Ruth Brown

Moving our franchises forward

Ruth has worked in franchising throughout her career and joined Home Instead in 2010. She was appointed as the UK company’s Chief Operating Officer in 2022.

Like many at National Office and across Home Instead’s network of over 250 offices, Ruth has first hand experience of juggling family and business life with care responsibilities. She brings this insight to her work and understands the needs to be able to offer support to family members when they reach their ‘stuck moment’ – the time in their care journey when they don’t know where to turn.

At the time she joined Home Instead Ruth was the primary carer for her grandma.  Fast forward to today and she is caring for her parents – primarily her Mum who is in the late stages of vascular dementia.  She truly understands and knows the pressures of having her own family, a career and looking after parents.

Ruth often says that her early experience of the social care system with her grandma was not good at all. As such she says its surprising that she ever accepted the interview offered by Home Instead!

But when she heard of their relationship-led, companionship-based approach to care; she knew this was a business that she wished to help flourish for the benefit of families like hers.

As well as advocating for the needs of family carers and ensuring families know that ‘home’ is a choice when it comes to care, Ruth is passionate about ethical franchising and the sector’s ability to transform people’s lives.

Ruth sits on the board of the British Franchise Association (bfa) and is a passionate spokesperson on all things franchise. She holds the Qualified Franchise Professional (QFP) qualification.

During her time at Home Instead Ruth has been involved in over 300 individual franchisees joining the company. A high proportion of these are women, with her providing encouragement for women-led franchise partnerships such as mother & daughter, aunt & niece, sisters, as well as women setting out on their own.

Such has been her influence in the sector that she was named the EWiF (Encouraging Women into Franchising) Ambassador of the Year in 2023.

Ruth gives much of her own time to bring together and encourage fellow franchisors. She has been instrumental in setting up a Franchisor Peer Group. This group meets regularly to share knowledge, advice and best practice.

She is also a regular speaker at franchise and care events.

Ruth is proud to have played a significant role in the development of the ‘Life after Home Instead’ initiative. This is a unique programme run by an external coach which helps franchisees plan their exit and life beyond Home Instead. The programme also includes working with the office team so that the change is managed well for all parties.

Always keen to embody Home Instead’s mission of ‘expanding the world’s capacity to care’, Ruth was a trustee of Home Instead’s charitable arm, Home Instead Charities UK, for many years. She personally raised significant sums, most notably when she ran the London Landmarks Half Marathon.

Ruth also volunteers with the charity, Re-engage which supports older people to make new friends. She hosts regular tea parties for a group of seniors at her home.