Meet IFA’s New Chief Revenue Officer, Jennifer Brandeen

By Robert Cresanti, IFA President and CEO

I am thrilled to introduce to you IFA’s new Chief Revenue Officer, Jennifer Brandeen. We have a big year ahead of us, and our association has a new addition that is set to make 2020, and the years to come, some of the best IFA has ever had. 

Jennifer, tell us a little about yourself.

Jennifer: Growing up, the military was my home. I have four sisters and my dad was a career service Army Intelligence Officer and spent over 20 years in the Army, retiring as a full Colonel. He went to the Citadel, spent two years in Vietnam as a Green Beret and Army Ranger, and then established his career in military intelligence and we traveled the globe. I settled in the D.C. area after college, never anticipating this would become my home. Yet, I have lived in Annapolis for 15 years, making it the longest place I have ever lived.

Can you share some of your professional background?

Jennifer: I am extremely proud of my career as a whole, which started with financing 100 percent of my undergraduate and graduate school education and now requires balancing work and raising children. Each step in my career has come opportunistically, sometimes serendipitously, including this new role at IFA. My path has led me to roles at Kaplan Inc., starting in college, Walt Disney World, Georgetown University (where I also went to graduate school full time), Lehman Brothers, PWC, Deutsche Bank, Signal Hill Capital (now DCS Advisory) and finally Sylvan Learning. I have been in diverse roles from sales and marketing, to finance, investment banking, consulting, operations, business development and strategy, and have worked with or been involved in businesses at every stage of development, from start up to global organizations. I have also been actively involved in giving back with women’s mentoring programs. I created mentorship and training programs, including the Women’s Alliance and Networking at Deutsche Bank, their summer associate mentorship program and did business advising at TU Incubator for start-up companies looking for capital.

You have been active in franchising, can you tell us about your time at Sylvan?

Jennifer: At Sylvan, I headed up strategy and business development and was involved in growth driving initiatives including new verticals and product development. My most recent focus was on creating a new business and distribution channel alongside an incredible team. From vision, to strategy to execution. The business included the creation of an entire digital ecosystem of products and services for the customer, a new distribution channel, an omni-channel marketing strategy that challenged the team to think differently. We launched one year later and saw exponential growth, proving key business economics to drive down costs, improve profitability and increase customer value.

What do you like to do in your free time?

Jennifer: Spending quality time with my children is at the top — I have three kids and doing things we love is number one. Staying balanced in my life is also important — I love fitness, cooking and reading. I have recently re-energized my love of piano starting up lessons after almost 20 years! I also love to travel. From the beaches of the Caribbean, across the U.S. to much of Europe and Asia, I have been lucky enough to visit some incredible places in the world. 

What can members expect your role responsibilities to be?

Jennifer: First off, I just want to say how honored and excited I am to be IFA’s new CRO. This association has an amazing foundation that can go nowhere but up. My role will be centered around business operations and growth driving activities of the IFA. I am adamant about listening to our members and hearing what they have to say. I am eager to support and evolve the day to day business structure and operations of IFA. This should translate into an even better member experience, including their engagement with membership, advertising and conferences. Members can expect help from me in all areas, and an enhanced value proposition from the association. 

I want the IFA to be the go-to resource for members of the franchise community. IFA won’t just be relevant — it will be essential for franchise companies regardless of where they are in the business lifecycle. I want our value and engagement to be so clear to those who touch franchising, that membership in IFA is a must.

What are your goals for IFA?

Jennifer: My goal is to drive growth by creating meaningful engagement for our members and shaping new value through products and services that are impactful for franchisors, franchisees and suppliers. 

The IFA is already a dynamic association, but we can make it even better. I want to help members feel connected and empower them with tools and resources unique to franchising. IFA will meet them where they are in their company lifecycle and partner to find solutions to their franchise business challenges. 

What else can members expect? Establishing processes and technology systems to support our members with data driven solutions to aid in basic day to day business will be an important focus early on. Ultimately, the growth of the organization will come from refining our member benefits, products and services, adding tangible benefits that impact franchise businesses as they solve day to day business challenges. 

How do you see IFA changing within the upcoming years, and how do you anticipate creating this change? 

Jennifer: The IFA will change from a mix of forces. A few are the micro and macroeconomic forces that invite an organization to re-evaluate its priorities, their way of doing business, of reaching its customers and the value they are providing. Our members have more choice than ever to find solutions. For profit companies are stepping in to provide value where associations traditionally have played and our competitive landscape today is really our members’ priorities, share of wallet, resources, time and businesses who can deliver on the value and solutions they need. 

I will be heavily focused on protecting and promoting franchising beyond the traditional IFA model.  We will review our existing strategy and articulate one that incorporates enhanced member value across the organization, creating best in class engagement with new products and services. Using technology to better reach our members and prospective members, automating processes and providing robust online capabilities are a few of the things in store. At the same time, we will keep a longer-term view, protecting the industry through our government relations program, a core underpinning and frankly, table stakes for IFA member value. 

What do you want for the members and employees of  this association?

Jennifer: I want the members to understand the why of what IFA does and how it translates to their everyday lives. And I want our employees to feel empowered. I want IFA members to feel their investment is valued, and they are getting the benefits of their membership in a tangible way.

All in all, I want the IFA — members and employees — to feel like a community where everyone is contributing to the greater good of franchising and each of our brands. 

What is one word that describes you best? 

Jennifer: Resilient. I survived a near death experience and temporary paralysis after my third child was born, and overcame the medical odds of death or, if I survived, of ever resuming normal life again. I not only survived, but have thrived and finally accomplished my goal of completing a half marathon last year (10 years later). I think part of my resilience and perseverance comes from having been brought up in the military and moving every few years of my early life. I learned early not only to embrace change, but to welcome it, to be flexible and adaptable, and to know that whatever change or adversity comes my way in life, I will be able to handle it.

Robert: Jennifer described IFA’s path well — there is truly nowhere but up. IFA is ready to shine a spotlight bigger than ever before on the values, resources and exclusive offers we have for our members, and that starts with having dedicated people in place to make it happen.