Larisa Walega, CFE, serves as Chief Growth Officer at Ziebart International Corporation, the global leader in automotive appearance and protection services and one of the few franchise brands worldwide to surpass 65 years in franchising. As Chief Growth Officer, she leads franchise development, marketing, customer experience, and strategic growth initiatives that strengthen brand awareness, accelerate franchise expansion, and drive long-term system success. She partners across the executive team to develop enterprise growth strategies while leveraging customer insights, technology, research, and data to create exceptional experiences for franchise owners and consumers alike. A respected voice in franchising, Larisa serves on the International Franchise Association (IFA) Board of Directors and recently completed a successful two-year term as Chair of the IFA Women's Franchise Committee, where she helped expand leadership development opportunities and elevate the role of women across the franchise community. She currently chairs the IFA Franchisor Forum Marketing Task Force and serves on the Franchisor Forum Advisory Board, helping shape thought leadership and educational programming for franchise executives. Throughout her career, Larisa has been recognized for her ability to connect brand strategy with franchisee success, champion customer-centric growth, and build collaborative, high-performing teams. She is a Certified Franchise Executive (CFE) and a frequent keynote speaker, moderator, podcast guest, and contributor on topics including franchise growth, leadership, customer experience, brand strategy, and women in business. Her leadership and industry impact have earned numerous national recognitions, including: Social Geek 2026 Franchise Thought Leadership Award recipient 1851 Franchise Top Franchise Marketing Leader 1851 Franchise Top 100 Influencer in Franchising Global Franchise 50 Era Defining Women to Watch Entrepreneur Top 50 CMO Gamechanger Passionate about helping entrepreneurs succeed, Larisa believes sustainable franchise growth happens when brands invest equally in their people, their culture, and their customer experience. Franchise growth starts with people and how they think. The Leverage Your Mindset for Franchise Growth Podcast features candid conversations with respected and influential leaders across the franchise industry who understand that sustainable growth requires more than strong systems. It requires investing in people. Each high-impact episode delivers practical insights on leadership, culture, resilience, accountability, and the mindset that drives long-term success. Real leaders. Real experience. Powerful ideas you can put into action. -- Hosted by Ricky Kalmon is a mindset expert, motivational speaker, and author of the Leverage Your Mindset book series. For more than three decades, he has worked with franchise organizations, business leaders, global companies, professional athletes, and sports teams to strengthen resilience, embrace change, build stronger cultures, and drive sustainable growth. His newest release, Leverage Your Mindset for Franchise Growth, is now available on Amazon. RickyKalmon.com
