Authority Brands Names Jay Caiafa CEO

Authority Brands, a franchise industry leader with an extensive portfolio of leading home service brands, appointed Jay Caiafa as CEO, succeeding Craig Donaldson, who has decided to step down after three years leading the company and serving seven years on its board of directors.

Caiafa is an experienced executive and brings more than two decades of leadership in franchising, hospitality, law, and strategy consulting. Most recently, he served as chief operating officer for the Americas at InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), where he led vision, strategy, and execution for all operations throughout the Americas. His responsibilities spanned 4,600 hotels in 26 countries, representing the majority of the group’s global revenue and profit. During his more than 10 years at IHG, he helped the business deliver record growth, drove innovation through data and artificial intelligence, and spearheaded transformations that improved operational efficiency.

Caiafa will join the business as CEO on Aug. 18 with Donaldson remaining with the company for a short transition period to ensure a smooth transfer of responsibilities.

“I am delighted that a talented executive of Jay’s caliber is succeeding me as CEO of Authority Brands,” Donaldson said. “He brings deep operational expertise, a strong commercial instinct and a proven ability to lead at scale, and I look forward to watching what the business does under his leadership.”

“Authority Brands has demonstrated impressive growth in recent years, posting record numbers in 2024 and adding 210 new franchise owners to the ranks of its 15 outstanding home-services brands,” Caiafa said. “With systemwide sales over $2 billion, I am thrilled to be joining Authority Brands at such an exciting time for the business. I look forward to working with the team, franchisees and our partners to build on these strong foundations to unlock future growth.”

Ashish Karandikar, partner at Apax Partners and a member of the company’s board of directors, said: “Jay is a seasoned operator with a track record of leading scaled businesses. His background gives him a rare breadth of perspective, and his experience at IHG makes him well placed to lead Authority Brands through its next phase of growth. We are grateful to Craig for his leadership of the business and wish him all the best for the future.”

Based in Columbia, Maryland, Authority Brands’ companies include leading home service franchise brands like America’s Swimming Pool Co., Benjamin Franklin Plumbing, The Cleaning Authority, DoodyCalls, DRYmedic Restoration Services, Homewatch CareGivers, The Junkluggers, Lawn Squad, Mister Sparky, Monster Tree Service, Mosquito Squad, One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning, Screenmobile, and Woofie’s. Together, these brands provide home services through more than 2,000 territories operated by more than 1,000 franchise owners.