Fernando López de Castilla Elías, CFE, Founding Partner, GNF Worldwide
Fernando López de Castilla Elías was born in Peru, to parents of Spanish and German descent. He grew up in Lima, but also had the chance to live in Florida and New York, and studied in Texas and Massachusetts. All of these various experiences came together in a melting pot of cultures that provided him with a unique perspective of the world. This perspective provided him with a vision where he believed that all things could be made possible. He says that “this is what franchising is all about: reinventing, reaching new frontiers beyond the cultural differences and making possible the impossible.”
To help him see the full franchising vision, 42-year-old Fernando has relied on mentors, both personally and professionally. He counts his father, who passed away years ago, as a mentor, as well as his lawyer, who he looks upon as a second father. And, as he says, “I’ve had the privilege to talk to industry giants who have allowed me to see, from another perspective, the path before me. Those who came from the franchising industry, as well as those who didn’t, have taught me how to overcome the fear of failing, as well as how to create and take advantage of opportunities. “Opportunity. It’s a great word! Cliché? Not for me. An opportunity can change it all, not only the present and the future, but also the past.”
When asked about the impact of diversity in GNF Worldwide, Fernando says, “Diversity is the rule in our workplace, not the exception. It’s not a challenge to have diverse voices represented, but to have them heard.” In their six corporate offices, GNF Worldwide has team members from all over the world. This includes nearly 75% of their team represented by women, and that has been an ongoing goal. One of their corporate tenets is to ‘challenge the status quo.’ “It’s important to remember where we’ve come from. I am not going to say that the road has been easy, but it has been worth it and today it is these women who are reinventing a system that dates not from the creation of franchising, but from ancient China, and Medieval Europe.”
These are systems that Fernando wants to change and sees that change within the International Franchise Association (IFA) as well as in his own company. “One only needs to walk down a corridor at any IFA event to realize that the association stands not only for the most successful business expansion system in history, but as an ecosystem capable of creating equality, respect and harmony around an idea, a hope, a dream. Because the American dream was not created based on cement and steel but based on franchising. Thus, today the American dream lives throughout the world, showing us the importance of dreaming and daring to take on the challenge.”
When he went to his first IFA Convention, together with Sandra, his partner and wife, he said, “I arrived knowing no one, but I left feeling as a part of the pack. My advice to minorities, wherever their origin, is not to be afraid. The worst that can always happen is that someone tell us “no”. And believe me, if you do what you must do, those same people who out of ego or fear, said “no”, will look for you, probably to ask you something. The world is like a Chicago ferris wheel, as my grandfather used to say, and it goes around many times, and what defines us is what we do and stop doing when we are on top.
Specifically, said Fernando, “being Hispanic has allowed me not only to interact with other members of the community, wherever their origin, but to build quality relationships with people of diverse cultural backgrounds. Beyond this, our culture is one of open arms. Being from a high-context culture allows you to create ties that go beyond business, and this is precisely the best way to do business. Franchising, for example, is based on trust. This you might say, is the “secret sauce” of the system. We have based our organization around this fundamental value, which generates wealth and well-being.”
To help build trust, GNF Worldwide “believes that the most important thing so that DEI does not remain as a simple ideal or corporate sales pitch, is to think globally and promote a global mindset. His advice to other entrepreneurs is: “Those who are comfortable watching from the ivory tower, get down! Roll up your sleeves, wear out your soles, answer all the cold messages that come to you on LinkedIn, give a smile to those who have lost it, because the world is spinning.”
What’s next for Fernando? His firm has recently launched a ‘franchise accelerator, Formula X, for franchise startups seeking social impact and aspiring to change the world.’ How can he change the world? One step at a time. For him, it’s important that he bring in diverse voices: “I insist that the role of women in GNF Worldwide, as well as that of the voice of people from many cultures around the world is imperative. In today’s environment, the man who does not consider woman as equal, as well as those who believe that someone with different color skin, will not be able to add value, not only goes against the progress of humanity, but also threatens the very survival of franchising as a system and as an ideal. In this sense, personally, I never make a decision that affects us as a corporation without first having a woman from our team and the most junior collaborator give me their perspectives. This is the glue that holds us together and the gasoline that makes no goal seem too far away. Franchising must evolve and if not now, when? If not us, who? “