A Day in the Life of TD Bank’s Winson Wang

In this week’s 'A Day in the Life of…' interview, TD Bank’s Winson Wang provides insights into his role as Middle Market Commercial Credit Manager (CCM).

Hi Winson, can you tell us a bit about your role and how you got here?

In Credit Management, our responsibility is to examine and assess the creditworthiness of prospective clients or existing borrowers to ensure that our lending practices adhere to the policies, procedures, and overall risk appetite of the Bank. In Middle Market, we are responsible for supporting and managing TD's portfolio of larger, corporate customers. In my current role as a CCM, I supervise a team of credit portfolio managers, credit analysts, and credit management associates based out of Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina that underwrite loans and manage TD Middle Market relationships.

I started my career as a Credit Analyst in TD's Corporate Banking division in Boston and worked my way up the ladder, gaining knowledge and experience in syndicated finance and lending to large corporations. Along the way, I picked up several side projects and took on leadership positions in TD's Diversity and Inclusion space. In 2021, I transitioned over to the Middle Market team as a Portfolio Manager and later that year, was offered the position of Commercial Credit Manager for the South Hub Middle Market team.

What does a typical day look like for you?

My team's work is very client-centric and deal driven so every day looks very different depending on what is going on with our clients. If I could boil it down and simplify, I would say most of my days are centred around scheduled meetings with leadership, meetings or phone calls with teammates to answer questions or get status updates, and figuring out staffing resources for deals and requests that come up. Additionally, my work day is also filled with calls with colleagues to plan and coordinate work to support TD's Diversity and Inclusion efforts such as events, financial literacy initiatives, and mentorship programs.

What part of your role do you enjoy the most?

Working alongside my great teammates is by far the most enjoyable part of my job. I can honestly say that my fellow teammates in Middle Market are great group of people who are so knowledgeable, kind, and helpful with a wide array of experiences. I feel like I'm always learning from each of them no matter who they are or what job title they have.

Which top three skills are vital for this role and why?

Time management, organization, and effective communication. Our work is very time sensitive as the timeline is usually set to meet the need of a client. As such, time management and organization skills are key to ensuring that we have enough time to complete our due diligence and underwriting process while also meeting our clients' deadlines. Additionally, the underwriting and approval process as well as the subsequent process to close and fund the loans is a team effort, so effective communication is paramount to making sure the process goes as smoothly as possible and everyone is on the same page.

What’s the most challenging aspect of your role?

Managing competing priorities that often come up due to all the different requests that come across my team's desk, as well as effectively organizing the workflow of my team's assignments to ensure nobody is being too overloaded.

How do you help others feel like they belong in your team/promote inclusion?

I try to create an open and collaborative environment among my team where hopefully people are comfortable asking questions and learning from each other. I regularly check in with my teammates and make sure I know what's going on in their lives outside of work in efforts to connect with them on a human level. Additionally, I do my best to make myself available for my team when they need guidance, support, or just to talk through an issue or challenge.

Which podcast/Youtube series would you recommend to someone interested in pursuing a career in this area to help develop their skills or prepare them for the role?

A couple of my favorite podcasts are ‘The Journal’ by the Wall Street Journal and "Today, Explained" by Vox. These podcasts do a good job of taking current events and explaining them in a thorough yet concise and easily understandable manner, which helps me to keep up to date on current affairs, including any economic or social issues that could impact our borrowers.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

I'm still trying to figure this out myself. I really enjoy what I'm doing for now and certainly love TD as a Company and the people I work with in Middle Market. I like being a people manager and working across different divisions of the Bank, so hopefully any future positions will allow me similar opportunities to continue learning and growing as a professional.

WORKFAIR 2022

If you are looking for a new role with an inclusive employer, don't forget to sign up to our free careers event WorkFair 2022 on October 19, here.