The New IFA Board Chair on Leadership, Franchising, and Her Vision for 2025

In 2025, Mary Kennedy Thompson, CFE, will become Chair of the International Franchise Association (IFA) Board of Directors. In this exclusive interview, she shares insights into her professional journey, her leadership philosophy, and her vision for IFA. Mary’s experience spans the military, entrepreneurship as a franchisee, corporate leadership, and serving as the CEO of BNI (Business Network International), the World’s Largest Referral Networking Organization, since July 2024. Now, she’s ready to bring her life experience and unique approach to franchising to lead and serve IFA. Let’s dive into her plans for the association and the 800,000 small businesses and 9 million workers it supports.

Q: Congratulations on becoming Chair of the IFA Board of Directors in 2025. What does this new role mean to you personally and professionally?

Mary Kennedy Thompson: As leaders, we are here to serve others and inspire them to be the best version of themselves. It’s an absolute honor to serve as Chair of the IFA Board. Franchising has been such a big a part of my life — half of my life in fact — and it has created so many opportunities for my family while also giving me the opportunity to provide that to other families through franchise ownership. It has allowed me to work alongside amazing human beings. It sounds like a cliché, but it really rings true: in franchising, you’re in business for yourself, but not by yourself. It’s been everything I could have ever imagined and then some. I think about the time I got the first brochure with information on starting my franchise journey, my heart skipped a beat because I knew I wanted to control my own destiny. I knew I wanted to lead, but I didn’t know how I was going to get there. Franchising showed me the way, and it’s been my life now for more than three decades.

Q: That’s amazing. You’ve had an impressive career across multiple industries — from leading Neighborly as its COO to now being the CEO of BNI. What have you learned and how have those experiences shaped your approach to leadership?

Mary Kennedy Thompson: I tell everyone that will listen ­­— I started my journey as a franchisee and the day that I forget what it felt like to be a franchisee is the day that I will leave this business. Our franchise owners are the lifeblood of what we do, and the reason we do what we do. They put everything they have into it — money, time, sweat equity and so much more. I am a “ground up” learner. My first franchise was Cookies By Design. It taught me how to make cookies, how to sell cookies and how to make money selling cookies, and that was a big thing. I was a Marine, and no one in my family ever had their own business or even been in business. I felt like I got my undergraduate degree in franchising when I was a franchisee, I earned my Master’s when I was on the franchisor side, and I got my doctorate when I joined Neighborly, helping it become the world’s largest home services company. I was blessed to have had 18 years at Neighborly — it’s a remarkable company. The only thing more amazing than the company is the people. It’s this great group of smart and passionate leaders, and I loved every minute of it. I learned at the heels of some great people like Mike Bidwell (the former CEO of Neighborly who passed away in 2023) and Dina Dwyer-Owens (Brand Ambassador of Neighborly). I thought Neighborly was going to be the last place I worked, but I also think it’s important for leaders to know and understand when it’s time for a changing of the guard. Change creates new ideas and new thoughts. When the opportunity to work with BNI arrived, I realized I still wanted to serve, and I had something to give. And what BNI needed is exactly what I had to give. I am most motivated by the opportunity to make a difference, especially after a good friend of mine told me it was time to move from success to significance. It really hit me, and I made the leap of faith that took me from Neighborly to BNI last summer.

Q: Your background in the U.S. Marine Corps is unique for a franchising leader. How has that military experience influenced your leadership style?

Mary Kennedy Thompson:  I always knew I would go into the military because my father served, and I grew up in a military family. I didn’t even know what civilians did! I chose the Marine Corps because I thought it was the hardest thing I could do, and I’ve often said I’d rather be the worst person on the best team than the best person on the worst team. I thought the Marine Corps would teach me things, and it certainly did. It taught me how to deal with pressure under fire (literally and figuratively). There I learned how to lead a group toward a common mission and what service to others looks like in action. It has helped me in everything I have done, in my time in franchising, especially when we lost our leader, Mike Bidwell. Being able to help hold our team together in the early days of our loss had been shaped earlier in my Marine Corps days when I had experienced stressful leadership experiences and learned how important grace under fire is for a team and its leaders.

Q: You were originally supposed to take over as chair last year. Tell us about how you were able to navigate that time and adapt to be there for Neighborly.

Mary Kennedy Thompson:  I was originally set to take over as chair last February, but had to push it a year to focus on helping Neighborly navigate our loss. God bless outgoing IFA Chair Steve Hockett who agreed to step up earlier than expected. IFA President and CEO Matt Haller and his team, along with successive IFA chair volunteer leaders, have put together a strong plan. And when you have a strong plan and a change arises, we can pivot more easily. Steve was supposed to come after me, but Neighborly needed me when we lost Mike, and it was my responsibility and honor to step in. Steve did an amazing job this past year and led IFA with a steady hand, wisdom, and grace.

Q: As the new IFA Board Chair, what are the key issues you plan to address in 2025, and how will you measure success?

Mary Kennedy Thompson: We’ve got a clear plan to execute our mission of protecting, enhancing, and promoting franchising. We will be leveraging our new branding to get smart stories out to not just lawmakers, but the broader public so they can best understand the true impact franchising makes in the U.S. and across the globe, as well as how it changes lives. It is our job to make sure they understand franchising is not big business — it’s small business done in a big way. The franchise community touches everyone: we’re Republicans and Democrats and Independents. We’re men and women. We are global and we are local. We are not just one thing. Something I have always loved about franchising is no one has ever cared about the color of my skin or my gender. They cared about whether I could create results and make something happen. I want to help us stay focused on the mission and tell our incredible story across all party lines.

Q: What have you found to be one of the most common misconceptions about franchising?

Mary Kennedy Thompson:  Many people don’t realize franchising is locally owned and operated. It’s a family that has decided to control its own destiny. Franchisees are there to take care of and serve their communities. Sometimes people think of major brands like McDonald’s or Marriott without realizing  franchisees in those markets are locally owned and operated. I was more successful in my entrepreneurial journey because I started as a franchisee. We need to tell these stories and correct misconceptions by telling our franchise story in a big way, which is exactly what is on the horizon at IFA.

Q: What trends do you see shaping the future of franchising?

Mary Kennedy Thompson: I am an optimist, so I see plenty of positive trends. One is that franchisors are thinking about the unit-level economics of their franchisees, and what we can do to help them. The conversations we are having now are much more franchisee-centric than they were 30 years ago. I see more and more senior leaders who started as franchisees and understand at the most important level this experience. I see more collaboration and ways that we can serve one another. I am very bullish on franchising, especially with younger generations like millennials who may be seeking entrepreneurial journeys but with a degree of safety around them — and that’s exactly what franchising offers.

Q: What does responsible franchising mean to you?

Mary Kennedy Thompson: I prefer the term “good franchising” because responsible franchising is nothing more than good franchising. The root of good franchising is understanding the best possible profile for our system and bringing it to life by matching the best people to the best places. As franchisors, we are there to coach our franchise owners and understand that a coaching relationship is different than a nursing relationship. Coaches help their teams and their members grow through consistent and direct coaching. Good franchising is about being brave enough to have tough conversations when things aren’t working. Good franchising is about making sure people are following the system so more customers want to use the brand. It’s about knowing the customer experience and putting that first. It’s about saying what we mean and meaning what we say and giving our franchisees what they need so they can be the best version of what they need to be.

Q: Do you have any policy goals for the year ahead?

Mary Kennedy Thompson: The changing administration in Washington is an opportunity for us to reach across all party lines. There is a shift happening in government right now, and this is the time to find common ground across all parties in how we grow jobs and serve our communities. I’m excited for the year ahead as we bring to life the franchise story in meaningful ways for policymakers across the country and on both sides of the political aisle. And I hope every IFA member will join us in this effort.

Fun Facts

• Following in the footsteps of her father, Mary started her career a logistics officer in the U.S. Marine Corps where she served from 1984 to 1993.
• She began down the franchising path as a multi-unit franchisee of Cookies By Design.
• She went on to serve as president of Mr. Rooter plumbing (earning her plumbing license during that time), ultimately being promoted to the parent company Neighborly as COO, helping grow it from six brands to 30.
• Mary also advocates for military spouses, emphasizing how franchising offers stability and a strong support network. She helps to empower veterans and their families to succeed while they navigate the unique challenges of military life.
• Last March, she testified on behalf of the IFA before the U.S. House Small Business Subcommittee on franchising oversight, investigations and regulations.