Three years ago, Ritesh Gupta had some positions he needed to fill on his team at the Bank.
Gupta, Senior Manager, Software & Quality Engineering for TD Wealth, began reviewing resumes through one of the Bank’s recruitment programs focused on supporting newcomers to Canada.
One applicant made him pause — mostly because his resume was sparser than the others.
On his resume, Oleksandr "Alex" Popruzhenko detailed how he'd served as a senior lieutenant in the Ukrainian army before moving to Toronto. But there wasn't much more information.
“I thought, ‘There's more to this one guy than what's on this page,’” said Gupta, who immigrated to Canada himself from India in 2005.
"I knew there was something here."
He decided to interview Popruzhenko and hear his story.
A life-changing accident in Ukraine
The story Popruzhenko shared was harrowing.
In 2015, he threw himself on a live grenade to protect his fellow soldiers during an army training exercise. Before he could throw the grenade, it exploded in his hands. The force of the blast threw him backwards.
Popruzhenko, who was 20 at the time, saved the lives of 15 people, but debris fragments from the grenade were lodged in his face and body. He lost his sight permanently, injured his legs and spine, and nearly died.
After years of recovery and rehabilitation, Popruzhenko came to Canada from Ukraine with his wife and daughter in 2022 to escape the war with Russia.
They stayed with a local family while Popruzhenko worked on learning English. Then it was time to look for a job, a task that felt daunting.
He'd been rejected from many work opportunities in Ukraine because of his disability, Popruzhenko said, which took a toll on his mental health.
"My wife helped me create my resume and use LinkedIn," he said. "And then I had a wonderful call from Ritesh at TD and that call changed my life."
Accessibility testing for the Bank's trading platform
The Bank hired Popruzhenko to work as an accessibility tester.
"I could tell right away that he had the determination and mindset to succeed in accessibility testing," Gupta said.
On the TD WebBroker Online Trading Platform, used by hundreds of thousands of investors every day, Popruzhenko focuses on making the user experience accessible to everyone.
He uses screen readers, keyboard navigation, and other assistive technologies to spot barriers that could make systems harder for people with disabilities to use.
When he finds an issue, he works with developers to suggest fixes, turning potential obstacles into smoother, more inclusive experiences.
Making products more inclusive before they launch
On a recent project for TD Direct Investing Trading Applications, Popruzhenko identified more than 35 opportunities for accessibility improvements in a short period of time. The team was able to implement them before the project's launch, which saved time and money — while ensuring the product itself was more inclusive for the Bank's customers.
"It's comforting to work on a team that supports you and understands you. And gives you the tools you need to be a success," Popruzhenko said.
His exceptional work is why Gupta calls Popruzhenko his "superstar."
"He's modest about his skills. He is a superstar on my team," Gupta said. "He's won a lot of hearts on our team because of his positive attitude. I think that's what superstar means."
Support from his own leaders, and a culture of courage and inclusion at TD, gave Gupta both the desire and the autonomy to bring Popruzhenko onto his team, he said.
"I'm honoured to work in this environment where I'm empowered to hire the best talent," Gupta said.
Embracing a new home in Canada
Outside of work, Popruzhenko and his family have settled into life in Canada.
His daughter, now four, is attending junior kindergarten and is thrilled to ride to school on a yellow bus. Popruzhenko, an avid runner, hits the gym regularly with a neighbour. He uses a white cane when he takes public transportation.
His wife loves to bake sourdough bread. The family is getting used to Canadian food, even if it's dominated by one dish, he said.
"Burgers. Everything is burgers," he laughed. "Canadians really love them."
Long-distance runs are a hobby of Popruzhenko's. In 2018, he qualified to run in the U.S. Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C., which holds spots for soldiers who have been wounded. He travelled to the U.S. to complete the race, with assistance from a volunteer who ran beside him.
When he was injured in the grenade blast, Popruzhenko was worried he'd never walk again. But he did, just five weeks after the accident.
"I have so many more goals I want to achieve. My family and I love to travel,” he said. “I would like to run marathons on every continent and visit every province in Canada.”