Mark Squire reflects on six years at Verico and the road ahead

After six years leading Verico Financial Group, Mark Squire stepped down last week as president and CEO—a decision he describes as timely.

“It was time,” Squire tells Canadian Mortgage Trends in a conversation reflecting on his tenure at the independent broker network.

Since taking on the role in 2019, Squire has helped Verico navigate the challenges of the pandemic, strengthened its connections to brokers across Canada, and earned a reputation as a leader who listens first.

“Sometimes it feels like everyone is pushing their own agenda so much that they’re not listening to others,” he says. “I think that’s something a lot of licensees would say: that I listened to them, and I’m genuinely interested in helping them grow their business.”

A people-first approach

That passion for listening to the needs of others is ultimately what attracted Squire to the mortgage industry in the first place, and later, Verico’s unique network model specifically.

Squire began his career at CIBC in 1989, where he spent the next 18 years serving in different corners of the organization.

“Back in 2003, I was a business development manager for CIBC mortgages, and I loved it. It was the best job in the bank,” he says. “You’re helping find solutions for salespeople who are in turn doing that for clients, and that’s what I enjoy. It’s a people business.”

As he ventured further into the mortgage sector, first with CIBC and then with National Bank, Squire says he eventually crossed paths with Verico founders Colin Dreyer and John Kelly.

“I was blown away by them and by the brand,” he says. “I was really impressed by the value proposition and what Verico was all about, and I was known to say that if I was ever to leave the lender side of the business and go to the broker side, it would be with Verico.”

That opportunity ultimately presented itself in 2019, following the 2017 acquisition of Verico by M3 Mortgage Group. At the time, Squire says his only mandate was to carry the torch of the brand and maintain its mission to empower brokers within its network.

“Part of my role was to ensure that we could bring more tools to them, more products, and more solutions for them to pick and choose from,” he says, adding that he was thrown a curve ball soon after joining. “One of my claims to fame early on was that I was a president under COVID longer than I wasn’t.”

Building community beyond the office

Squire also became known in the industry for hosting the annual Donna Squire Charity Golf Tournament, an event he started in memory of his late wife that quickly grew far beyond what he ever expected.

“At the celebration of life, I announced to friends and family that I was going to do a small golf tournament in 2022 to raise money for a bursary in her name to support international nursing students,” he says. “Some of the friends were also industry people, and all of a sudden it went from what I thought would be 25 people to 250 people.”

After three successful tournaments, Squire announced that the 2025 event would be the fourth and final one, a decision he says was unrelated to his later departure from Verico. “It was never intended to be an annual event,” he says. “The industry just showed up to support me and my family, and for that I am truly humbled and honoured.”

Colleagues and independent business owners in the Verico network recall Squire’s eagerness to build relationships and listen to the needs of those he was tasked with supporting.

“Mark’s leadership showed up most in the quiet moments: the calls he made when things got tough, the way he listened before making decisions, and his willingness to take the hard conversations head-on,” says Patrick Soy, principal broker and executive vice president of Integrity Mortgages. “Mark showed that when integrity leads, loyalty and success naturally follow.”

“Everyone who knows Mark understands that they can depend on him,” says Cecilia Ramos, Principal Broker and CEO of Mortgageville. “He has been instrumental in pushing for a much larger market in support of entrepreneurship.”

“Mark has been a terrific partner to the broker community, helping brokers succeed,” says Jim Tourloukis, president of Verico Advent Mortgage Services. “Personally, Mark has also been a good friend willing to listen and help us navigate this market over the years.”

What comes next

Squire, for his part, says it’s those relationships he’ll miss most.

“I miss the people,” he says. “I miss the licensees, the executive team. I love Verico, I love everything it represents, and I already miss it.”

Though he’s not exactly sure what comes next, Squire says it won’t be retirement.

“I’m probably old enough,” he jokes. “But I enjoy the industry, I enjoy the people and I want to continue in that in some shape or form.”

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