In honor of Women's History Month, the Digital News Center will be presenting a series of stories focused on the theme of "My Truth." We'll feature four female TD Bank leaders speaking about their careers, work in the community and how they've overcome challenges.
Angela Conti dreamed of becoming an artist as a young girl. But her life took an unexpected turn at 17.
"I became a mom and decided to take a different path," said Angela, who leads Debit Card and Consumer Payments for TD Bank deposit customers. "Although art would always be a passion, I chose to pursue a career that would allow me to earn a decent living for my family. It was challenging to be a mom and a high school student, but that challenge presented a pivotal opportunity for me."
Angela earned an undergraduate degree from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and then established a career in analytics, marketing and product roles. She admits the road to success wasn't always easy.
"I took calculated risks; I applied for roles that I wasn't selected for," she said. "Even when things didn't go as planned, I always learned from my mistakes and kept an upbeat outlook. If you don't try, you'll never know what you're capable of achieving."
Angela shared some additional insights and advice below:
Can you share a bit about yourself and your role?
I'm a mother, wife and an artist at heart. At TD Bank, my team helps our customers to improve their financial well-being by providing secure and convenient payment options and services.
What does Women's History Month mean to you?
Women's History Month is a time to recognize and be thankful for the incredible efforts of women that came before us. Together, we can learn from the past and create a path forward to an even brighter future.
How would you like to see it improve for future generations of women?
My hope is that someday women in leadership won't need to be a special focus area; it will be pervasive and ingrained in leadership at all levels.
What was the driving force to enable you to achieve your career success?
Determination. I'm goal oriented. I've never allowed someone else's opinion to limit my outlook on what's possible. Many thought I wouldn’t finish high school, thought I was crazy to apply to an Ivy League university, thought I wasn't cut out for the business world because I was too nice, too soft spoken.
I know I don't fit the mold- I never have and I never will- and I don't want to.
What community issues do you care about most?
I'm passionate about helping young women and girls to plan for their future. Young women often have insecurities and doubts about their abilities and ambitions. I've seen that insecurity magnified in teen moms – listening and sharing stories and successes can help these vulnerable young women to find confidence and set achievable goals for the future.
How do you find time with your new role to commit to volunteering?
I treat volunteering as a prioritized break in the busy day. I always learn and take away more from volunteering than what I put in. Volunteering your time is a rewarding way to refresh your outlook.
How do you achieve work/life balance?
I am 110% committed to both my family and work – I prioritize what's important and give the important things my full attention. I don't have the ability to multi-task. I'm not trying to strike a balance, but rather to integrate work into my life in a way that's additive and doesn't take away from what's important.
I also try to integrate my passion for art into just about everything – whether it's creating a presentation for work or pancake art for brunch on Sunday with my family.