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.
Marketing & 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.
Data & Technology
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).
Customer Experience & Chief Marketing Officer
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 SVP and Chief Risk Officer, Shyam provides oversight and leadership over the Risk, Compliance and Legal functions of the Bank. This role supports the strategic business objectives through both advisory services as well as timely identification and management of risks across a broad suite of financial and non-financial risks.
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. 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.
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.