant and give everyone a voice. Sylvie is pleased that several business units in Quebec and Eastern Canada are now led by women. She says TD has done a lot for this by increasing opportunities for women to develop and grow within the organization and by recognizing their high abilities. “I am so proud to see the success of my fellow leaders Suzanne Tremblay, Isabelle Ménard, Jennifer Auld and Julie Blackburn, who hold leadership positions and demonstrate benevolent leadership,” said the President of TD Quebec.
Sylvie Demers plays a real mentoring role, both for her colleagues and her sons, but also for other women working in the Quebec business community. True to the young graduate she was, she works with women from all walks of life to build a support network in Quebec. “Nowadays, when a woman takes on an important role, she has a group that welcomes and supports her. Among women we help each other.”
His wish for the future? “That women continue to have their rightful place and can always count on each other,” she emphasizes.
Sylvie has a strong community spirit and also uses her leadership skills and influence to support causes close to her heart. In recent years, she has notably served as honorary presidency for several fundraisers benefiting organizations including the Canadian Cancer Society’s Daffodil Ball, the Jewish General Hospital Foundation’s Weekend to Fight Cancer, and the Grands Ballets Canadiens. She is also President of the Board of Directors of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts Foundation and a member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of the Jewish General Hospital Foundation. In addition, she has worked closely with the Holocaust Museum.
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