Our Leaders
Management Team
Katherine Dudtschak is the President and CEO of HomeEquity Bank.
She is a highly respected and experienced senior executive with deep functional and personal and commercial banking experience. Having held various senior roles in the financial services industry, Katherine has a proven record of success in leading large teams and complex organizations to achieve strong and sustained performance. Her recent business experience includes CEO where she led the repositioning a bank in 19 countries, and leading a team of over 25,000 personal and commercial advisors. Her functional experience includes Human Resources, Risk Management, Omni Channel Distribution, Performance Management, Strategy and Portfolio Management.
Katherine is known inside and outside the financial services industry for her strategic, collaborative and purpose-driven leadership approach. She is widely recognized as a leader in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, having been recognized by Catalyst Canada with the business leaders’ Honours Award and by CGLCC with the Legacy Award.
She is a tireless community builder, having invested her volunteer efforts in the areas of human rights, mental health, immigration, poverty prevention, education and economic development. She currently sits on the boards of United Way of Greater Toronto and Canadian Museum for Human Rights.
Katherine grew up on a small farm in Southern Ontario and is a proud mother of 4 children. Ms. Dudtschak holds an MBA, PDO and the ICD.D designation.
Richard Thomas is Chief Operations Officer at HomeEquity Bank.
Prior to joining HomeEquity Bank in 2024, Richard was at Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, where he worked closely with OTPP’s portfolio companies in the Financial Services and Technology sectors to lead the identification and implementation of strategic priorities and value creation opportunities. He worked closely with the team at HomeEquity Bank on growth strategies and was a member of the bank’s board from 2022 to 2024. Before Teachers’, Richard held a number of executive roles at Royal Bank of Canada, including leading the development of the bank’s digital start-up arm at RBC Ventures, leading the Strategy & Business Architecture group, and managing portfolios and products within Cards & Payments. His previous experiences include executive positions at HSBC and Sears Canada Financial Services, as well as working with Deloitte in Europe and North America in the Strategy & Operations practice.
Richard has an MA from the University of St Andrews, an MBA from London Business School, and the Chartered Director (C.Dir) designation from the Directors College at McMaster University.
As Chief Financial Officer, Atul 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.
Atul joined HomEquity Bank in 2016, and has previously served as CFO in the financial services industry for 10+ years.
Atul 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.
Atul, 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.
Yvonne Ziomecki-Fisher is Chief Customer, Brand and Advice Officer at HomeEquity Bank.
Yvonne is responsible for the delivery of marketing, brand, and direct to consumer sales strategies that empower Canadians 55 and better to thrive in retirement. Since joining the Bank in 2013, she has helped the Bank achieve record profitable growth by building a world-class brand, growing a high-performance sales team and making the CHIP Reverse Mortgage a household name across Canada.
Yvonne has been recognized as a Woman of Influence by Canadian Mortgage Professional magazine in both 2016 and 2022. She was also named a 2022 Strategy Marketer of the Year. Yvonne also co-authored the book "Home Run: The Reverse Mortgage Advantage" with Steven Ranson, former President & CEO of HomeEquity Bank.
Before joining HomeEquity Bank, Yvonne spent 12 years at American Express, where she held various leadership roles in product development, marketing, and customer engagement. She is an active Board Member, dedicating her expertise to organizations in the financial and not-for-profit industries.
Yvonne holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto and a Master of Business Administration from the Schulich School of Business.
As Chief Information Officer, Roger Favero is responsible for Data and Information Technology for HomeEquity Bank. As a member of the Executive Committee, Roger 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, Roger held senior executive positions in Information Technology with a large Canadian pension plan and global credit card company.
Roger graduated from McMaster University with Honors Bachelor of Science.
As Chief People & Culture Officer, Sherry 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.
Sherry 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.
Sherry graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Arts and is an International Coach Federation (ICF) recognized professional coach (PCC).
As 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.
Carola Corti is Chief Value Propositions and Product Officer at HomeEquity Bank. In this role, Carola oversees HomeEquity Bank’s line of product, including the design, development and management of innovative solutions and capabilities that strengthen the value proposition of the Bank’s products.
Carola is a result-driven banking executive, with over 25 years of global experience across Latin America, the US, the UK, and Canada. Carola’s career reflects a consistent focus on innovation and customer centricity, honed through progressive leadership roles at leading financial services companies including, American Express, Mastercard, BMO and PC Financial.
She holds a Masters Degree in Marketing from the Universidad de San Andres and a Bachelor Degree in Business Administration from Universidad Catolica Argentina.
Carole Dagher is General Counsel, Chief Sustainability Officer and Chief Administration Officer at HomeEquity Bank.
Prior to joining HomeEquity Bank, Carole established herself as a trusted legal advisor across various industries, starting her career practicing in the capital markets group at Shearman & Sterling LLP, then spent 14 years in progressively senior legal roles in the banking industry and just under 5 years at Loblaws as Vice President, Legal. Her expertise lies in aligning legal strategies with organizational objectives to drive success, leading cross-functional legal teams, and providing strategic counsel on key initiatives to foster growth.
Beyond her legal expertise, Carole also demonstrates a deep commitment to mental health advocacy, rooted in her lived experience with mental illness. She has channeled her mental health journey into an impactful mission to raise awareness and destigmatize mental health, including on behalf of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and the CAMH Foundation.
Carole graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School and is dual-qualified in New York (2002) and Ontario (2006) and was honoured with the Law Society Medal by the Law Society of Ontario in May 2024. She is the co-editor of The Right Not to Remain Silent: The Truth About Mental Health in the Legal Profession.
Grant Rasmussen is Chief Third-Party Distribution and Sales Officer at HomeEquity Bank.
Prior to joining HomeEquity Bank in 2025, Grant held several executive roles at CIBC, including as Senior Vice President and Regional Head of Ontario for CIBIC Retail Banking and most recently as Manager Director, Direct Financial Services, Global Markets.
Before CIBIC, Grant was Chairman of Greatwave Capital, a private equity firm focused on growing early-stage businesses. His prior experience includes as Chairman & CEO of UBS Investment Management Inc, President & CEO of UBS Bank (Canada), and as President and CEO of RBC Direct Investing, Canada’s second largest self-service brokerage.
Grant has an MBA from the Schulich School of Business, York University, and a Bachelor of Commerce from Queen’s University. He is a member of the International Advisory Board for the Schulich School of Business and the Queen’s University Investment Club.