Nathan Whalen (20)
Hometown: St. John’s, N.L.
Executive summary: University student (Bachelor of Business Administration, MUN); financial services representative and investment consultant, TD Bank Group; owner and manager of business development, The Lifesaving Team Inc. (a first aid and water safety training company); and, volunteer president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils (the youngest person to ever hold this position).

Leadership requires sacrifice and I certainly make sacrifices in my life in order to allow me to be an involved entrepreneur, banker, and volunteer. I believe that as long as you understand both your limits and your motivation for doing what you do, you can be successful. Also, working in teams certainly is helpful. Often, we are reluctant to ask for help when we need it or we’re afraid to share our successes and projects with others.

I first started working with TD because as a TD Scholarships for Community Leadership recipient, they provide four years of summer employment; however, after the first summer, I was hired permanently. …I really enjoy banking and the ability to help people with their financial well-being and to be honest, their corporate culture is extraordinary – I can see a serious long-term future at the bank.

The question I get asked the most often is why I work for TD when I have my own business. The answer is complex, but it is mainly because as a new business, (co-owner) Cody Dunne and I decided to invest our money in growing the company, which means investing less in delivering immediate financial return for us.

Coming from a single-parent- low-income household, I will be the first person on my mom’s side of the family to obtain a post-secondary degree. For me, a degree means more than a piece of paper and letters after my name. It means a sense of pride and the ability to put food on the table – because frankly, as a child I knew what it felt like to worry about whether or not there was food to eat. I want my mom and my sister and my own kids (eventually) to not have those worries.

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