Neighborly selects new CEO

Neighborly, which bills itself as the world’s largest home services company, selected Mike Davis to become its new chief executive officer (CEO), beginning July 8. Jon Shell, who has served as interim CEO since September 2023, will return his previous role, chief financial officer.

Mike Davis

“Mike is a highly successful CEO with a phenomenal track record of success across various industries, including significantly growing franchise businesses,” David Brandon, executive chairman of the board of directors, said. “Mike brings an aligned strategic vision and commitment to innovation, making him the ideal leader to build on the incredible achievements and growth Neighborly has experienced.”

In his career, Davis focused on growth, driven by product or service enhancements, pricing strategies, marketing excellence and customer service. Most recently, he served as the CEO of Mathnasium Learning Centers since 2022. Under Davis’ leadership, the company advanced its mission of educating and empowering franchise owners while experiencing record-setting key performance indicators (KPIs) across same-center growth, systemwide sales and lead generation. The company expanded the network across three new countries. Prior to working with Mathnasium, Davis was the CEO of Valpak, a franchised network and direct mail and digital marketing leader, where he aided in revamping their business model, driving significant growth.

“Working closely with the board and the leadership team, Mike will refine, enhance, and execute the company’s existing strategy and roadmap, with a commitment to expanding the footprint of Neighborly’s service brands and driving awareness to strengthen its presence in key markets,” Felix Gernburd, Neighborly board member and partner at KKR, said. “He is the right leader to help guide the execution of key enterprise initiatives and the digital transformation in progress aimed to elevate Neighborly as a trusted provider to customers and an attractive investment for prospective franchise owners.”

Davis has over two decades of leadership experience, including 13 years with Universal Music Group (UMG), where he was executive vice president and general manager. He led a highly successful division that outperformed most other divisions within UMG for four consecutive years. Davis’s leadership has spanned companies across diverse fields, including multi-unit franchising, B2B, B2C, eCommerce, direct-to-consumer, third-party logistics, digital platforms and media.

“Neighborly has established itself as a trailblazer in franchising with some of the most respected and leading home services brands in the industry,” Davis said. “The company has been served by outstanding leaders, most recently with Jon Shell, and prior to that with the late Mike Bidwell. I look forward to joining this great organization and building on the meaningful impact they have made.”