15 Female Franchise Leaders Share Their Journey To The Top

For nearly a decade now, we’ve celebrated women in franchising leadership positions. And in those years we’ve featured women founders, CEOs, CMOs, CDOs, CIOs, and many others who have shared the stories of their upward trajectory in the world of franchising. It’s always inspiring—and a privilege—to hear their stories, and is something our team looks forward to publishing each year.

This year we look at women in franchising through the lens of being “bold” in their journey to the C-suite. How did they become who they are today? Who were their mentors? What was their unique path to achieving their business and personal goals? What “bold” moves did they make, and how did they deal with pushback? How did their choices affect not only their career paths and brands, but also their personal lives? Did they inspire others along the way to make their own bold moves? How?

Discover their stories in the following pages. Each is candid about where she’s been: her challenges, failures, successes, core values, and more. Many now have become mentors and models for other women with similar goals and aspirations. And, of course, there’s much more in the telling. We hope you enjoy their “up close and personal” responses to our questions. Perhaps you will be inspired to be bold in your own journey, wherever it may take you!