John Ovens

Persistence, Professionalism, and People are three words that John Ovens could use to describe a career that has enjoyed a tremendous amount of success all over the globe. John’s experiences range from grass roots initiatives or sitting in a boardroom negotiating a corporate merger. John’s experience provides him with the ability to do what he does best, and that is assist entrepreneurs in executing their professional dreams.

 

Although John’s career started in Finance, after joining Kimberly Clark it became apparent quickly that he had a passion for management and marketing.  John was recruited by Uniroyal Tires in merchandising management to assist in their corporate owned and franchised stores.  John was then quickly enlisted by Automotive Products Group PLC as Northern Regional Manager then General Manager locating and building their network in the United Kingdom to over 50 stores.  John was offered a role as Marketing Director for startup Bodyshield-Skyport developing and executing their franchise network. The business was successfully scaled and sold. John completed his time in the automotive industry with market leader GKN Autoparts (GKN PLC) as their Marketing Director. One of Johns assignments was to successfully launch a franchise network in The United Kingdom and Europe. 

 

John’s success was noticed by an Australian transportation company that managed its business in a very entrepreneurial manner. TNT Express Worldwide has operations in more than 200 countries. Relying on Franchisees, Licensees and small business owners to help develop their brand, John was given an assignment to develop a franchise network within Great Britain.  205 franchisees later, John was promoted to General Manager for the Middle East Region developing and managing Owned, Franchises & Licenses operations in one of the most challenging areas on the planet.  John culminated his career with TNT growing the company’s operation from $34MM in the US to more than $250MM in annual revenue in the Americas as Regional CEO for the Americas.

 

John was approached by a Venture Capital organization who wanted him to lead a regional transportation start-up based in San Francisco.  At the time, the company was not meeting their expectations.  Under John’s leadership as President and CEO, the business grew at an average of 55% per annum and consistently exceeded profitability expectations.  Through relationships with vendors and licensees the business expanded its footprint from one state in the west to six states with an international division to facilitate global expansion. This assignment was completed in just four years.

 

In 2001, John led a team that acquired a specialized transportation company that operated in one vertical within the United States.  Leading the ownership team as Chairman and CEO, John worked quickly to develop a licensee network that expanded the business operations to more than 20 states, with representation in all 50 states.  As the company integrated more verticals into its service offering, the company expanded globally to more than 150 countries.  The company also operated 30 aircraft providing expedited services in the Southwest region of the United States.  These efforts resulted in the business size quadrupling in just six years.

 

 

With over 13 years of Franchise Consulting experience, John has helped many individuals realize the American dream of business ownership. John’s strength is building relationships with clients by earning their trust, listening, recommending Franchises for their review, in a relaxed and easy manner, “This is not about me, the goal is to help my clients find the right business”.

 

John was born in the United Kingdom. He is the proud Father of three sons. John enjoys spending time with extended family and has a passion for auto racing and flying.  He is a pilot with single and multi-engine ratings (over 30 years) and is a Captain/Mission Pilot/Squadron Commander, United States Air Force Auxiliary (Voluntary). John Holds a Business Degree from the University of London. John can be reached at john@johnovensfranchisespecialist.com

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Evonne Ledbetter

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Evonne joined John Ovens’ team in 2022. She has over twenty years of experience working with clients, public relations, sales, and business development. Evonne works with our clients to help them determine a franchise business strategy and investments that meet personal criteria. Evonne previously worked with HeadSouth and established a fitness franchise business in the North Atlanta area. She also worked with companies in Georgia and Virginia, managing Public Relations, Site Management, and as a Corporate Office Manager. Our clients enjoy working with Evonne! Evonne can be reached at evonnel@johnovensfranchisespecialist.com.