Meet Our CEO
Mary Kennedy Thompson
Chief Executive Officer
With more than 30 years in franchising, Mary Kennedy Thompson has led businesses and franchise of all sizes. She has extensive experience in global expansion, high growth organizations, integrations and leadership.
Prior to starting at BNI® in 2024, Mary served as Chief Operating Officer at Neighborly®, the world’s largest home services company, where she worked since 2006. Mary’s tenure at Neighborly included roles as President of Mr. Rooter®, their largest brand. Read more...
Mary’s career began as a multi-unit franchise owner at Cookies by Design, where she excelled in market penetration and sales, eventually becoming the brand’s President at the corporate headquarters after successfully selling her locations. While a multi-unit franchisee, she joined BNI as a Member in 1994.
Mary served eight years in the U.S. Marine Corps as a Logistics Officer. She has received numerous accolades, including the IFA’s William Rosenberg Foundation Leadership Award, The Bonny Levine Award, and the Crystal Compass award. Mary is a Certified Franchise Executive (CFE) and the immediate past Chair for the International Franchise Association.
Mary’s passion for helping business owners aligns with BNI’s mission to support its Members and franchisees, marking her appointment as CEO as a transformational opportunity for BNI®.
Executive Leadership Team
Our Executive Leadership Team leads and executes BNI's vision. These are passionate individuals who help craft the plan to grow BNI.
Andrew Bender
Chief Financial Officer
Elitsa Bryant
Associate General Counsel
Dave Collins
Chief Operating Officer
Tim Cook
Sr. Director of Product Management
Cindy Foultz
VP, People Success
Rob Gorecki
VP, Product Development
Heather McLeod
Chief Marketing Officer
Stephen Schwartz
Chief Technology Officer
Claire Sherman
VP, Communications & Events
Michael Walchonski
Chief Development Officer
Global Leadership Team
Our Global Leadership Team is a group of people dedicated to Changing the Way the World Does Business®. This is the team that shapes the future and drives BNI's mission.
Dr. Ivan Misner
Founder and Chief Visionary Officer
Graham Weihmiller
Chairman & Executive Chairman
Mary Kennedy Thompson
Chief Executive Officer
Senior Leadership Team
Our Senior Leadership Team helps drive our global impact and key initiatives, supporting our BNI Directors and Members around the world and ensuring a positive BNI experience.
Agustina Cánepa
Director of LATAM Operations
Nancy Deva Priya
Director of Operations, APAC
Sean Fernandes
Managing Director, Scion Social
Pedro Ferraz
SVP of Global Technology
Paul Hutcherson
Sr. Director of Global Technology
Thomas Locke
Director of Global Financial Strategy
Brooks McClary
Sr. Director of Sales Performance
Dr. Steven Renz
Global Director of Learning and Development
Todd Rimer
Global Director, Talent Acquisition
Bethany Rippy
Sr. Manager of Global Communications
Meena Srinivasan
Chief Digital Officer
Sam Upton
Global Controller
Harmony Widman
Vice President of Global Integrations
Joseph Ho
President of Asia Pacific
William D. Reno
President, Franchise Operations
The Senators
One of BNI’s Strategic Advisory Groups, the Senators are an elite group of long-standing, tenured BNI leaders whose passion, experience and expertise help drive the organization forward.
Andy Hart
Ireland
Gilly Lawson
UK
Marc-William Attie
France
Norm Dominguez
USA
Niri Patel
UK
