Treating agents like family

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As it continues to grow across Canada, Sherwood Mortgage Group is taking an approach that places agents front and centre

Sherwood Mortgage Group is a mortgage brokerage founded in 2008 by Anthony Contento and Athena Constantinou. The company has since expanded across Canada, with agents in several provinces. In 2021, it hit a landmark of $1 billion in mortgages funded since its foundation. The company operates under the Mortgage Architects brand, a division of Dominion Lending Centres (DLC) – one of Canada’s largest mortgage broker networks. It has been under that brand since its formation.

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“When I’m speaking to the professionals looking to join, I want to make sure that it’s a good fit for everyone. I especially invest the time to ensure they are a good fit for our culture before we really get into those numbers – because our team is like a family”

Harcharan Upal, Sherwood Mortgage Group

“Collectively, we have created a home away from home. Sherwood is a family with deep roots and strong core values. Our value proposition stems from our ability to be different from the rest. Hence our motto, ‘It’s a Sherwood thing – you wouldn't understand’”

Anthony Contento, Sherwood Mortgage Group

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Unsurprisingly, after shattering that $1 billion milestone in 2021, the company is already surging ahead to its next targets – and Contento described the journey as a worthy endeavor for any agents who want to give their own business another dimension. “Collectively, we have created a home away from home. Sherwood is a family with deep roots and strong core values. Our value proposition stems from our ability to be different from the rest. Hence our motto, 'It's a Sherwood thing – you wouldn't understand.' “We look forward to what the next few years are going to bring. I think we’re going to do very well, given the leadership team that we have here at Sherwood.”

“We’re not willing to jeopardize our brand by bringing in just anybody in order to hit certain milestones,” Upal said. “And the great thing about that is our team appreciates it – and, more importantly, our partners in the industry appreciate it. “I can honestly tell you I get a call at least once a week from a lender saying, ‘Our team loves working with you folks,’ because they know when it’s Sherwood Mortgage Group on their call display, they’re going to be having a conversation with somebody who’s experienced in the industry and knows the products they’re talking about. It’s going to be a good-quality dialogue.” Its ethos and laser focus on high quality has helped deepen Sherwood’s strong relationship with lenders, Contento said, making deals straightforward and reducing headaches for underwriters on deals of any kind. “Overall, we’re assisting

“That’s a big gap in our industry. A lot of brokerages want the increase in agents, but they don’t necessarily provide the tools or the support to help those individuals be successful,” he said. “Our national training director’s sole purpose is to train those people.” The next level For those agents with a few years of experience who want to take their business to the next level, Sherwood has an ideal solution, Upal said – one that’s been honed over more than a decade of success. “Maybe they need more tools. Maybe they need more lender access. Maybe they’re just looking for support. Maybe it’s technology,” he said. “It’s safe to say that being the size that Sherwood is, we can now check all those boxes. “The culture is one that Anthony and Athena have nurtured for the last 14 years, and, being part of the leadership team, my main objective is to ensure that culture is maintained. When I’m speaking to the professionals looking to join, I want to make sure that it’s a good fit for everyone. I especially invest the time to ensure they are a good fit for our culture before we really get into those numbers – because our team is like a family.”

It’s an approach that’s been met with approval by Sherwood’s agents, with Contento highlighting the brokerage’s low turnover rate, which he described as a testament to the work of Upal and the executive team – the “glue” between the founders and agents. “The fact that we actively keep in touch and try to organize lender meetings and events with our agents really keeps us driven and unified,” he said. “For the most part, I think that being yourself, the way you treat your family at home, should be no different when you’re at work.” Striving toward excellence Sherwood’s unwillingness to compromise on its high standards, despite its enormous success, has also found

“We’ve always promised to keep the family feel. I think bringing in professionals like Harcharan and other leaders to Sherwood has really assisted us not only to scale, but also at the same time maintain the essence of Sherwood that we started 14 years ago.” That’s an approach that stands the company in good stead when it comes to attracting talent, with Sherwood guided by the mantra that quality is more important than quantity. The company still considers itself a boutique brokerage, Contento said, with a careful and measured strategy for recruiting top-class agents across the country. The company has traditionally aimed to bring in well-established individuals with prior experience and volume to call upon, although Upal noted that its expansion has seen the addition of a national training director to help new starters find their way in the industry.

That commitment to a close-knit family atmosphere is what underpins every aspect of the company’s progress over the past 14 years. “You never want to get away from what you’ve started, how you’ve attracted your team members, and the promises and commitments that you made along the way,” Contento explained.

STARTING OUT with eight agents working from a Toronto office in 2008, Sherwood Mortgage Group’s growth has seen it expand into six provinces and shatter the billion-dollar mark in mortgages funded. Yet throughout that rapid rise, the brokerage has never lost sight of the importance it places on company culture and a family feel – across every level of the organization. Launched by co-founders Anthony Contento and Athena Constantinou, Sherwood has expanded from Ontario into New Brunswick, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia, with a Quebec licence nearing completion at time of writing. Its growth has been spearheaded by Contento, serving as president and CEO, and Harcharan Upal, whose role is vice president of national sales and network development.

Leadership team

Anthony Contento

president and CEO

Athena Constantinou

broker and co-founder

Harcharan Upal

vice president, national sales and network development

Michele Steko

vice president, national broker relations

Sydney Dookwah

vice president, operations

Aleka Constantinou

vice president, national branding and compliance

Saravong Kim

national director, licensing and regulatory affairs

Julie Malo

national director of training

Contento’s work is focused around communicating with lenders, attracting new agents’ business, and forging relationships with partners, while Upal’s efforts are geared toward liaising with agents and lender partners to meet criteria related to volumes and efficiencies.

favour in the industry – particularly among lenders who know their deal is in safe hands when working with a Sherwood agent.

them by reducing the amount of time spent discussing applications and conditions,” he said. “This has a lot to do with the caliber of agents that we’re onboarding.”

Founders Anthony Contento, Athena Constantinou

Provinces Ontario, New Brunswick, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, Quebec

Founded 2008

Head Office 529 Wilson Avenue, Toronto, M3H 1V1

Specialties: Residential, commercial mortgages, refinancing, and equity loans

Sherwood Mortgage Group at a glance