Originally from Iran and with a French Baccalaureate in Science and a business and marketing BA Honours and MA from Hull University, with British Citizenship and fluency in two European and one Middle Eastern languages, Farrah Rose has been involved in international franchise management since 1984. As European Franchise Manager for Burger King she was responsible for appointing, developing and supporting franchisees throughout Europe.
In 1990 she moved to Arcadia Group- the 2nd largest British Fashion Retailer – as Senior International Development Controller where she prepared master franchise and licence offer packages for a number of brands including Dorothy Perkins, Principles, Evans, Top Shop, Top Man, Racing Green and Debenhams, and appointed franchise partners in Europe,Middle East and Japan, to bring the organisation to the second largest fashion franchise operator after Marks and Spencers in the UK.
Since leaving Arcadia Group in 1997, where her last role was International Home Shopping Development Director, she joined The Franchising Centre, formerly known as Howarth Franchising, as one of the firm’s founder members operating as a senior international franchise development consultant and shortly after was appointed to the Board as the International Development Director. In this role, Farrah has developed international franchise strategies, pre-drafted legal agreements and operations manuals, identified franchise partner profiles and prepared training programmes and support packages for a number of well-known service, manufacturing and retail brands such as: Unilever, Penna PLC, Soccer Scene, Blooming Marvellous, Whittard of Chelsea, Nestle, Butlers Chocolate, Max Brenner café, Café Jubilee, MFI, Debenhams and House of Fraser Department stores and many more. She has also worked with business-to-business and service franchises such as Boston Clinics, Sollatek, Adbikes, Carewatch Care Services, Energy Fitness, Speedflex, Kids Sports, Hoogoven Aluminium Building Systems and Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, Lingfield College.
Farrah has also imported franchise businesses from one market to another bypassing the UK, worked with Royal families of several Middle Eastern Countries to promote franchising in the Middle East. She has a tremendous in-depth knowledge of adapting systems to suit local franchise markets.
Farrah is a key international franchise figure, enjoying the elite status of affiliate membership of British Franchise Association and was given the Qualified Franchise Practitioner (Q.F.P) title on merit, she continues to be invited to contribute to a number of seminars on International Franchising in the UK, Europe and the US. She has advised politicians and civil servants on the use of international franchising to encourage private business development sectors in Middle East, Guernsey and Malta.
In 2008 Farrah’s three decades’ contribution to international franchise development was recognised by receiving the prestigious invitation to be one of the four judges to assess and select ‘the best British Franchisor and Franchisee of 2008’ for their awards. In 2016 the BFA/ HSBC Best Franchisor of the year award was granted to Farrah’s longstanding client – Water Babies International.
In February 2020 Farrah Rose received the prestigious Global Franchise ‘Life Time Achievement and Contribution to International Franchising’ Award in recognition of her professionalism and skills and expertise in this arena.
Farrah was recently named amongst the top 10 most powerful women in franchising by Business Women Females in Franchising magazine. Farrah was named amongst the top 15 most influential female experts in international franchising and she has been approved as technical consultant to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, offering international franchising and licensing advice to SMEs and Stake Holders in Kosovo, Moldova, Mongolia and Egypt.
Farrah regularly co-authors series of articles on the subject for Franchise World, the UK’s leading franchise news magazine, and has a regular slot putting each franchise country in the world under the spot light with Global Franchise Magazine with 70,000 high net worth readership. She is regularly asked to speak at high profile and key Franchise Conferences and Conventions and seminars and exhibitions around the World such as IFA Convention, the London Franchise Show, BFA accredited International Franchise Conferences in London, VMG Franchise Exhibition, IFA Symposium, FASA Conference, and runs numerous International Franchise Seminars to train stake holders and SME/PLC companies in franchising in conjunction with high profile international legal Firms, she has trained several international trade advisors from UK Trade and Investment and over 40 representatives of commercial offices of the British Embassies from around the Globe.
Farrah was chosen as the advisor to the Minister of Employment and Commerce in Guernsey advising local professional service providers on promotion of the island to international companies looking to establish their international Head Quarters on the Island. She runs frequent seminars for local tax and legal and financial advisors as well as local politicians.
Against fierce global competition, Farrah has also been selected as the Franchise and License Advisor to the Commonwealth Secretariat assisting the Commonwealth to promote and set up the correct structure for development of franchising in Malta.
Farrah is also one of the Founder members and Board Directors of Franchise Pool International – a network of international franchise consultants and brokers with representatives from 46 international countries – she manages a further associate network in 30+ countries making a total of 77 Associates in 103 Countries around the World.