Executive Leadership

PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Chadwick Westlake serves as EQB’s President and Chief Executive Officer and as a member of its Board of Directors. He brings more than two decades of executive leadership experience across banking and financial services, with a proven record of driving growth, innovation, and transformation in complex, high-performing organizations. A long-time architect of EQ's growth strategy, Chadwick is leading the Bank through one of the most significant transformations in its history, including the acquisition of President's Choice Financial and the evolution of EQ into a scaled, national challenger serving millions of Canadians.

Under his leadership, EQ is building a differentiated banking platform that combines digital innovation, national scale and a commitment to challenging the status quo in Canadian banking.

Previously, Chadwick served as EQ’s Chief Financial Officer during a formative period of growth, overseeing Enterprise Strategy and Corporate Development, Treasury and Securitization, Investor Relations, Legal and all core Finance functions. During that time, he helped build many of the strategic foundations that define EQ today, including the acquisition and integration of Concentra Bank, the addition of ACM Advisors, and the expansion of the Bank’s funding, securitization and capital markets capabilities.

Prior to EQ, Chadwick held progressively senior roles at Scotiabank over an 18-year period across Canadian Banking, Wealth Management, International Banking, Global Banking & Markets and corporate functions including global risk management, operations and finance, where he last served as Executive Vice President of Enterprise Productivity & Canadian Banking Finance. Before returning to EQ in August 2025 to become CEO, he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at the Canadian enterprise software company OpenText Corporation. 

As CEO, Chadwick is focused on expanding competition, increasing consumer choice and delivering better outcomes for Canadians. His ambition is to build a scaled, nation-defining financial institution that remakes banking so every Canadian gets ahead, every day.

A recognized leader in Canadian business, Chadwick was named one of Canada’s 2025 Best Executives by The Globe and Mail. He holds a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation, a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Management Studies from the University of Waterloo and completed an Executive Program at The Fuqua School of Business at Duke University. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Bankers Association (CBA), Coril Holdings and SickKids Foundation. 

EVP AND CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

Anilisa Sainani serves as EQB’s Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. She brings more than two decades of leadership experience in banking and finance at globally recognized institutions. She is responsible for the financial and strategic planning functions, operating as a unified capability, with discipline and foresight to drive long-term growth, operational scale and sustainable value creation.  

Anilisa has a proven track record of delivering transformative strategic priorities, driving efficiency and leading with confidence and clarity through complexity. She joined EQ in 2025, after nearly a decade of progressively senior financial leadership roles at RBC. Most recently, she served as Chief Operating Officer, CFO Group, and previously as global Chief Accountant. In these roles, she led global teams across Canada, the United States and Europe and was a strategic partner in major initiatives.   

Her impressive strategic acumen and global financial expertise, combined with deep community involvement and advocacy for diversity and inclusion, earned her national recognition as one of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40®.

Anilisa is a Fellow of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario and holds a Bachelor of Mathematics and Master of Accounting from the University of Waterloo. She sits on the Board of Directors for St. Joseph’s Health Centre Foundation and Kingsway College School.

EVP AND CHIEF RISK OFFICER

Puneesh Arora serves as EQB’s Executive Vice President and Chief Risk Officer. He brings more than 25 years of experience in financial services, with deep expertise in risk management, treasury and capital management, regulatory affairs, mortgages and commercial lending. He is responsible for EQ’s risk management framework, including strategy development, risk quantification, operations and transformational change. He oversees regulatory affairs that support disciplined decision-making that guide EQ’s focused and responsible growth strategy.

As part of EQ's acquisition of President's Choice Financial in 2026, Puneesh joined EQ's Executive Leadership Team as Chief Risk Officer, bringing his extensive experience at a pivotal moment in EQ’s evolution as Canada’s Challenger Bank. Prior to the acquisition, he served as Chief Risk Officer at President’s Choice Financial, where he oversaw enterprise-wide financial and non-financial risk management, regulatory compliance, anti-money laundering (AML) programs and key regulatory relationships. He previously served as Treasurer at PC Financial and Assistant Treasurer at George Weston Limited. Earlier in his career, he held positions with OSFI and ICICI Bank Canada.

Puneesh holds Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA), Chartered Accountant (CA) and Financial Risk Manager (FRM) designations, and a Master of Commerce from Symbiosis International University. He is also an alumnus of Harvard Business School.

EVP, PERSONAL BANKING 

Daniel Rethazy serves as EQB’s Executive Vice President, Personal Banking. A transformational banking leader with more than two decades of experience, Daniel has a strong track record of building and leading successful banking businesses by shaping strategy and operations, enterprise productivity and agility, and delivering robust large-scale operating model transformation and growth initiatives. At EQ, he is responsible for building and scaling a high-performing Personal Banking business that advances EQB’s growth agenda and solidifies EQ’s position as Canada’s Challenger Bank. 

Known for connecting strategy and execution with clarity and discipline, Daniel is a people-first leader who builds strong, aligned teams and focuses on removing barriers to unlock his teams’ full potential to excel. He is instrumental in driving forward EQ’s single-family residential lending, reverse mortgages and digital banking businesses, positioning the bank as a major competitive force and pushing the limits on what EQ can deliver for Canadians. 

Prior to joining EQ in 2026, he served as Executive Vice President, Enterprise Capabilities and Organizational Agility, at CIBC, where he launched multi-year technology modernization and investment roadmaps that enhanced the bank’s competitiveness and resiliency. Before that, he served as Senior Vice President of CIBC’s Personal Lending and Insurance business lines in Canada, where he shaped its successful residential mortgage growth strategy that delivered strong growth for the business. His track record reflects an ability to scale core businesses and execute multiyear future-ready transformation agendas with deep operational rigor. 

Earlier in his career, Daniel held progressively senior leadership roles at TD Bank across Wealth, Canadian Banking and Direct Channels. He also served as Associate Principal at McKinsey & Company early in his career, advising global institutions on strategy, operational turnarounds and new business building. 

Daniel holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.

EVP, COMMERCIAL BANKING

Darren Lorimer serves as EQB’s Executive Vice President, Commercial Banking. He brings more than two decades of senior leadership experience in commercial and corporate banking. He leads a talented team across a diverse group of businesses including Commercial Real Estate Lending, Specialized Finance, Business Enterprise Solutions, Equipment Financing, Credit Union and Trust Services and Payments.

Since joining EQ in 2015, Darren has been instrumental in the growth and evolution of its Commercial Banking business. He drove the expansion of EQ’s multi-family insured lending capabilities, including the Equitable Trust aggregator and CMHC construction and term lending, and contributed to the successful acquisition and integration of new businesses including Bennington Financial, Concentra Bank and ACM Advisors. Darren also played a central role in advancing the competitive position of Concentra’s Credit Union and Trust business lines.

Darren became part of the EQ team following over 20 years of progressively senior leadership roles at TD Bank, rising to the position of Vice President, Financial Restructuring Group. He has a wealth of industry experience, having worked in commercial and corporate lending, business development, national accounts, operational risk and compliance and credit risk management. 

Darren holds a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation, an Honours Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Wilfrid Laurier University and attended the Ivey Executive Program at Western University. He sits on several boards, including acting as the chair of ACM Advisors and Bennington Financial, as well as the Canadian Lenders Association. 

EVP AND CHIEF HUMAN RESOURCES OFFICER

Gavin Stanley serves as EQB's Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer. With 15 years of experience in HR, he is responsible for shaping and executing EQ’s people and workplace strategy, including talent management, leadership and organizational development, culture, change management and workplace operations. In addition, he oversees the Brand and Marketing function, ensuring seamless alignment between EQ’s mission, brand, culture and communications.

Since joining EQ in November 2021, Gavin has been a key contributor to the evolution and execution of its people strategy. Notably, he played an instrumental role in supporting leadership continuity during a CEO transition and overseeing EQ’s move to its permanent headquarters at EQ Bank Tower, as well as regional office relocations to help deliver modern, flexible work environments aligned with EQ’s growth and culture.

Prior to joining EQ, Gavin served as Head of Talent for EMEA and APAC and oversaw the Global Employee Relations team at Shopify. Earlier in his career, he worked at The Boston Consulting Group in London, Toronto and Berlin where he advised financial institutions on people, talent and organizational transformation strategy.

Gavin holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from the University of Toronto and a PhD in History from the University of Cambridge. He sits on the Board of Directors of the Young People’s Theatre in Toronto. 

SVP AND CHIEF DIGITAL OFFICER

Dan Broten serves as EQB’s Senior Vice President and Chief Digital Officer. He brings more than two decades of leadership experience in digital banking and enterprise technology transformation. He is responsible for building and driving integrated digital capabilities across Personal Banking, to power smarter, more competitive banking for Canadians.

With a passion for designing, building and launching disruptive products, Dan has built his career on using customer-centric design and modern digital technologies. He brings a unique mix of enterprise-scale transformation experience and startup agility, which he has applied since EQ Bank’s earliest days to help grow it into Canada’s leading digital-born bank.

Dan was a founding architect of EQ Bank and played a central role in its successful launch. Since then, he continued to shape EQ’s evolution through a deep commitment to innovation, simplicity and doing what’s right for customers.

Before taking on his current role, Dan served as Senior Vice President and Head, EQ Bank, where he oversaw the strategy, operations and growth of the digital platform. During his tenure at EQ, he previously served as Chief Technology Officer of EQB, where he led engineering, DevOps, cloud platforms, technology operations, cybersecurity, and the successful integration of Concentra Bank.

Prior to joining EQ, Dan held senior roles at Deloitte Digital and BMO and was the co-founder of Hurrier (acquired by Foodora). He holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Systems Design Engineering from the University of Waterloo.

SVP AND CHIEF STRATEGY & GROWTH OFFICER

David Wilkes serves as EQB’s Senior Vice-President and Chief Strategy and Growth Officer. With more than two decades of experience in financial services and strategy, David plays a central role in shaping and executing EQ’s long-term strategic vision, driving enterprise-wide transformation and identifying organic and inorganic capital deployment opportunities that enhance shareholder value and drive EQ’s ambition to scale as Canada’s Challenger Bank.  

Prior to joining EQ in 2022, David was a Partner at McKinsey & Company, where he led enterprise-wide transformations, growth strategies and digital innovation for leading financial institutions across North America. His work included a key advisory role for EQ’s Executive Leadership Team that led to the successful acquisition and integration of Concentra Bank.  

Following his appointment as Vice President of Corporate Finance, Strategy & Analytics, and later as Head of Finance, David was responsible for a breadth of critical functions including EQ’s strategy, Corporate Development, M&A, Financial Planning & Analysis, Enterprise Productivity, and Investor and Regulatory Relations. As a principal architect of EQ’s inorganic growth agenda, he notably co-led the majority acquisition of ACM Advisors – representing EQ on its Board – and other strategic investments in fintechs.   

David holds an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania where he focused on Strategic Management and Finance, and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Engineering Science from the University of Toronto.

SVP, CHIEF CREDIT OFFICER AND DEPUTY CHIEF RISK OFFICER

Dipti Patel serves as EQB’s Senior Vice President, Chief Credit Officer and Deputy Chief Risk Officer. With nearly two decades of experience in the Canadian financial services industry, Dipti has deep expertise in credit risk strategy development, adjudication, default management and loan portfolio oversight, with a strong focus on maintaining high-quality lending practices and implementing risk mitigation strategies to shape EQ’s successful lending strategy and long-term performance. She plays a central role in managing regulatory relationships and leads proactive, insight-driven credit risk monitoring. 

Dipti joined EQ in June 2022 as Vice President, Credit Risk, and was later promoted to Chief Credit Officer.  Since joining, Dipti has been a driving force behind the evolution and strengthening of EQ’s Credit Risk function – sharpening risk frameworks, enhancing portfolio oversight, and embedding disciplined decision-making across the organization.

Prior to joining EQ, Dipti served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at RFA Bank of Canada, where she led the redevelopment of product and strategy for revenue generation of uninsured single family, securitization (single family and commercial), commercial and construction lending following an acquisition. Previously, Dipti was the Chief Financial Officer at MCAN Mortgage Corporation, a publicly traded mortgage investment corporation regulated by Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI). During her 12-year tenure at MCAN Mortgage Corporation, she also held senior roles including Chief Audit Officer and Vice President, Operational Effectiveness.  She has deep experience in investor and analyst relations, regulatory management, and Board engagement.  

Dipti holds Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) and Chartered Accountant (CA) designations, and a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance and Accounting from McMaster University.

SVP, CREDIT CARDS AND INSURANCE

Ian Hanning serves as EQB’s SVP, Credit Cards and Insurance. With more than 25 years of international experience leading high-performance teams across the UK and Canada and translating financial insight into business outcomes, he is responsible for evolving EQ’s credit card and loyalty businesses, supporting the Bank’s growth strategy and expanding customer value proposition.

As part of EQ's acquisition of President's Choice Financial in 2026, Ian joined EQ's Executive Leadership Team, bringing extensive experience in consumer finance, growth strategy and the management of large-scale card portfolios.

Prior to the acquisition, Ian served as Chief Financial Officer of President’s Choice Bank and previously held the same executive position at both Capital One Canada and Financeit.

Ian holds a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) designation and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (FCMA, CGMA). He also serves on the Board of Directors of Enactus Canada, supporting the development of entrepreneurial and socially driven student leaders.

SVP AND CHIEF AUDITOR

Isabelle Farella serves as EQB’s Senior Vice President and Chief Auditor. With more than 25 years of progressively senior experience in internal audit, she leads EQ’s internal audit function which provides independent assurance and consulting advice to the Executive Leadership Team and the Board of Directors on the effectiveness of governance, risk management and internal control processes. Reporting directly to the Chair of the Audit Committee, Isabelle oversees the development and execution of a risk-based audit plan that aligns with EQ’s strategic priorities and emerging risks.  

Isabelle’s experience in internal audit spans roles in retail banking, credit risk management and regulatory compliance, and she brings significant experience auditing credit portfolios, deposit products, regulatory compliance, operational processes and second line of defense compliance and risk management functions.  

Since joining EQ in 2010, she has directed audit coverage spanning all business lines and corporate functions, with continued expansion and alignment of Internal Audit processes to align with new products and strategic initiatives in step with EQ’s growth. She maintains a strong focus on delivering high-quality, value-added insights to the Executive Leadership Team and the Board, while fostering constructive engagement while maintaining independence. 

Prior to joining EQ, Isabelle held roles at the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI), where she was part of the supervision team for one of the large five Canadian banks as well as various Internal Audit and Risk Management roles at another large bank.

SVP AND CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER

Janet Lin serves as EQB’s Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer. She brings more than two decades of experience in digital transformation across banking, payments and retail. She leads EQ’s technical strategy, AI and innovation, infrastructure and operations, enterprise technology and data enablement and governance and information security. Her role is central to advancing EQ’s strategy and sharpening its competitive edge as Canada’s Challenger Bank.    

Janet brings a blend of deep technical depth and customer-first thinking, and since joining EQ in 2021, she has led major transformations in lending and payments technology, building the foundations for scalable digital growth. Prior to this, she helped shape the digital and financial technology stack at Loblaw and PC Financial, leading strategy, e-commerce, cloud transformation, digital identity and technology infrastructure for all consumer-facing digital products including PC Optimum.   

Janet is passionate about using technology to enrich people’s lives. She has launched award-winning digital products and been recognized among Top 25 Women in Tech Canada, Advocate of the Year – Women in Technology Award Canada, The Stevie Global Award, Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women and the Forbes Global 100 Outstanding Chinese list. She also serves as Chair of the Board for the Information and Communications Technology Council of Canada and is active in mentorship and community leadership through organizations like Women in AI North America and DMZ’s Women Innovation Summit.

SVP, CREDIT RISK AND DATA ANALYTICS

Mark Snyder serves as EQB’s Senior Vice President, Credit Risk and Data Analytics. With more than two decades of senior leadership experience in financial services, he is responsible for credit strategy and embedding data-driven decision-making across the full customer lifecycle. He plays a key role in balancing growth and risk management across EQ’s expanding consumer banking platform.

Mark has built and led high-performing teams and driven enterprise-scale transformation initiatives. These include the development and deployment of machine learning models for credit and fraud decisioning, cloud transformation of data, models, and technology platforms, and the strengthening of credit and model risk governance frameworks.

As part of EQ’s acquisition of PC Financial in 2026, Mark joined EQ’s Executive Leadership Team, bringing deep expertise on credit risk, data analytics and consumer lending at a pivotal moment in the Bank’s evolution. Prior to the acquisition, he served as Senior Vice President, Credit Risk and Data Analytics at President’s Choice Financial, where he led the teams responsible for credit strategy, fraud management, modeling and data strategy. During his tenure, he helped drive the responsible growth of one of Canada’s largest consumer credit portfolios while advancing the use of data analytics and modern technology platforms to support decision-making and risk management.

He built much of his career at Capital One in both Canada and the United States, previously serving as Vice President, Senior Credit Officer and Head of Data for Capital One Canada, where he was accountable for credit risk oversight and the organization’s data function.

Mark holds degrees in Accounting and Mathematics from Case Western Reserve University.

SVP, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary

Michael Mignardi serves as EQB’s Senior Vice-President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary. With more than two decades of experience, he leads EQ’s legal function and serves as a key advisor to the Board of Directors and the Executive Leadership Team, overseeing all legal matters related to financial services, secured lending, regulatory compliance, securities and real estate law. He plays a central role in identifying legal risks and shaping strategies that protect EQ and enable responsible growth.  

Since joining EQ in 2006, Michael has been instrumental in developing and expanding its legal capabilities through a period of rapid growth and organizational complexity. His deep institutional knowledge and expertise have helped build a legal, procurement and corporate security function highly respected across the industry for its rigour and foresight.    

Michael actively contributes to regulatory and industry dialogue, including through his role as Secretary of the Banks and Trust Companies Association (BATCA), where he liaises with regulators and coordinates industry responses on behalf of small and mid-sized institutions.  

He holds a Master of Laws and Bachelor of Laws from Osgoode Hall Law School, as well as a Bachelor of Arts from York University.

SVP, CUSTOMER GROWTH, EXPERIENCE AND STRATEGY, PERSONAL BANKING

Michaela Garfield serves as EQB’s Senior Vice President, Customer Growth, Experience and Strategy for Personal Banking. With more than 15 years of experience helping organizations grow through expanded partnerships, loyalty, P&L management, and thoughtful digital innovation, she is responsible for shaping how customers discover, join and grow with the Bank’s products and services.

As part of EQ’s acquisition of President’s Choice Financial in 2026, Michaela joined EQ’s Executive Leadership Team, bringing deep expertise in payments acquisition, digital products, and loyalty as the Bank expanded its reach to millions of Canadians. Prior to the acquisition, she served as President’s Choice Financial's Vice President, Digital Products, Platforms and Growth, leading teams across digital platforms, marketing, analytics, sales and customer acquisition. 

Earlier in her career, Michaela held leadership roles at Royal Bank of Canada spanning banking, payments, partnerships and product strategy. Michaela holds an MBA from the Rotman School of Management.

SVP AND TREASURER

Tim Charron serves as EQB’s Senior Vice-President and Treasurer. He has more than 30 years of experience in the financial services industry, with deep expertise in capital, funding, liquidity, asset-liability management (ALM) and market risk. Since joining EQ in 2017, Tim has led the development of the Treasury function to support its strategic growth and financial resilience.  

His leadership has been instrumental in diversifying EQ’s funding sources and advancing its capital optimization strategy to support long-term growth and stability. Tim works closely with business lines to ensure treasury strategies enable product innovation and growth while stabilizing earnings through disciplined balance sheet management.  

Prior to joining EQ, Tim served as Vice President of Asset Liability Management and Strategy at TD Bank, where he oversaw non-trading market risk and hedge strategy for the global balance sheet. His leadership in treasury and balance sheet management has been instrumental in navigating complex financial environments and regulatory landscapes.  

Tim holds a Bachelor of Mathematics from the University of Waterloo and is an Associate of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries.