Sam Kennedy

Sam Kennedy is President and CEO of the Boston Red Sox. Sam became President of the Boston Red Sox on October 16, 2015, succeeding President/CEO emeritus Larry Lucchino. As President, Kennedy has oversight over the club and its operations. In addition to his Red Sox role, Kennedy is also President of Fenway Sports Management (FSM).

A native of Brookline, Massachusetts, who grew up within walking distance of Fenway Park, Kennedy joined the Red Sox as Vice President of Corporate Partnerships in 2002. He was among the first wave of executives the current ownership group brought to Boston from the San Diego Padres, where Kennedy had worked the previous six years. Kennedy immediately distinguished himself, playing a key role in the revitalization of the Red Sox brand and the dramatic growth of the team’s financial base through the creation of new revenue streams. Kennedy was also intimately involved in the preservation and transformation of Fenway Park and the transformation of the ballpark experience.

Prior to assuming the role of club President, Kennedy served as Executive Vice President/Chief Operating Officer from September 2009 to October 2015. While in that post, he oversaw the team’s general business matters including ticketing (sales, operations and service), corporate sponsorship, broadcasting, marketing, social media, advertising, Fenway Enterprises (non-baseball activities at Fenway Park), and all client services.

One of Kennedy’s proudest accomplishments is the wide range of fans that have experienced Fenway Park’s unique charm due to the expansion of entertainment offerings at the ballpark including concerts, ice hockey games, and soccer matches featuring the iconic Liverpool Football Club. The 2015 Winter Season at Fenway Park epitomized the possibilities for the 104 year old ballpark. The “off-season” started in November when Fenway Park played host to the “Shamrock Series,” a college football game between the University of Notre Dame and Boston College and culminated in February with “Big Air,” a ski and snowboarding spectacle featuring a 140-foot ramp that loomed high above the ballpark’s light towers. In between those events, the Winter Season featured four traditional Thanksgiving High School Football games and brought the Irish sport of hurling to Fenway for the first time in over 60 years.

In 2004, Kennedy helped create Fenway Sports Management, formerly Fenway Sports Group, which has emerged as one of the most well respected international sports sales and representation agencies. FSM is one of the portfolio of companies owned by Fenway Sports Group, which includes the Boston Red Sox, Liverpool Football Club (LFC), an 80% stake in the New England Sports Network (NESN) and 50% of Roush Fenway Racing (RFR). As FSM’s President, Kennedy oversees all aspects of the operations featuring a client roster that includes the Red Sox, LFC, NESN, RFR, Boston College, Major League Baseball Advanced Media, the Deutsche Bank Championship, and NBA superstar LeBron James.

Kennedy, who was classmates at Brookline High School with former Red Sox General Manager and current Chicago Cubs President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein, began his career in baseball in 1993, when he was an intern in the ticket department of the New York Yankees. In 1996, he was hired by his mentor, Larry Lucchino, at the San Diego Padres. As the Padres Executive Director/Corporate Partnerships and Broadcasting, he tripled sponsorship revenues in a six-year span. Kennedy also played an integral role in securing financing and developing the sales and marketing strategy for Petco Park, the Padres’ downtown ballpark.

In October 2007, Kennedy was named one of the Boston Business Journal’s 40 under 40 Award recipients, which recognizes 40 of Boston’s best and brightest young professionals. In 2008, 2010, and 2013, Kennedy was selected as one of Sports Business Journal’s Forty under 40 Award recipients and inducted into the publication’s Hall of Fame. This national honor placed him in the company of the most influential and creative young professionals in the business of sports.

A former captain of the baseball team at Brookline High School and member of the ice hockey team, Kennedy graduated from Trinity College (CT) in 1995. Kennedy currently serves on the board of the Wellesley Youth Hockey Association, The Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, and Camp Harbor View. Kennedy also has served as a volunteer hockey coach.

Kennedy and his wife, Amanda, reside in Wellesley, Massachusetts, with their son, Jimmy, and daughter, Ally.