Our Leaders
Management Team
Steven Ranson is the President and CEO of HomeEquity Bank, a federally regulated, Schedule 1 Canadian bank and the only national provider of the CHIP Reverse Mortgage®solution. Appointed President in 1998 and CEO in 2001, Mr. Ranson has led HomeEquity Bank through the public offering of Home Equity Income Trust in 2002 and the subsequent creation of HomeEquity Bank in October 2009.
Under Mr. Ranson’s leadership, HomeEquity Bank has substantially expanded and has been named to the Growth 500’s fastest-growing companies from 2016 through to 2020 and named to the Globe and Mail’s Top Growing Company list in 2021. In his role, Mr. Ranson is responsible for setting the strategic direction for the Bank and has continued to grow the business by creating sustainable, long-term value and delivering performance consistent with the interests of its clients, the general public, employees and owners.
As the only Canadian bank that deals exclusively with Canadians aged 55+, Mr. Ranson is frequently asked to speak about topics related to aging in place, financial planning, proactive home equity release, the real estate market, and mortgage trends.
Mr. Ranson holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Toronto and a Masters, Business Administration from York University. He is a Charter Professional Accountant who was recently named a Fellow of CPA Ontario.
As a community leader, and an avid cyclist and skier, Mr. Ranson has served as Alpine Ontario’s Director and Treasurer. Mr. Ranson is also on the board of the YMCA of Greater Toronto and recently co-authored a book called Home Run: The Reverse Mortgage Advantage.
As EVP & CFO, Mr. Chandra is responsible for the Finance, Treasury and Credit functions supporting the growth and development of the Bank. He provides oversight and leadership for a team that manages all accounting, financial and regulatory reporting, budgeting and planning, internal and external audit, underwriting, capital management and funding requirements of the Bank, and is a member of the Executive Committee.
Mr. Chandra joined HomeEquity Bank in 2016, and has previously served as CFO in the financial services industry for 10+ years.
Mr. Chandra has served as a Director on the Boards of The Scarborough Hospital and Oakville Hydro Corporation, where he was also the Chair of the Audit Committee.
Mr. Chandra, a Chartered Professional Accountant, graduated from an Indian Institute of Technology with a degree in Chemical Engineering, and holds an MBA from Queen’s University.
Operations and Legal
As Executive Vice President, Operations and Legal, Ms. Cuthbertson is responsible for all mortgage operations, and human resources. In addition, as the Bank’s general counsel and corporate secretary she is responsible for legal affairs and the Bank’s overall corporate governance. Ms. Cuthbertson is a member of the Executive Committee.
Ms. Cuthbertson joined Canadian Home Income Plan (CHIP, the predecessor to HomeEquity Bank) in 2002.
Ms. Cuthbertson graduated from Queen’s University with a Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Law and she is also a member of the Ontario bar.
Marketing & Consumer Sales
As Executive Vice President, Marketing & Sales, Chief Marketing Officer Ms. Ziomecki heads up Marketing and Consumer Sales operations and is responsible for developing sales, marketing strategy and vision for HomeEquity Bank.
Reporting directly to the CEO, Ms. Ziomecki is responsible for driving originations growth and increasing revenues through successful implementation of marketing initiatives, brand strategy, research, pricing, product marketing, marketing communications, advertising and public relations.
Ms. Ziomecki is a member of the Executive Committee. Ms. Ziomecki joined HomeEquity Bank in 2013.
Ms. Ziomecki graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Arts and she also holds a Masters of Business Administration from Schulich School of Business.
Referred Sales & Partnerships
Eric Bisaillon joined HomeEquity Bank in 2007 and as Senior Vice-President of National Sales he is responsible for managing the entire B2B sales and sales support organization across the country. This involves overseeing all referred channels of distribution through the direct reporting relationships of the Sales Leadership Team. A member of the Executive team, the role requires active participation at the senior management level, as well as working to define and achieve corporate objectives including growth and profit initiatives.
Before joining HomeEquity Bank, Eric was Regional Manager of Eastern Canada for ING Bank Financial Advisors Services, working in partnership with financial advisors and their clients, where he lead and implemented the strategy for the bank’s entry in Quebec. He has also worked many years, in both Quebec and Europe, for various institutions in the financial services sector. He holds an MBA in International Finance from the School of Management at UQAM.
As Executive Vice President, Data and Technology, Mr. Favero is responsible for Data and Information Technology for HomeEquity Bank. As a member of the Executive Committee, Mr. Favero is the CIO and leads the Bank’s data management strategy which includes stewardship and enabling capability to leverage the data in driving business results.
Prior to joining HomeEquity Bank in 2020, Mr. Favero held senior executive positions in Information Technology with a large Canadian pension plan and global credit card company.
Mr. Favero graduated from McMaster University with Honors Bachelor of Science.
Mortgage Operations & Portfolio Management
As Senior Vice President, Mortgage Operations & Portfolio Management, Mr. Côté is responsible for credit, mortgage funding, portfolio management, client servicing, and collections. He joined HomeEquity Bank in 2017 and has over 20 years of experience across diverse roles within multi-national financial services companies.
Mr. Côté graduated from Ivey Business School with an Executive MBA.
As Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, Ms. Dondo heads up the Human Resources, Internal Communications and Office Services functions, and is responsible for developing and executing the talent strategy for HomeEquity Bank.
Ms. Dondo joined HomeEquity Bank in 2020 and has significant global experience in financial service companies including Franklin Templeton, a global investment management company, where she held progressively senior positions over the past 20 years.
Ms. Dondo graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Arts and is an International Coach Federation (ICF) recognized professional coach (PCC).
Marketing and Contact Centre
As Senior Vice President, Marketing and Contact Centre, Ms. Gauci is responsible for increasing brand awareness and affinity, driving originations growth through digital and direct to consumer channels. In addition, she is responsible for advertising and PR, supporting sales teams expansion of HomeEquity Bank’s reach through banks, wealth, and mortgage broker channels, product marketing, and leading the consumer contact center.
Ms. Gauci joined HomeEquity Bank in 2015 and has over 20 years of experience in financial services.
Ms. Gauci graduated with a Hons. Bachelor of Business Administration and holds a Master of Business Administration from the Schulich School of Business.
As Interim Chief Risk and Compliance Officer, Shyam brings a depth of expertise to the role with 25 years of experience within financial services executing Risk and Compliance transformation programs as well as assurance and advisory services for multiple business lines across a broad suite of financial and non-financial risks. Most recently, he served as Senior Vice President, Enterprise Risk and Compliance Transformation with the Bank of Nova Scotia. Shyam has a Masters of Mathematical Finance from the University of Waterloo and a Masters of Business Administration from the Indian Institute of Management. In addition, he holds the CFA and FRM designations.
Shyam has proven strength in achieving results during times of change through a strong focus on collaboration and building trusted partnerships. His experience will be a tremendous asset to our team.
Strategy, Analytics and Digital Transformation
As Senior Vice President, Strategy, Analytics & Digital Transformation, Dr. He is responsible for helping senior leaders within the bank drive sustainable and profitable growth, and ultimately increase business value. She directs the overall bank strategy as well as business unit strategy by leading the annual strategic planning process. In her role, she oversees the implementation of cross-functional, strategic initiatives such as launching new products, optimizing bank lending limits, and leading the customer retention and loyalty function. Dr. He built and continues to lead the Advanced Analytics team to help enable more actionable customer insights, and data-driven decision making across the executive team. Dr. He is also leading a bank-wide digital transformation that aims to deliver simple, efficient and delightful digital experiences for our customers, partners, and employees.
Dr. He joined HomeEquity Bank in 2017 and has extensive strategy and management consulting experience for global financial institutions from both the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Monitor Deloitte (ex Monitor Group).
Dr. He graduated from University of Toronto with a Ph.D. Degree in Business.
Enterprise Systems
As Vice President, Enterprise Systems, Mr. Bell is responsible for all aspects of strategy, execution and operation of HEB’s integrated national business systems environment. He successfully leads delivery of systems capability for all functions, including sustainable development of workflow and business transformation in the bank’s heterogeneous IT landscapes.
Mr. Bell is responsible for the management of systems and platform design to support the necessary changes required for increasing revenues and growth of the bank.
Mr. Bell joined HomeEquity Bank in 2014 and has over 18 years experience in IT services. He graduated from the Memorial University of Newfoundland with a Bachelor of Science
Finance
As Vice President, Finance, Mr. Cameron is responsible for financial reporting, cash management, and mortgage underwriting. He also has oversight of the deposit business.
Mr. Cameron joined Canadian Home Income Plan (CHIP, the predecessor to HomeEquity Bank) in 2000 as Director of Finance and became Vice President, Finance in 2001.
Mr. Cameron, a Chartered Accountant, graduated from Ryerson Polytechnical Institute with a Bachelor of Business Management.
Referred Sales - Eastern Canada
As Vice President, Referred Sales, Eastern Canada, Nick is a key member of our HomeEquity Bank leadership team. He and his team are responsible for supporting our key partnerships across our Bank, Mortgage Broker and Wealth channels, and for the growth of our referred business across Ontario, Quebec and the Atlantic Provinces – including our HomeEquity office in Montreal. Nick is also accountable for leading our corporate Bank Partnerships across Canada.
Nick joined HomeEquity Bank in 2019 after 24 successful years as a Senior leader in the Financial Services industry, including leadership roles in Sales Strategy & Customer Experience, Sales distribution, and Wealth Management.
Nick graduate with a Bachelors degree from St. Mary’s University in Halifax, and is an active coach and volunteer in his local community.
Referred Sales – Western Canada
As Vice President, Referred Sales, Western Canada, Mahmood is a key member of our leadership team with responsibilities across the Western Provinces from BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Southwest Ontario. Leading our Sales Team across Western Canada including our office in Vancouver, Mahmood is accountable for the growth of our business in Western Canada, working primarily with our Sales Team. His responsibilities also include Business Development in Western Canada for key Mortgage Broker Partnerships as well as Banking and Wealth relationships.
Mahmood joined HomeEquity Bank in 2016 after 25 successful years in Financials Services in various Senior roles including Retail Banking, Commercial Banking and Specialized Sales.
Mahmood is a graduate of BCIT (British Columbia Institute of Technology) where he majored in Finance and went on to complete his Executive MBA at the University of Athabasca.
As Vice President and Treasurer, Michael Lomas is responsible for funding, cash and liquidity management, balance sheet and interest rate risk management, coordination of banking relationships and short-term investing activities.
Michael joined HomeEquity Bank in 2021 and has over 30 years of banking and treasury management experience.
He is a Chartered Financial Analyst and is a graduate of Queen’s University with a B.A. (Hons) and MBA.
Infrastructure Operations and Data
As Vice President, Infrastructure Operations and Data , Mr. Malik is responsible for planning and execution of the overall Infrastructure and Data Management roadmaps to ensure a technology enabled organization that supports the achievement of the Bank’s business priorities. Mr. Malik leverages his extensive leadership experience in the areas of project execution, infrastructure, operations and data solutions.
Mr. Malik joined HomeEquity Bank in 2020, and previously, led Information Technology of Global Investments divisions at OMERS, where he held progressively senior positions for over 16 years.
Referred Sales
As Vice President, Referred Sales, Andrea is a key member of our leadership team, accountable for the Referred Specialists, Sales Operations and Channel Analytics teams. Andrea is responsible for driving origination growth in the referred channel and strategic initiatives to enhance the partner and client experience, including spearheading the design, development, and execution of our sales compensation programs.
Andrea joined HomeEquity Bank in 2002 and has played an instrumental role in the growth of the Referred channel. She has over 18 years’ experience, having taken on progressively more senior roles working in both the direct to consumer sales and referred channels.
Consumer Sales
As Vice President, Consumer Sales, Mr. Nasmith is responsible for managing all aspects of consumer sales, including our contact centre and our team of specialists. Leading our consumer sales, Mr. Nasmith will help our consumer business with its momentum in growth so that more Canadians can live their retirement dream by staying in the home they love.
Mr. Nasmith joined HomeEquity Bank in 2019 after 21 years as a strategic sales leader in financial services. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Bishops University in Quebec.