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, Ms. Dudtschak 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.
Ms. Dudtschak 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 Strategy & Administration 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 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 EVP & CFO, Mr. Chandra is responsible for the Finance and Treasury 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, capital management and funding requirements of the Bank, and is a member of the Executive Committee.
Mr. Chandra joined HomeEquity Bank in 2016, and had previously served as CFO in the financial services industry for more than 10 years. He was included in the 2021 Mortgage Global 100 list, published by MPA Magazine, recognizing “outstanding industry professionals who are making a positive difference and helping drive change across the sector.” In 2023, his achievements as CFO led to his recognition by the Globe and Mail’s Report on Business magazine as one of Canada’s Best Executives.
Mr. Chandra has served as a Director on the Boards of Joseph Brant Hospital, The Scarborough Hospital and Oakville Hydro Corporation, where he was also the Chair of the Audit Committee.
Mr. Chandra, a Canadian 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
Yvonne Ziomecki-Fisher is Executive Vice President, Marketing & Sales at HomeEquity Bank. Before joining the Bank in 2013, Ms. Ziomecki spent 12 years with American Express, where she held various leadership roles in product, marketing, and customer engagement.
In her role, Ms. Ziomecki is responsible for driving originations growth and increasing revenues. She leads a high-performing sales team that has helped the Bank achieve profitable growth through our direct-to-consumer, broker, wealth, and bank channels.
Ms. Ziomecki is also responsible for driving our marketing strategy and leads an award-winning marketing team that delivers marketing initiatives, brand strategy, research, product marketing, communications, advertising, and public relations.
Ms. Ziomecki graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto and holds her Master of Business Administration from the Schulich School of Business. Alongside HomeEquity Bank President & CEO Steven Ranson, she co-authored the book Home Run – The Reverse Mortgage Advantage, a guide to helping Canadians lead a financially secure retirement. She was named a CMP Woman of Influence in 2016 and 2022, named a 2022 Strategy Marketer of the Year, and has led the organization to win marketing, brand, and product awards.
Ms. Ziomecki is a Board Member at RATESDOTCA Group Ltd. and previously sat on the boards of the MedicAlert Foundation Canada and the Canadian Association for Financial Institutions in Insurance.
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.
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 and Chief Marketing Officer
As Senior Vice President, Customer Experience & Chief Marketing Officer, Vivianne Gauci leads HomeEquity Bank’s marketing and customer experience design and delivery teams. She is responsible for driving originations growth by leading award-winning brand and performance marketing that has increased awareness and demand. Ms. Gauci is also responsible for the evolution of the bank into a customer-centric organization, leading a team that uses the voice of the customer to design and deliver experiences worth sharing.
Ms. Gauci joined HomeEquity Bank in 2015 and has over 20 years of experience in marketing, product development, and strategy in financial services including over 10 years at companies such as American Express and Aviva. She graduated with a Hons. Bachelor of Business Administration and holds her Master of Business Administration from the Schulich School of Business.
Ms. Gauci has led the creation of several award-winning campaigns and is regularly sought out to speak at industry conferences. She has been named a CMP Woman of Influence, sat on the board of the Canadian Association for Financial Institutions in Insurance, co-chaired the Financial Services Special Interest Group for the American Marketing Association and has judged the RBC Women Entrepreneur of the Year Awards.
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.
