I have spent many years in franchising, and it had always been a given that male leaders dominated this sector as they do so many others. However, it’s becoming abundantly clear that a record number of women are not only leading franchise brands but are instilling in their companies a fabric of values-based decision making that is driving collective success for franchising overall. The evidence was on display and openly discussed at the Women’s Leadership Conference during IFA 2017.
Gabby Wong 
Chief Executive Officer
Gabby Wong is a seasoned operator with nearly 30 years of experience in positioning private equity-backed software and SaaS businesses for high-growth. She has deep experience in all aspects of growing technology businesses, including M&A, corporate strategy, product innovation, customer success, marketing and sales. Gabby has held successive leadership roles within FranConnect, joining first in 2016 as EVP of Operations and took the helm as CEO in 2018. Over the last six years, under her leadership, FranConnect’s revenue has grown by 5X and continues to lead the market in providing best-in-class sales, operations, and marketing solutions for franchise and multi-location businesses. After completing three acquisitions in four years, FranConnect has over 300 employees globally across US, Canada, India, and Australia, and serves over 1500 brands and 1 million locations worldwide. Gabby has been named an EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award Mid-Atlantic Finalist in 2022 and 2023. Prior to FranConnect, Gabby held executive leadership positions with worldwide operating roles at Primavera Systems (now Oracle), Trusted Computer Solutions (now EverFox/ForcePoint), Vovici (now Verint Systems), and Clarabridge (now Qualtrics).