TD Bank's Innovation Edge: How AI and People Power a Five-Year Win

By Daniel Howard

TORONTO, ON – January 16, 2026 – TD Bank Group (TD) has once again cemented its reputation as a leader in financial sector innovation, securing three prestigious BIG Innovation Awards from the Business Intelligence Group. This marks the fifth consecutive year the institution has been recognized, a testament to a sustained and deeply embedded strategy that prioritizes both cutting-edge technology and the people who drive it.

The awards, which are judged by a panel of business leaders and practitioners, celebrate organizations that demonstrate quantifiable excellence and real-world impact. TD's wins in 2026 highlight a multi-faceted approach, honoring advancements in artificial intelligence leadership, scalable technology platforms, and a transformative employee onboarding program.

The AI Powerhouse: Inside TD's Intelligence Engine

Two of TD's three awards point directly to its growing dominance in the field of artificial intelligence. The bank's AI prowess is not a recent development but the result of strategic investments, most notably the 2018 acquisition of the deep-learning AI firm Layer 6. This foresight is now bearing significant fruit.

Maksims Volkovs, SVP and Chief AI Scientist at Layer 6 AI, was individually recognized for his groundbreaking work. Volkovs has been instrumental in building powerful, trustworthy, and scalable AI models that are being deployed across the bank. His leadership has overseen the implementation of nearly 100 distinct AI use cases, the launch of cutting-edge technology like the TD AI Prism predictive foundation model, and the filing of over 150 patents. This highlights a culture that doesn't just research AI but actively builds and protects its intellectual property in the space.

Complementing this individual leadership is the recognition of the TD AI Platform (TAP) Team, led by Kirsti Racine, Vice President and AI Technology Lead. The TAP team was honored for its work in "democratizing AI" within the organization. Their mission is to build secure, reusable frameworks that empower teams across the bank to develop and deploy advanced capabilities safely and rapidly. The impact is staggering: TAP has reduced the time-to-market for certain AI-powered capabilities by up to 85%. This platform has enabled the deployment of sophisticated AI solutions, including Generative AI virtual assistants, to an internal audience of 40,000 colleagues, driving efficiency and augmenting employee capabilities on a massive scale. While many competitors are exploring AI, TD's focus on building a scalable internal platform demonstrates a mature, integrated strategy designed for long-term advantage.

Beyond the Algorithm: A Human-Centric Approach to Growth

While TD's technological achievements are formidable, the bank's third BIG Innovation Award underscores a philosophy that innovation must also serve its internal community. The TD Enterprise Colleague Onboarding Program was recognized for its deeply human-centric design, a process that was co-created with the very colleagues it serves.

Anchored in curiosity and collaboration, the program moves beyond traditional orientation checklists. It focuses on simplifying access to resources, uniting teams, and fostering a culture of innovation from an employee's first day. A key feature of its innovative design is a robust, real-time feedback loop. The program actively collects input from new hires at the 7, 30, 90, and 180-day marks. This constant stream of data allows the onboarding team to make meaningful, personalized improvements to the experience and provide on-demand support where it's needed most.

The result is a system that promotes purposeful learning and helps new employees feel connected and empowered. In a highly competitive market for talent, particularly for the skilled engineers and data scientists needed to build its AI future, an award-winning onboarding experience is a critical strategic asset. It signals to prospective and current employees that the organization invests in their success and integration, which is a powerful driver of engagement and retention.

A Legacy of Purposeful Innovation

Winning a BIG Innovation Award is a significant achievement; winning for five consecutive years points to a deeply ingrained cultural trait. This consistent recognition suggests that innovation at TD is not a series of isolated projects but a coherent, bank-wide strategic imperative. This entire effort is managed under the umbrella of TD Invent, the bank's strategic initiative dedicated to powering "purposeful innovation."

TD Invent provides the framework that connects the work of an AI scientist like Maksims Volkovs with the human-focused design of an HR program. It ensures that breakthroughs in machine learning and improvements in employee experience are not siloed but are seen as interconnected parts of a broader mission to build a better bank for customers and colleagues alike.

Taylan Turan, Group Head and Chief Operating Officer at TD, emphasized this connection in response to the awards. "This recognition speaks to the people behind the work," he stated. "From the teams who reimagined how we onboard colleagues to the leaders building platforms that enable innovation at scale, these awards reflect a culture where people are empowered to solve real problems and deliver meaningful impact. I'm proud of the leaders and teams who bring that mindset to life across TD."

This sustained success, validated by industry practitioners through the BIG Innovation Awards, positions TD not just as a financial institution, but as a technology and talent leader shaping the future of banking in North America. The combination of advanced AI deployment and a commitment to fostering a supportive internal culture creates a powerful flywheel for continued growth and adaptation in an ever-changing industry.