Meet the Team

Bruce Witherell

Chief Executive Officer

Bruce has more than 35 years of finance and mortgage market experience across small and large companies. Through Primestone, he cultivates next-generation technology and skilled management to solve business challenges for financial services clients. Previously he was CEO of Promontory MortgagePath (PMP), a fintech provider and an outsourced loan processing and trading company. Earlier, he was the CEO of FirstKey Mortgage, a national lender and portfolio company of Cerberus Capital Management. Before joining FirstKey, Bruce was the Chief Operating Officer of Freddie Mac (post conservatorship) responsible for all operations and technology groups, and the Single-Family and Multi-Family business lines. Bruce has also held global and national executive leadership roles at both Morgan Stanley and Lehman Brothers. Bruce began his career at Credit Suisse First Boston and Household Finance.

David A. Essex

Chief Operating Officer

Dave has more than 30 years of finance and operations experience, ranging from fintech start-ups to global financial services organizations. He has built and run corporate, finance and risk functions for multiple organizations. As one of the founding partners of Primestone, he specializes in business assessment and advises on scalable growth, acquisition integration and financing strategies with a heavy focus in the financial services and mortgage-related fields. Previously, Dave was CAO/CFO at Promontory MortgagePath (PMP), a fintech provider and an outsourced loan processing and trading company. Prior to PMP, he held senior financial positions at FirstKey Holdings (a Cerberus portfolio company), Morgan Stanley and Lehman Brothers. Dave began his career at Ernst & Young.

Ed Donohue

Chief Administrative Officer

Ed oversees the company’s operations, marketing and corporate functions. Prior to joining Primestone, he was Managing Director at Morgan Stanley for more than a decade, holding various senior positions including Chief Administrative Officer of Morgan Stanley Bank, N.A. and the Global Mortgage Lending business, and Chief Operating Officer of the Global Technology and Reengineering & Expense Management divisions. Earlier, he was a Managing Director at Lehman Brothers, where he served as Chief Audit Executive, Co-Chief Operating Officer of Aurora Loan Services, and Chief Administrative Officer of Global Technology & Operations. Mr. Donohue began his career as a CPA at Peat Marwick Mitchell (now KPMG).

Jesal Sangani

Chief Product Officer

Jesal has more than 30 years of leadership experience in the hospitality industry. A serial entrepreneur, Jesal has founded several successful hospitality and healthcare-focused technology companies throughout his career including Myne Health, a healthcare analytical platform, TellZen, an employee experience platform and Zenya, in 2014. Jesal grew Zenya from a start-up to the leading corporate rental technology platform it is today. Jesal began his career at an early-stage start-up where he built out a Boston-based hospital’s eCommerce site and disesase management system. Jesal holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Bombay, a Master’s Degree in Operations and Information Technology from the Worcester Polytechnic Institute and an MBA from MIT.

Benni Anders

Chief Technology Officer

Benni has more than 20 years of experience in developing software in collaboration with global teams working across the U.S., Europe and Asia. In his role as Chief Technology Officer, Benni plays a pivotal, hands-on role managing the company’s technology suite. Throughout his career, he has worked with Fortune 500 companies on complex projects in the legal, real estate and hospitality industries.

Mike Valente

Director of Engineering

Mike has over 10 years of application development and programming experience. He joined Zenya in 2015 and over the years has become an integral part of the Zenya team. Today, Mike is the Director of Engineering. He provides expertise in user interface technologies as well as deep knowledge of the Zenya ecosystem.

David Rios

Head of Customer Success

David brings over 15 years of expertise in the hospitality industry, encompassing a range of sectors, including multifamily housing, short-term rentals, and commercial events. Throughout his career, he has built a reputation for service excellence and fostering lasting client relationships. Known for his dynamic leadership, David excels in inspiring and developing high-performing teams that consistently anticipate and exceed customer expectations. His commitment to understanding clients’ needs and empowering his colleagues has driven remarkable results, positioning him as a trusted leader in delivering outstanding service.

Sweta Lohani

Head of Marketing

Sweta brings over 15 years of expertise in crafting and executing impactful marketing strategies across diverse industries, including technology and healthcare, primarily focusing on the U.S. market. Throughout her career, she has been instrumental in helping companies strengthen their online presence, build brand awareness, and achieve measurable growth in customer engagement and conversions. As the Head of Marketing at Zenya, Sweta adopts a hands-on approach to leading integrated marketing initiatives that enhance brand visibility and drive business results, ensuring every campaign contributes to the company's success.

Ethan Hunn

Marketplace Operations Manager

Ethan leads marketplace operations, supplier management, and service coordination for Zenya Connect. Prior to joining the team, he was a Senior Consultant in Ernst & Young’s Business Consulting practice, where he specialized in supply chain and operations strategy. At EY, Ethan led logistics transformations, fulfillment center design, and inventory optimization initiatives for Fortune 500 clients across industries including consumer goods, industrial distribution, and renewable energy. Earlier, he held operations management roles at Amazon, where he oversaw site quality, inventory control, and process improvement projects across multiple facilities specializing in inventory receipt. His work at Amazon included driving efficiency via standard work, designing staffing strategies, and leading aged inventory reduction efforts. Ethan holds a Bachelor of Science in Supply Chain and Information Systems from The Pennsylvania State University and was recognized with an Honorable Mention for the MIT Supply Chain Excellence Award.

Jordan Brown

Chairman Technology Advisory Board

Jordan has more than 20 years of experience in loan origination product design and development, as well as significant experience in capital markets, loan servicing analytics, process reviews and related due diligence. His career has focused on building, marketing and deploying technical solutions to solve operational management issues, including the development of loan pricing engines and loan origination, secondary marketing, and servicing Systems. Brown is the Founding Principal and CEO of Marketwise, a consulting advisory firm that specializes in financial services. Throughout his tenure at Marketwise, Brown has spearheaded financial firm technology transformations, implementations of artificial intelligence, system selections and IT reviews. He is an industry leader in streamlining operations and maintaining IT/cybersecurity best practices. Prior to starting MarketWise, he held senior management positions with GHR Systems/FIS, Tuttle Decision Systems and ALLTEL (currently Black Knight Financial). He regularly is a featured speaker at financial technology industry events and a frequent contributor to major industry publications.

Robert Martini

Advisory Board Member

Rob has more than 30 years of experience in relocation and mobility services, supply chain management, and strategic outsourcing. In 2022 he was appointed Senior Vice President of Global Relocation Direct Delivery for Sirva Worldwide, Inc., a leading global relocation and moving company, following the company's merger with BGRS. There he had been responsible for strategic innovation and mobility experience solutions. Prior to that, Rob held leadership positions in Global Supply Chain and Franchise programs at Oakwood Worldwide, which is now part of The Ascott Limited. He began his career at Cartus, where he led global procurement and outsourcing. Additionally, Rob has served as an Executive Committee Member and Chairperson of the Corporate Housing Providers Association (CHPA), an organization that supports the global corporate housing industry.

Mike May

Advisory Board Member

Mike is a seasoned executive with almost four decades of experience in the capital markets, residential mortgage, and multifamily mortgage sectors of the housing finance industry. He spent most of his career at Freddie Mac, where he held senior leadership positions throughout the company, most recently as EVP – Head of Multifamily. After Freddie Mac, Mike served as Executive Vice Chairman and Head of Multifamily Capital Markets, Debt & Structured Finance at Newmark Knight Frank and as National Head of Multifamily for CCRE Real Estate. Presently, he is an investor in early-stage PropTech companies at Hamilton Ventures, a member of the Advisory Board of Clarendon Partners, and a member of the Boards of Directors of the National Equity Fund and the National Multifamily Housing Council.

Jon Beyman

Advisory Board Member

Jon is an independent senior advisor with over 40 years of experience in financial services, technology, and operations. He has held senior leadership positions at several global bulge-bracket banks. At Citibank, he served as the Global Head of Operations and Technology for the Institutional Client Group, where he led the global operations team processing $5 trillion in daily transactions and managed the technology team responsible for IT platforms supporting Citibank’s institutional business, including trading, securities settlement, and global payments. He held similar roles at Credit Suisse, Lehman Brothers, and Cendant Corporation.

Jon has served on the Board of Directors of Polaris Consulting Services and several non-profit and industry boards, including the Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation. He was also an Adjunct Professor in the MBA program at the University of Connecticut.

Currently, Jon serves on advisory boards for Investall Group, a FinTech company providing AI-powered tools for retail investors, and Transcend Street Solutions, a technology provider specializing in collateral management solutions for financial institutions.

Joy Morrison

Advisory Board Member

Joy recently retired as Director of Global Mobility at PepsiCo, where she has held leadership positions in global mobility for over 25 years. She played a pivotal role in driving PepsiCo’s innovative global mobility strategy, which earned her recognition from her industry peers as one of the Top 100 Global Mobility Professionals. Before joining PepsiCo, Morrison spent 10 years at Coldwell Banker Relocation in a variety of client-facing roles with increasing levels of responsibility, focused on customer experience.

Terry Theologides

Advisory Board Member

Terry has more than two decades of experience in executive roles in housing finance, real estate, financial services, and fintech. Most recently, he served as Fannie Mae’s Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer, where he led the company’s Legal, Communications & Public Affairs, Economic & Strategic Research, Mission & Impact, and Marketing teams. He also was a member of Fannie Mae’s Management Committee.

Prior to Fannie Mae, Terry was Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary at CoreLogic, Inc., where he was a member of the Management Committee and played a key role in shaping the company’s strategic, innovation, and M&A initiatives. He also held senior legal roles at Morgan Stanley and New Century Financial Corporation.

Terry currently serves as a member of the Strategy Council of the Board of Directors at UnitedLex, a technology and legal services company. Previously he served on the advisory board of FundingShield LLC, a provider of fraud prevention and risk management solutions for the mortgage industry, and was a board member at Sococo, Inc., an online workplace platform.

Terry has also served in leadership at several housing and finance industry associations. HousingWire has recognized Terry as one of the Top 50 executives in housing.

Executive Team

Technology Advisory Board

Let’s Connect

Mike Valente

Director of Engineering

David Rios

Head of Customer Success

Sweta Lohani

Head of Marketing

Ethan Hunn

Marketplace Operations Manager

Jordan Brown

Chairman Technology Advisory Board

Robert Martini

Advisory Board Member

Mike May

Advisory Board Member

Jon Beyman

Advisory Board Member

Joy Morrison

Advisory Board Member

Terry Theologides

Advisory Board Member