DETROIT – The Detroit Lions have named Richard Haddad as the team’s next president and chief executive officer, the organization announced Wednesday.
Haddad, chief operating officer of Pistons Sports & Entertainment, will join the Lions in early September and assume oversight of both football and business operations.
He will work alongside principal owner and chair Sheila Ford Hamp and the team’s board of directors to guide the franchise’s future growth and oversee operations at Ford Field.
Haddad brings 14 years of experience with Pistons Sports & Entertainment, where he has overseen business operations, business affairs and development while supporting the Detroit Pistons’ basketball operations.
He also serves on the board of 313 Presents, helping shape strategy for several Detroit-area entertainment venues.
During his tenure with the Pistons, Haddad played a key role in the team’s move from Auburn Hills back to Detroit and the development of the Henry Ford Detroit Pistons Performance Center.
He also helped lead efforts to bring a WNBA franchise back to Detroit and develop a proposed headquarters and practice facility along the Detroit Riverfront.
A native of Adrian, Michigan, Haddad earned a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Michigan and a law degree from Columbia Law School.
He previously clerked for a federal judge in New York before practicing law with Proskauer Rose LLP, where he represented clients in sports, finance, media and entertainment.
Sports Business Journal recognized Haddad as one of its “40 Under 40” sports executives in 2022.
He serves on the boards of Midtown Detroit Inc., Cranbrook Academy of Art, Cranbrook Art Museum and the Children’s Foundation.
The Lions selected Haddad following a nationwide executive search led by a committee that included Hamp, Vice Chairman Bill Ford, outgoing President and CEO Rod Wood, senior football adviser Chris Spielman and Chief People and Inclusion Officer Lindsay Verstegen, with assistance from executive search firm Russell Reynolds.
Wood, who announced his retirement in February, will remain with the organization during the transition to assist Haddad as he assumes the role.
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