Boston Sports, Entertainment & Retail

Sam Kennedy is entering his 18th season with the club and his third as President and Chief Executive Officer. In addition to his role with the Red Sox, Kennedy also acts as Chief Executive of Fenway Sports Management, a sports marketing and sales agency that is a sister company to the Red Sox under the Fenway Sports Group family. A native of Brookline, MA, who grew up within walking distance of Fenway Park, Kennedy, 45, joined the Red Sox in 2002 after 6 years working for the San Diego Padres from 1996 - 2001. Since joining the Red Sox, Kennedy has played a key role in the dramatic growth of the Red Sox brand. Recalling the days that he was able to come into the ballpark on his dad’s clergy pass, Kennedy’s particular focus the past few years has been on encouraging kids to come to the ballpark to experience Fenway Park through the creation of a “Kids Only” Gate K and a free ticket for all kids that sign up for Red Sox Kid Nation. Outside of the 81 days a year of baseball, Kennedy has also been instrumental in the transformation of Fenway Park into a year round venue, including concerts, hockey, soccer, football and even a “Big Air” skiing and snowboarding competition requiring construction of a 150 foot high ramp from centerfield to home plate. In 2004, Kennedy helped create Fenway Sports Management and has overseen its growth from that of a start-up to a world class sports marketing agency with an international roster of clients that includes not only sister companies the Red Sox, LFC, NESN and Roush Fenway Racing, but also partnerships with Boston College, Major League Baseball Advanced Media, the Dell Technologies Championship, and a landmark marketing partnership with NBA superstar Lebron James. Kennedy has received many recognitions during his time with the Red Sox, including Boston Business Journal’s 40 under 40 Award and his induction into the Sports Business Journal’s 40 under 40 Hall of Fame which includes multiple time recipients of the honor. This national honor placed him in the company of the most influential and creative young professionals in the business of sports. Kennedy is active in the community and serves on the MLB International Committee and MLB Ticketing Committee as well as the BIDMC Trustee/Advisory Board and Marketing Committee; the Trinity College Board of Fellows; Winsor School Board of Trustees; Dana-Farber’s Visiting Committee for Institute Initiatives; The BASE’s Advisory Committee; and Camp Harbor View Board of Directors. A former captain of the baseball team at Brookline High with friend and classmate Theo Epstein, Kennedy graduated from Trinity College (CT) in 1995. Kennedy and his wife of 20 years, Amanda, reside in the Boston area with their 15-year-old son, Jimmy, and 13-year-old daughter, Ally.

Rich Gotham is in his 14th season with the 17-time world Champion Boston Celtics and his ninth season as team President. In this role, he is responsible for all aspects of the Celtics business operations including sales, marketing, customer service, corporate partnerships, business development, game entertainment, community engagement, communications and public relations, broadcast partnerships, arena relations, and real estate matters. In addition, he works closely with Celtics ownership, basketball operations staff, and the NBA on basketball related matters, as well as team and league initiatives. He succeeds Arnold “Red” Auerbach as Celtics team President, and serves on the NBA Board of Governors. Prior to being named Team President, Rich served as the team’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. Since joining the Celtics in 2003, Rich has been recognized for leading the team to new heights off the court. Under his leadership the team has established new records for attendance, ticket sales, sponsorship, merchandise revenue, and television ratings, contributing to the team’s first NBA Championship in twenty-two years in 2008, as well as five division titles, three Eastern Conference Finals, and two NBA Finals appearances. In addition, he led negotiations for the construction and naming rights for a new state of the art practice facility in partnership with New Balance, as well as a long term lease extension with the TD Garden. Rich also negotiated a long-term media rights and equity partnership with Comcast SportsNet, one of the largest such deals in NBA league history. The Celtics are widely recognized as thought leaders in the business of sports and the team’s business achievements during Rich’s tenure have been chronicled by The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Harvard Business Review, Investors’ Business Daily, Bloomberg, Reuters, CNBC, and Fox Business News. During the 2008-2009 season the Celtics were recognized as the top franchise in all of professional sports by The Sports Business Journal. With over 12 million social media followers, the Celtics have pioneered sports digital marketing and fan engagement, aggregating the second largest digital following in all of North American Sports. Under Rich’s guidance, the Celtics have significantly increased their efforts to help children in need throughout New England and their programs have been recognized by The White House and US Department of Education. With over 200 events and 140 player appearances annually, the Celtics lead the NBA in community engagement with initiatives that impact over 20,000 children each year. In addition, Rich is very active in multiple charitable and fundraising initiatives on behalf of the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation, for which he is a board member. Rich joined the Celtics after a fifteen year career in the tech industry, including five years with the global internet media company, Lycos, where he served as Vice President of Sales and Business Development and was responsible for generating revenues in excess of $300 million annually. While at Lycos, he was part of a senior-management team that exceeded Wall Street analyst expectations for revenue and profitability growth for nineteen (19) consecutive quarters and played an integral role in helping to grow the Lycos Network into the most visited web site on the Internet in 2001. In addition, he sat on the Board of Directors for the Internet Advertising Bureau participating in the creation of multiple new internet advertising standards that are still in place today. In addition to his duties with the Celtics, Rich currently serves as a board member for The Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, The Make-A-Wish Foundation, and the Board of Trustees at Providence College, his alma mater. Rich currently resides in Medfield, MA along with his wife, Kara, and their three children.

Jim Nolan is Chief Operating Officer for the Kraft Sports Group, whose properties include the three-time Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots, Major League Soccer’s New England Revolution and Gillette Stadium. He oversees the daily business operations of each department in the organization and is actively involved in all stages of the organization’s decision making. Under his leadership, the Kraft Sports Group has evolved into a more efficient and productive operation. Nolan joined the Kraft Sports Group in 1996 as the Financial Controller for the National Football League’s New England Patriots, Major League Soccer’s New England Revolution and Foxboro Stadium. In 2003, he was named Vice President of Operations for Gillette Stadium, overseeing the stadium’s operating departments, including food and beverage, parking, security, ticketing, site operations, field crew and quality control. In 2010, he was named Senior Vice President of Finance, Administration and Operations combining his finance, operations and business background in his new role. In 2017, he assumed his current role. Before joining the Kraft Sports Group, Nolan was an auditor and CPA for the international accounting firm of Ernst and Young and is a graduate of the College of the Holy Cross.

Jenny Johnson is a three-time Emmy® Award-winning executive producer and TV and radio personality on NESN’s Dining Playbook alongside longtime co-host Billy Costa. Johnson and Costa also host the weekly podcast “Food for Thought on WBZ radio. Jenny also serves as a host of Comcast Newsmakers in Greater Boston and New Hampshire. Johnson has played a TV reporter in films shot in Greater Boston “The Equalizer” and “Bleed for This,” Johnson is involved with numerous charitable organizations. She is an advocate and for the Pan-Mass Challenge, MGH Cancer Center and Childhood allergies mainly Allergy Release Technique. She is a board member of the Massachusetts Restaurant Association and an Advisory Board member for Camp Harborview. As a member of numerous nonprofits, Johnson has raised millions of dollars serving as an auctioneer and emcee. When she’s not working she enjoys spending time with her husband, two daughters, family and friends.

As President, Jim Halliday is responsible for the overall strategic direction of the Company. In leading the Senior Management Team, Jim is responsible for coordinating the efforts of all aspects and functions of the Company. In sharing functional responsibilities with the other members of the Senior Management Team, Jim has primary responsibility for the leasing, property management, and financing efforts of the portfolio. Jim and the NB Development Team are currently working on executing the collaborative vision of New Balance and the community of Allston Brighton to transform Boston Landing into an exciting new and lively new mixed use district comprised of innovation, health & wellness, living and 18-hour/7-Days retail & restaurants activity, as reflected in its anchor tenancies of New Balance, Boston Bruins, and Boston Celtics. Prior to this role, Jim served as the Real Estate Controller for the Company, where he was responsible for the financial reporting and lender & banking relationships for the Company, its property holdings, and its development projects. Jim has over 30 years of real estate experience, including Vice-President of Company Operations & Controller for Winstanley Enterprises, and as a Senior Asset Manager with Spaulding & Slye Investments, Great Point Investors, and Liberty Real Estate Group. Jim also held financial reporting related positions with Liberty Real Estate Group, The Beacon Companies, and Boston Properties. Jim obtained his MBA from Suffolk University and his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Northeastern University. Jim is a licensed Massachusetts Real Estate Broker. Jim was a varsity competitive swimmer while at Northeastern University. Jim is also passionate about skiing and is a PSIA certified Ski Instructor, where you can find him on the Cranmore Mountain slopes in North Conway, during the winters. Jim also serves as an Ambassador for Parlor Skis, a New England based custom fit ski-maker based in East Boston.

Adam Davis is a managing director on the Wells Fargo’s Retail Finance Division marketing team. Based in Boston, he is responsible for originating asset-based transactions for retail industry clients across North America, including traditional brick & mortar and direct-to-consumer businesses. Adam has been covering consumer and retail companies for over 20 years. He joined the Retail Finance Division of Wells Fargo in 2005 and as senior relationship manager, he has worked closely with key clients and on numerous transactions including new business underwritings, refinancings, up-tiering targeted relationships, and restructurings. In 2013, Adam transitioned to the marketing team to support and expand Wells Fargo’s national retail coverage in the U.S. as well as Canada. Adam was awarded the Commercial Finance Association’s 40 Under 40 in 2018. Adam earned his B.S. in finance and marketing from Boston College.

Michael (Mike) O’Brien began his career with Gilbane in 1993 after graduating from Boston University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He has since served in many positions at Gilbane, including project engineer, project manager, senior project executive, and operations manager. Mike currently serves as Senior Vice President and Business Unit Leader for Massachusetts. In this role, he has overall profit and loss responsibility for Gilbane’s MA business which covers all of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine. Gilbane’s MA business will do over $600m of in-place construction work in 2022. Under Mike’s leadership, the Massachusetts office has grown to historic heights, achieving unprecedented revenue. Mike has been involved with the oversight of many of Gilbane’s signature projects in the Commonwealth including the recently completed Polar Park in Worcester, the TD Garden Expansion project, multiple off-season renovations to Fenway Park as well as the soon to be completed MGM Music Hall at Fenway Park.