loanDepot Leadership

Known as the architect of modern lending, Anthony Hsieh is a trailblazing disruptor whose prowess for market timing, innovation and diversification has enabled him to lead and revolutionize an industry. Over his three decades-long career, he has systematically discerned trends in consumer home buying and online behaviors that have enabled him to chart a new course for the contemporary mortgage lending journey.

While Anthony is best known as the Founder and CEO of loanDepot, he is an entrepreneur by nature, having founded and led loansdirect.com and HomeLoanCenter.com prior to their successful sales to E*Trade and IAC/Interactive, respectively. Each of these companies was known to be on the forefront of product and technological innovation, and notably, with regard to loansdirect.com, recognized as being one the world’s first online internet-based financial services companies.

In the eleven short years since Anthony launched loanDepot, the company has grown to become the second-largest nonbank retail-focused lender, and third largest retail-focused lender overall in the country, accelerating faster than almost any other at-scale modern lender in history. In a highly fragmented and competitive market landscape, loanDepot has funded over $350 billion since inception and serves over 30,000 customers a month. In a reflection of the company’s success, loanDepot became a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange on February 11, 2021.

The company’s achievements are made possible thanks to Anthony’s vision and commitment—and his courage to disrupt the status quo. Anthony showed tremendous courage to launch the company in 2010; a time when both the industry and consumers faced tremendous headwinds. However, Anthony’s understanding of consumer needs and behavior, coupled with his unique experience and insight into technology and lending prevailed, quickly propelling loanDepot to funding 1,000 loans in a single month after less than one year in business.

In 2013, Anthony further bucked conventional wisdom and led loanDepot’s metamorphosis from a single-threaded direct-to-consumer powerhouse to one that also serves customers through incredibly successful local in-market and partnership (joint venture and wholesale) channels, notably becoming the only successful non-bank at-scale model of this type in the industry today.

This diversification philosophy, as well as Anthony’s belief in technology’s ability to transform an outdated industry, led to an overall reshuffling of the industry deck. In 2017 and 2019 respectively, Anthony conceived and introduced his proprietary mello® technology (whose name is aptly derived from the Greek phrase ‘about to be’) and the mello smartloan™– both of which have enabled loanDepot to further differentiate itself from traditional lenders, improve customer and originator experiences and increase overall loan fulfillment efficiencies.

Customers recognize and gravitate to the experiences and brands Anthony has built over time. Currently, loanDepot is the second-most recognized brand in the industry today and earns satisfaction scores on par with world-class brands like Apple and Square. In addition, Anthony continues to lead the loanDepot brand to new heights, having recently signed an exclusive rights agreement with Major League Baseball to become the league’s Official Mortgage Provider. Anthony also recently partnered with the Miami Marlins, led by CEO Derek Jeter, to establish the world-class Miami sports and entertainment venue, loanDepot park.

In addition to cultivating exceptional brand and customer experiences, Anthony has also created one of the most unique, rewarding employment cultures in America. Creating jobs for nearly 11,000 team members across the nation, Anthony’s entrepreneurial spirit permeates every corner of his company, creating an atmosphere of innovation, accountability, camaraderie and spirit to serve, proudly known as the ‘Team loanDepot’ all-in attitude.

Anthony also is a steward of the industry and takes his responsibility as an industry leader to heart. Anthony is frequently called upon to speak on industry issues across national news outlets and has provided industry keynote addresses and fireside chats at such notable events as the Mortgage Banking Association’s Annual Convention, LendIt China, LendIt USA, the Digital Mortgage Conference and the Digital Lending + Investing Conference. Known to be an authentic straight-shooter, Anthony also helped reinvent the way in which public figures and leaders utilize social media for direct connections and conversations with peers, constituents, employees and customers. In honor of these contributions and more, Anthony has been recognized as LendIt’s Fintech Executive of the Year (2018) and AREAA’s Person of the Year (2017).

Anthony takes great pride in serving communities across the nation. In 2020, Anthony led the donation of $3M to pandemic relief and has given countless hours to a cause near to his heart – serving America’s veteran heroes. In 2018, Anthony—one of the most successful, winningest competitive sportfishermen of all time—conceptualized War Heroes on Water (WHOW), a therapeutic sportfishing tournament designed to honor and heal combat-wounded veterans. Since inception, WHOW has assisted hundreds of veterans across the nation and raised over $1M to support ongoing therapeutic healing services. This year, Anthony is leading the WHOW team in efforts to host 100 veterans at the annual tournament and raise an additional $1M for veteran relief services.

Jeff Walsh, Sr. EVP, Chief Revenue Officer, has a wide-ranging role that touches a broad swatch of the Company’s activities. In addition to overseeing the technological development of the Company’s products and the IT team, he also leads the Company’s Retail, Wholesale and JV production and operations activities. Further, Jeff also has oversight of the Human Resources team as well as the Company’s Closing USA escrow and title services unit.

Jeff joined loanDepot in 2012, bringing with him more than 20 years’ experience in mortgage lending. During this tenure, he has overseen the growth and production of many of the Company’s departments, including operations, processing, human resources, vendor management and escrow.

Prior to joining loanDepot, Jeff served as Chief Operating Officer at Ameriquest Mortgage Company, where he transformed its technology platforms and developed proprietary modeling systems for collections and loss mitigation. Jeff also has served as President of Town and Country Credit, where he led the expansion of its 50 nationwide offices.

Jeff attended West Valley College in Saratoga, California and San Jose City College in San Jose, California. He also attended executive development programs at the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School and the Colorado Springs Center for Creative Leadership.

Richard Calle, EVP, Chief Strategy Officer, leads the Company’s strategic and financial planning efforts for existing business channels as well as new ventures. His responsibilities also include executive oversight of enterprise growth initiatives, including new business expansion, mergers and acquisitions and business development.

Prior to joining loanDepot, Richard served as an investment professional at Parthenon Capital Partners, where he was responsible for evaluating investment opportunities and overseeing existing portfolio investments. Before joining Parthenon, Richard worked in the M&A groups at Barclays and Lehman Brothers in New York.

A graduate of Georgetown University, Richard holds a bachelor’s degree in political economy.

Nicole Carrillo, EVP, Chief Accounting Officer, is responsible for managing loanDepot’s financial and accounting operations, investor relations, corporate real estate, internal audit and vendor management functions.

Nicole brings more than 17 years’ experience to the role, having most recently served as Chief Financial Officer of Opus Bank, where she oversaw all accounting and financial functions, including financial performance, planning and reporting, liquidity management, investment portfolio performance, capital and interest rate risk management and the coordination of external auditors, investors and banking regulators. Nicole also was part of the management team that led Opus Bank through its initial public offering in 2014.

Prior to Opus Bank, Nicole was a senior manager in the audit practice of KPMG, LLP, serving a variety of private and public financial services clients.

Nicole holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Loyola Marymount University and is a California Chartered CPA. She also serves on the board of the United Way of Orange County and the Boys and Girls Club of Central Orange Coast.

Jeff DerGurahian, Chief Capital Markets Officer, oversees the Company’s secondary and capital markets efforts including investor relations, loan trading, hedging, pricing strategies and product development. Jeff has served in this capacity for eight years.

Prior to joining loanDepot, Jeff was EVP of Capital Markets for Prospect Mortgage, LLC, and also served as a hedge manager for Tuttle Risk Management Services before joining Prospect (formerly MetroCities Mortgage).

Jeff holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Virginia.

Patrick Flanagan, Chief Financial Officer, is responsible for managing all of loanDepot’s financial actions, including its accounting, treasury, tax, corporate finance and investor and lender relations activities.

Patrick brings more than 30 years’ experience in investment management and consumer finance experience within the fintech lending space, having most recently served as Executive Vice President at Carrington Mortgage Services. His leadership roles include a variety of executive positions within capital management, mortgage lending and digital financial services industries.

A graduate of Monmouth College, Patrick has managed the origination, acquisition and servicing of more than $400 billion in residential mortgage and residential real estate assets.

TJ Freeborn is the EVP, Chief Administrative Officer at loanDepot. In this role, TJ leads customer experience, employee experience, enterprise creative, communications and public relations practices for the company, as well as serves as a strategic partner on enterprise-wide cross-functional initiatives. TJ also co-manages loanDepot philanthropic and community outreach efforts and is one of the team leaders of the annual War Heroes on Water Tournament, which has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Veterans' services since inception.

TJ brings more than 25 years of financial services experience, and more than a decade of focused home lending expertise, to her role at loanDepot. Before joining the company, TJ held leadership positions at Discover Financial Services, wherein she led home equity loan operations and servicing, as well as oversaw marketing acquisition, customer experience and creative development for Discover’s mortgage products. Prior to Discover, TJ served as Vice President, Marketing at Wells Fargo Home Mortgage. In this role, TJ was responsible for branding and creative development and was a key partner on cross-functional company regulatory and strategic initiatives, such as the SAFE Act implementation and multi-channel marketing-on-demand platform launches.

TJ is a graduate of Grand View College in Des Moines, Iowa, where she was a founding member of the college’s Logos Honors Program.

John Lee, as Chief Analytics Officer of loanDepot, leads financial modeling and analytics to drive improved profitability across all lending channels. He has been a vital asset to loanDepot since inception, directing the company’s overall financial services and operations as CFO before moving into his current executive role as Chief Analytics Officer.

Prior to loanDepot, John served in a variety of financial capacities for key lending firms. From 2007 to 2009, John served as Chief Financial Officer at Grander Inc. where he directed the company’s financial operations in addition to managing corporate development and acquisition activities.

From 2002 to 2007, John held the role of Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Home Loan Center (later to become LendingTree). In his tenure, he secured and managed over $1 billion in warehouse capacity. One of John’s largest accomplishments at Home Loan Center was advising on the sale to LendingTree in 2004 and its subsequent integration.

From 1998 to 2001, John managed the west coast office of CIBC World Markets (CIBC Oppenheimer) as director – Investment Banking, Financial Institutions Group (FIG). In this role he oversaw e-financial services, mortgage banking, specialty finance and community banking, and advised both public and private companies on merger and acquisitions and private equity.

From 1995 to 1998, John managed mergers and acquisitions and joint venture and affinity deal analysis as Vice President, Corporate Development and M&A at Countrywide Home Loans.

John holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Rochester in New York with a certificate of Management in Accounting & Finance from the university’s Simon School of Business. He also holds a Masters of Business Administration in Finance from Ohio State University where he was recognized as a Weidler Scholar and Beta Gamma Sigma honors graduate.

Peter Macdonald serves as EVP, General Counsel for loanDepot.. In this role, Peter oversees all legal, regulatory, licensing, compliance and litigation matters for the Company, ensuring that loanDepot develops and maintains the necessary oversight and protection to exceptionally serve its customers, employees and investors. Peter is looked at as an industry leader in the areas of litigation, CFPB readiness and borrower, investor, and federal & state agency strategic communication. His foresight and execution of best-in-class corporate governance practices has helped provide the foundation to fuel loanDepot’s dramatic year-over-year growth.

Peter has experience in the execution of acquisitions, as well as in organizational restructuring, both inside and outside the lending industry. Before joining loanDepot, Peter served as Vice President and Secretary, General Counsel for Home Loan Center and Lending Tree Loans. Peter also gained wide respect for his past work as a prosecutor while Deputy City Attorney for the City of Anaheim.

Peter is a native of Canada, who now resides in Irvine, California with his wife Stephanie, and their three sons, Nash, Ian and Henry. Macdonald holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Carleton University in Ottawa and a Juris Doctor Degree from Western State University.

Sheila Mayes, EVP, Treasurer, partners with loanDepot’s consumer direct, in market, wholesale and correspondent leaders to develop and implement strategies that increase sales revenue and maximize profitability. Sheila has been instrumental in building the company’s treasury functions while maintaining balance with current market conditions. Widely respected for her thoughtful and dedicated leadership, Sheila has helped expand the company’s funding and banking capacity to match its production.

Sheila’s background in leading change and supporting rapid expansion in fast-paced, complex mortgage environments is well-suited for loanDepot. A consummate problem-solver with a proven ability to develop innovative solutions that boost revenue while minimizing risk, Sheila is highly skilled in developing and nurturing key internal and external relationships. A systems enthusiast who is adept at leveraging technology to streamline processes, reduce operational inefficiencies and maximize ROI, Sheila is well known for her abilities to integrate ethics and integrity into her daily work and management philosophy.

Prior to joining loanDepot, Sheila served in similar roles with Caliber Home Loans and Aegis Mortgage Corp. Sheila holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Stephen F. Austin State University.

Sheila is passionate about coaching, mentoring and motivating others to succeed through transformational leadership and a growth mindset.

Sudhir Nair, Chief Information and Technology Officer, is responsible for the ongoing development and delivery of technology solutions that are reliable, resilient and highly scalable while also driving revenue growth. Sudhir also plays an instrumental role in the design and implementation of digital enhancements that will continue to transform the Company’s mortgage experience.

A technology and digital operations leader and distinguished speaker who has more than 25 years’ experience in a variety of technology and operations leadership roles, over the course of his career, Sudhir has served as a CIO, CTO and COO for a variety of Fortune 100 companies in a diverse array of sectors, including banking and finance, retail (FMCG and CPG), online/eCommerce and technology.

Prior to joining loanDepot, Sudhir served as Executive Vice President and CIO of Solutionstar/Xome, where he was instrumental in launching the first real estate marketplace, Homesearch.com/Xome.com. He also helped implement the company’s technology stack entirely on Cloud, Mobile and data analytics, a first of its kind in the banking and financial services industry.

Prior to joining Solutionstar, Sudhir served as a technology executive with Bank of America, during which time he held several leadership roles in consumer real estate and banking. During his ten-year tenure, he was instrumental in launching the company’s web-based loan origination system, and also led the largest merger integration and conversion of mortgage servicing technology in the industry, managing a global team supporting the servicing of 16.3 million mortgages, the largest servicing portfolio in the United States.

Sudhir’s career experience spans the globe to include Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the United States, during which time he has crafted technology solutions for the technology, oil and gas, supply chain, retail (FMCG and CPG), banking and financial services and higher education sectors.

Sudhir holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science engineering from the University of Madras, India and a master’s degree in systems and information from Birla Institute of Tech and Science, Pilani-India. Sudhir also is a graduate of Harvard’s management program.

Kevin Tackaberry, EVP, Human Resources, is focused on helping the Company continue to expand its exceptional talent foundation. Specializing in leading organizations through complex change, high growth, and achieving organizational goals leveraging talent, lean process and technology, Kevin brings more than 25 years’ experience to the role.

His ability to lead teams that successfully attract and retain exceptional team members has been at the core of his career. He also has successfully built human resource process and tools that provide employees with the opportunity to excel and to serve customers more effectively.

Prior to joining loanDepot, Kevin served as Chief Human Capital Officer for Prospect Mortgage, LLC, CHRO & CIO for a division of Ford Motor Credit Company, and held variety of human resource positions with 3M, among other national brands.

Kevin holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering and an MBA in Human Resource Management from Michigan State University. He also is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management, the Human Resources Professionals Association and served as president for the National Human Resources Association.

John Bianchi, EVP, In-Market Retail, is widely considered to be a transformative leader, and has a clear and deep understanding of the unique needs of top- and emerging-sales producers. A top sales performer himself, John has been recognized as one of the top five mortgage originators in the country. His 30-plus years’ experience leading nationally recognized sales organizations enables him to create and inspire high-performance, customer-centric sales cultures.

Prior to joining loanDepot, John served as EVP, National Retail Lending for Caliber Home Loans. He also has held leadership positions with Bank of America and Countrywide Home Loans.

John holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of San Diego.

Dan Hanson serves as Executive Director, In-Market Retail. A highly respected lending industry leader, Dan’s mortgage career covers more than 35 years on a national scale with brands that include Bank of America, Norwest Mortgage, Wells Fargo, imortgage and Countrywide.

Dan also is an active board member for several national nonprofit organizations, including the HomeAid America, Free Wheelchair Mission, University of Redlands Global Business, and is on the Board of Trustees for the California Homebuilding Foundation.

Dan holds a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from the University of Redlands.

Alex Madonna is the EVP, Direct Lending at loanDepot. In this role, Alex leads the Company’s direct lending team, providing guidance for hundreds of top performers and emerging producers nationwide.

Alex brings more than 20 years’ mortgage industry experience to his role. He began his career as a loan officer, quickly rising through the ranks to move from Sales Operations Manager to Production Manager to Director of National Sales and VP of Sales before being promoted to EVP, Direct Sales.

Devoted to his work, his family and the community, Alex currently serves on the board of United Cerebral Palsy-Orange County, assisting the charity with its philanthropic outreach. A proud husband and father, Alex together with his wife, Monica, are busy raising two young boys.

Dan Peña, EVP, National Joint Ventures, serves as the company’s primary point of contact for all of its Joint Venture and National Builder Account relationships.

Dan, who began his 26-year career as a top-producing originator, has held a variety of sales leadership roles before moving into the operations arena. In 2015, he was promoted to lead of loanDepot’s Joint Venture channel. Dan has been intricately involved in building successful teams that focus on delivering exceptional customer service to the company’s partners, and the Joint Venture team’s success reflects his laser-focused dedication.

Dan’s relationship-centric focus has helped the company nurture multiple exceptional partnerships, including Meritage Homes, LGI Homes, Michael Saunders and Company, TRI Point Group, Century 21 Redwood and, most recently, Brookfield Residential.

Misti Snow leads loanDepot Wholesale's long-term strategic vision as Senior Vice President of Wholesale Operations. Having joined loanDepot Wholesale in December 2013, Misti leads several cross functional departments overseeing the growth and production of the company's origination branches, technology initiatives and corporate training/development.

Misti brings over 20 years of nationwide mortgage experience that spans across retail and wholesale lending platforms with experience in credit, compliance and fulfillment process. Before joining loanDepot Wholesale, Misti served in key roles tied to leadership and development. She previously held a role as a Corporate Trainer in the Wholesale and Correspondent Divisions of Real Estate Mortgage Network. Prior, Misti was an Operations Manager at New Penn Financial where she partnered with the executive and operations management to develop strategic initiatives and build the company’s Orange County wholesale presence.

In her tenure, Misti has also held leadership roles at E*TRADE Financial and Home Loan Center/LendingTree, collaborating with executive management and sales management to spearhead new processes for efficiency gains, improved customer experience and scalability. She has also held strong foundational production positions including Director of Processing, Account Manager Team Lead, and Sr. Account Executive.

Tomo Yebisu currently serves as EVP, Production of loanDepot. Tomo previously served as president and chief operating officer of Home Loan Center and LendingTree Loans from July 2002 through November 2007. Tomo brings nearly 20 years of expertise in the areas of sales, marketing, and call center operations.

Prior to joining Home Loan Center, Tomo served as executive vice president of Sales for LoansDirect.com and resident and chief operating officer for E*TRADE Mortgage from 1994 to 2001.

A dynamic leader and rigorous operator, Tomo has worked with Anthony Hsieh since the early 1990s as a key player to the management teams responsible for the sale of two highly successful businesses to large public companies.