Sherry McNeil

Sherry McNeil is an experienced corporate and not-for-profit executive with more than 25 years of experience helping everyday Canadians realize the dream of owning their own business through the power of franchising. As a female in a traditionally male-dominated industry, Ms. McNeil is a champion for diversity, equity, and inclusion in corporate boardrooms and is regularly ranked among the 100 Most Influential Women in Franchising in the world. She is a fierce advocate for gender equity in the franchise industry, which has seen a 37% increase in the number of female franchisees over the last decade.

Throughout her corporate career, Ms. McNeil has worked with a wide range of franchise systems, from new and emerging concepts to iconic Canadian franchise brands like Dairy Queen, Boston Pizza, Little Caesars, and YUM Brands, in both consultant and executive leadership roles.

As President and Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Franchise Association (CFA), Ms. McNeil is responsible for managing the association, leading its staff, and providing strategic advice to the Board of Directors. In this role, she has gained extensive experience in fiscal management, membership development, advocacy and government relations, issues management, and strategic planning. Ms.McNeil also has extensive experience with member-driven not-for-profits, engaging with the CFA’s almost 600 corporate members, representing over 40,000 franchisees (small business owners) from coast to coast to coast.

Ms. McNeil currently serves as the Vice-Secretariat for Communications on the Executive leadership team of the World Franchise Council, a global organization of international franchise associations.