Ken Walker
Raised on a dairy farm in Texas before launching a business career that took him across the globe, Ken brings a broad perspective to the board table. Among these diverse experiences, Ken has a deep operating history in both the automotive aftermarket services industry and with the franchising business model – two areas of particular interest to Halifax. Ken served as CEO and Chairman of Meineke Car Care (Fund II investment), which he directed to become a major part of Driven Brands, the world’s largest collection of auto aftermarket services businesses. During his tenure with Driven Brands, Ken grew system revenue from $350MM to $920MM across brands such as Meineke, Maaco Auto Painting, Econo Lube N Tune, Aero Colours, Auto Qual, Drive N Style and Tortal.net. He has served as the Chairman of the International Franchise Association and continues today as an active member of leadership. Ken also served as the Chairman of the Automotive Warehouse Distributor’s Association and as Vice Chairman of the Auto Car Care Association.
Ken has helped Halifax corral strong results as a board member of Caring Brands International (fka Interim Healthcare, Fund III investment), where he helped to re-imagine the business as the leading global franchisor of home care. Most recently, Ken served as Non-Executive Chairman of Pirtek (Fund III investment), where his insights helped drive impactful changes to the franchising model. Ken and his wife reside in North Carolina, and are the proud parents of four kids and joy-filled grandparents of ten grandchildren.