Mary Kennedy Thompson Named as Incoming CEO of
BNI;
Graham Weihmiller Steps Up to Executive Chairman & Chairman
CHARLOTTE, N.C., May 8, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- Today, BNI, the largest global business network of
its kind in the world, announced it has hired Mary Kennedy Thompson to lead BNI and its
affiliates (CorporateConnections® and Scion Social) as
CEO effective July 8th,
2024.
"I'm honored to be stepping into the CEO
role of this impressive and impactful organization."
Thompson, most recently Chief Operating Officer (COO) at
Neighborly®, brings an impressive 30 years of successful
experience in franchising, supporting business owners, global
expansion & development, and compassionate, effective
leadership. As COO at Neighborly, the world's largest home services
company with 30 brands and 5,500 franchises in 6 countries,
Thompson oversaw its ongoing business operations and successfully
led the execution of key organizational strategies.
Thompson is thrilled to be stepping in to lead BNI as its
5th CEO in its 40-year history at a time when the
organization continues to set new records. In the last year alone,
BNI's 320,000+ Members generated over $23
billion USD in revenue from over 15.7 million valuable new
client referrals. This vibrant activity creates significant
economic development and job creation in thousands of communities
worldwide.
And BNI is just getting started. Over the past decade, BNI has
doubled its membership (from 160,000 Members to more than 320,000),
increased the size of its corporate team by ten times, and
pioneered world-class technology & product innovation. On
July 8th, Weihmiller will
step up to become BNI's Executive Chairman, and will continue to
serve as Chairman of the organization focusing on strategic
initiatives that provide transformative opportunities for BNI
Members and Directors worldwide.
"I've known Mary for more than 10 years. She's such a terrific
leader, so aligned with BNI's Core Values, and so exceptionally
experienced in supporting entrepreneurs and business owners. She
also brings a global life experience to BNI," shares Graham Weihmiller, BNI's Chairman &
CEO. "This is an incredible opportunity for BNI. And the
future is bright for BNI Members and Directors worldwide."
Of her new appointment, Thompson said, "I'm thrilled to join the
BNI team. I've known of BNI for 29 years and have long encouraged
business owners through the years to join BNI Chapters for the
value it brings to its Members. I was actually a BNI Member back in
1995 when I was a franchise owner, so this is a full circle moment
for me. I've gotten to know BNI even better through this process,
and I'm excited to learn even more as I build relationships with
leaders throughout the organization. I'm honored to be stepping
into the CEO role of this impressive and impactful organization,
and I look forward to what we can accomplish together."
About BNI®
BNI (Business Network International) is the world's largest and
most successful business networking organization. Today, BNI has
over 320,000+ Member-businesses participating in over 11,000+ BNI
Chapters that meet in-person, online, or in a hybrid format each
week in 76 countries around the globe. Since inception in 1985, BNI
has proudly helped over 2 million businesses garner over
$190 billion USD in
revenue1. To learn more about BNI and how you can visit
a Chapter, go to www.bni.com. BNI's philosophy is centered on
Givers Gain® and BNI's motto is Changing the Way the World Does
Business®. To learn more about how BNI works, watch this short
video here.
If you are interested in learning how you can visit a BNI
Chapter for free, please reach out to our Support Team at
(800)-825-8286 (USA) or
support@bni.com (internationally).
1. This information is based on internal BNI research that
includes historical BNI Member self-reported data as of
January 3, 2024, and represents
collective results from February 1985
to December 2023. This has been
collated from historical legacy system pre-2011, and from BNI
Connect from 2011 onwards. Errors in the self-reporting of
data or in subsequent analysis are possible. Therefore, the
information herein should only be viewed as representative in
nature.
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SOURCE BNI