Sean DeJulia
loanDepotAbout Sean DeJulia
Sean DeJulia was appointed Chief Innovation Officer at loanDepot (LDI) on August 5, 2025, returning to lead innovation across the loan manufacturing process with a strong focus on the top of the funnel . He is a seasoned mortgage technology innovator who started his career with Empower (now Dark Matter Technologies), spent a decade in software engineering at loanDepot, founded Lodasoft to streamline mortgage workflows, and has real-world experience as a mortgage originator—giving him deep product and operational insight . LDI’s operating context around his appointment included Q2 2025 adjusted EBITDA of $26M, net loss of $25M, and cash balance of $409M as management pushed digital transformation and operating efficiency under returning CEO Anthony Hsieh .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empower (now Dark Matter Technologies) | Early career software/technology roles | Not disclosed | Built foundational mortgage tech skillset |
| loanDepot (prior decade) | Software engineering/innovation; co-developed mello platform | Not disclosed | Helped scale loanDepot’s digital capabilities and origination platform |
| Lodasoft (founder) | Founder; mortgage tech workflow platform | Not disclosed | Streamlined lender manufacturing workflows; improved efficiency and risk control |
| Mortgage originator (individual) | Originator | Not disclosed | First‑hand loan origination and processing perspective informing product design |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lodasoft | Founder | Not disclosed | Private mortgage tech company focused on workflow optimization |
Fixed Compensation
- Base salary and target/actual bonus for DeJulia were not disclosed in company filings or press releases as of his August–September 2025 appointment window. The company announced an equity inducement but did not disclose cash compensation terms for DeJulia .
Performance Compensation
| Award Type | Grant Date | Shares | Vesting | Plan / Approval | Performance Metrics |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RSUs (Inducement) | Sep 15, 2025 | 750,000 | Time‑based, ratable over 3 years | 2022 Inducement Plan; approved by independent Compensation Committee under NYSE Rule 303A.08 | None (time‑based) |
- Related contemporaneous inducement: 2,000,000 PSUs to Chief Digital Officer Dominick Marchetti with stock price hurdles over three years; included for context on the inducement program’s mix across executives .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
- Inducement equity: 750,000 RSUs vest ratably over three years beginning from the September 15, 2025 grant date, creating scheduled share delivery events over 2026–2028 .
- Anti‑hedging/pledging policy: loanDepot prohibits directors, executives and employees from hedging LDI stock, holding LDI stock in margin accounts, or pledging LDI stock as loan collateral .
- Clawback policy: executive incentive compensation is subject to recoupment consistent with NYSE 303A.14 and Rule 10D‑1; SOX 304 may also require reimbursement under misconduct‑related restatements .
- Beneficial ownership, options, exercisable/unexercisable breakdown, and any pledging specific to DeJulia were not disclosed in the April 9, 2025 ownership table (he was appointed later in 2025); no Form 4 transactions were identified in the documents reviewed here .
Employment Terms
| Term | Detail |
|---|---|
| Title | Chief Innovation Officer |
| Appointment date | August 5, 2025 |
| Responsibilities | Drive innovation across loan manufacturing across all channels, with focus on top‑of‑funnel |
| Contract term/expiration | Not disclosed |
| Severance/change‑of‑control | Not disclosed for DeJulia; policies exist for other NEOs in proxy but no DeJulia‑specific terms |
| Non‑compete/non‑solicit | Not disclosed |
| Garden leave/consulting | Not disclosed |
Performance & Track Record
- Technology leadership: Co‑architected the proprietary mello® point‑of‑sale platform during loanDepot’s first decade of growth; recognized by management for deep “mortgage IQ,” competitive knowledge, coding talent, and originator experience .
- Company context at appointment: Q2 2025 revenue $283M, adjusted revenue $292M, adjusted EBITDA $26M, net loss $25M; management emphasized digital transformation and operating leverage with DeJulia and Marchetti additions .
| Company Operating Metrics | Q2 2025 |
|---|---|
| Revenue ($MM) | $283 |
| Adjusted Revenue ($MM) | $292 |
| Adjusted EBITDA ($MM) | $26 |
| Net Loss ($MM) | $(25) |
| Cash Balance ($MM) | $409 |
Board Governance (Context)
- Compensation Committee uses Semler Brossy as independent consultant; committee now comprised of independent directors, with chair Dawn Lepore .
- Say‑on‑pay result for 2023 compensation (voted in 2024): ~98.7% approval; Compensation Committee continues aligning incentives with shareholder outcomes .
Investment Implications
- Pay‑for‑performance alignment: DeJulia’s disclosed inducement grant is time‑based RSUs without performance hurdles, indicating retention and onboarding priority rather than immediate metric‑linked pay; future annual awards may include PSUs consistent with the company’s broader NEO mix, but none are disclosed for DeJulia to date .
- Vesting schedule and potential selling pressure: The 750,000 RSUs vest evenly over three years starting 9/15/2025, creating periodic share delivery events; monitor vest dates and any Form 4 filings for potential supply dynamics .
- Alignment safeguards: Company‑wide anti‑hedging and anti‑pledging policies reduce misalignment risks; clawback provisions add enforcement on restatements .
- Execution and retention: Management is reconstituting a “digital transformation” leadership bench; DeJulia’s history with mello and Lodasoft suggests capability to drive cost and cycle‑time improvements that could support margins and capacity utilization in a cyclical market . Continuous tracking of innovation milestones and origination/servicing KPIs will be key to linking his incentives to shareholder value.
Data gaps remain on DeJulia’s base salary, target/actual bonus, employment agreement terms, severance/change‑of‑control economics, and personal ownership levels; only the equity inducement RSU grant is disclosed to date .