
Al Guido
President
Biography
In his role as President of the San Francisco 49ers, Al Guido is responsible for all strategic initiatives and business operations for the five-time Super Bowl-winning NFL franchise and its award-winning management of Levi's Stadium. Guido concurrently serves as Chairman and CEO of Elevate Sports Ventures, a best-in-class consulting firm that provides innovative solutions to organizations across the global sports and entertainment landscape. More than 20 years leading NFL, NHL, and NBA franchises and award-winning industry consultancies have established Guido as one of the industry's leading operators. Driven by his signature mission to foster innovation with responsibility, the two-time Sports Business Journal (SBJ) Forty Under 40 honoree remains dedicated to leveraging the platform and brand power of sports and entertainment to generate positive impact across the globe.
In his role as President of the San Francisco 49ers, Al Guido is responsible for all strategic initiatives and business operations for the five-time Super Bowl-winning NFL franchise and its award-winning management of Levi's Stadium. Guido concurrently serves as Chairman and CEO of Elevate Sports Ventures, a best-in-class consulting firm that provides innovative solutions to organizations across the global sports and entertainment landscape. More than 20 years leading NFL, NHL, and NBA franchises and award-winning industry consultancies have established Guido as one of the industry's leading operators. Driven by his signature mission to foster innovation with responsibility, the two-time Sports Business Journal (SBJ) Forty Under 40 honoree remains dedicated to leveraging the platform and brand power of sports and entertainment to generate positive impact across the globe.
Named to his current position on February 15, 2016, Guido is in his seventh year as team President after serving as Chief Operating Officer from 2014-16. Under his leadership, Levi's Stadium has established itself as a preeminent entertainment venue, hosting the 2019 College Football Playoff National Championship Game, the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup, the 2016 Copa America Centenario, Super Bowl 50, WrestleMania 31, the 2015 NHL Stadium Series, sold-out concert world tours including Beyonce, Coldplay, and the Rolling Stones, international soccer matches, college football, and much more. His 49ers management team have continued to attract the world's biggest events to Santa Clara, most recently securing hosting rights for FIFA World CupTM 2026 while also contending to host a future Super Bowl and the Men's Rugby World Cup in 2031.
During his tenure, the storied franchise has garnered global praise for business initiatives steeped in technology, analytics, and innovation, as well as for its corporate culture and community outreach. The organization has been recognized among the Best Places to Work in the Bay Area by the Bay Area News Group for eight years running and was named ESPN's 2017 Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year. Notably, the 49ers front office has recorded franchise records for sales and renewals of season ticket memberships, suite and premium seating memberships, and corporate partnerships during that time. Levi's Stadium, among the most-booked outdoor NFL stadiums since opening in 2014, was designed, constructed, and completed on time and under budget under Guido's supervision, and boasts an impressive collection of industry awards, earning recognition for architectural greatness as 2015 Sports Venue of the Year from SBJ's Sports Business Awards and the StadiumBusiness Awards.
Innovation and technology, inspired by Guido's dedication to operational detail and fan experience at Levi's Stadium, has likewise garnered industry acclaim for Levi's Stadium. Most recently, the venue became the first in sports history to include food and beverage in the cost of season tickets stadium-wide while the Executive Huddle powered by SAP earned international recognition as the most innovative venue technology from the 2019 Leaders Sports Awards and 2020 StadiumBusiness Awards. That approach also garnered best-in-class recognition from the 2015 White House Smart Cities Initiative, 2016 Depart of Homeland Security's SAFETY Act Designation, and the 2019 NCS4 Stadium Security Award. Leveraging technology with sustainability, Levi's Stadium also generated notoriety for its green efforts, most notably being the first NFL stadium to twice earn LEED Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. For its green innovation and implementation, Levi's Stadium was named the Environmental Stadium of the Year by the Green Sports Alliance in 2016 and the StadiumBusiness Awards in 2017.
Guido's supervision of Levi's Stadium, and its extraordinary operational and revenue success, came after five years as a senior leader at sports agency, Legends, where he established his preeminence in the field of sports venue, brand, and team consulting. A founding member of Legends, he spearheaded major stadium development and sales projects such as the 49ers and Levi's Stadium while playing a critical role in the agency's initial international growth. Guido maintained his passion for consulting on transformative projects around the world and in 2018 – fueled by demand in the sports and live event industry for a truly connected, results-driven, and innovative agency – he aligned the interests and ambitions of the 49ers and partners Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, Live Nation | Ticketmaster, and Oak View Group to found Elevate.
Under Guido's leadership, and within four years of launch, Elevate has amassed an active client roster of more than 175 sports teams, brands, venues, events and properties from among the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, MLS, NWSL, professional US and international football, professional tennis, MMA, motorsports and horse racing, college athletics and more. A finalist for SBJ's Best In Consulting Award the last three years, Elevate taps into the extensive resources, relationships, and expertise of its partners to innovate and execute comprehensive strategies and solutions in Venue Renovations, Sales and Marketing, Stadium Licenses, Premium Ticketing, Corporate Hospitality, Customer Research, Strategy and Analytics, Sales Training, and more. In addition to providing best-in-class sales and marketing services since launching in 2018, Elevate leverages data-based analysis to identify new revenue opportunities while bringing innovative ideas to market.
Guido was recognized in 2016 on the Forty Under 40 lists of both SBJ and San Francisco Business Times for demonstrating industry excellence and innovation in his position. In 2018, Guido was included among the top 40 international sports leaders under 40 by the Leaders Sports Awards and named to SBJ's list of "Power Players: Ticketing" in 2018. His ongoing impact in sports was again celebrated by SBJ in 2019 with selection to their Forty Under 40 list and he was named 2021 Sports Executive of the Year against an international field by the StadiumBusiness Awards.
Guido's innovation and inspiring management style have earned him a place at the podium at some of the largest industry conferences in the world, delivering keynotes at events including Leaders in Sport, SBJ's World Congress of Sport, the IEG Pivot Conference, the World Football Summit, Venues Now, and Bloomberg Power Players. Guido's unique perspective on the sports and entertainment ecosystem and use of pioneering sports business technology have made him a recurring guest on Bloomberg, CNBC, FOX Business Network, and other global broadcast networks.
Before coming to the 49ers, Guido led efforts for the Dallas Cowboys to open AT&T Stadium, breaking industry records for PSL sales totaling over $600 million. Additionally, Guido served in senior leadership roles with the NHL's Phoenix Coyotes. During his term, the Coyotes achieved the first revenue increases of the first 10 years of the franchise and finished in the top five in the NHL for new business sales. He began his career in sports and entertainment with Comcast-Spectacor, then-owner and operator of the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers, NHL's Philadelphia Flyers, AHL's Philadelphia Phantoms, Comcast SportsNet, and the Wachovia Complex.
A Board Member of City Year San Jose/Silicon Valley, a contributor to the Navy Seal Foundation, Board Member of the Coach K/Fuqua School of Business, and serving on the Advisory Board at the San Jose State Institute for Study of Sport, Society & Social Change, and the Advisory Council at the Positive Coaching Alliance, Guido received his bachelor of business administration from the College of New Jersey, where he played wide receiver for the school's football program.
A native of Washington Township, NJ, Guido and his wife, Thea, have three daughters, Estella, Sloane, and Tatum and reside in Los Gatos, CA with their dog Rocky.