Paraag Marathe is in his 24th year with the 49ers, currently serving as both President of 49ers Enterprises & Executive Vice President of Football Operations.
On the football side, Marathe continues in his long-respected role as the team's chief contract negotiator and salary cap architect while overseeing the team's football analytics department, among other football duties. He is responsible for the 49ers compliance with the NFL's collective bargaining agreement and works alongside General Manager John Lynch and head Coach Kyle Shanahan on all aspects of the club's football operations. Marathe also co-chairs the NFL's Future of Football Committee.
Marathe has played an integral role in rebuilding the 49ers current roster, negotiating contract extensions in recent years with a number of key players who were originally brought to the team through the draft, via trade or free agency. These include DL Arik Armstead, Pro Bowlers DL Javon Hargrave, FB Kyle Juszczyk, TE George Kittle, WR Deebo Samuel, LB Fred Warner and T Trent Williams, along with others. Over the years, Marathe has also consistently kept the club in a competitive salary cap position.
While serving as 49ers team President from 2014-16 and Chief Operating Officer from 2010-13, Marathe oversaw the development of Levi's Stadium and helped bring to life the vision of an unparalleled fan experience at the venue. Using the Bay Area as inspiration, the club focused on bringing technology, sustainability, and culture to the stadium experience. His leadership was critical during the club's transition from Candlestick Park to Levi's Stadium, as he set the vision and hired many of the current executive team members. He also played a critical role on the small team that founded and incubated VenueNext, a technology company that is setting new standards for the live event experience.
Marathe also serves as President of 49ers Enterprises, for which he leads the group's strategic investment in the Leeds United Football Club, along with other sports business ventures. As of July 2023, 49ers Enterprises became the 100% owner of the storied English soccer team, with Marathe at the helm as the Club's Chairman. Over their five years as minority owners, Marathe and 49ers Enterprises have long been committed to the Club's success. Currently competing in the English Championship, Marathe is overseeing all aspects of the Club, including sporting and business operations, and drives the strategy to fight for promotion back to the Premier League in the 2023-2024 season. Additionally, he is a trustee board member of NFL Foundation UK, helping expand access to American football across the UK.
Marathe previously served as the Chairman of USA Cricket and during that time, ensured USA Cricket earned recognition by the International Cricket Council (ICC) as the organization's 105th member and worked to develop a world-class T20 professional cricket league in the United States.
Leveraging his deep experience working at nearly every level in both the operations and commercial functions of a sports organization, Marathe brings a unique perspective to his work. In recognition of his industry-leading reputation, in 2015, he was selected as a member of the Sports Business Journal's Forty Under 40 class. Marathe is also a two-time recipient (2012 & 2019) of the Fritz Pollard Alliance's Johnnie L. Cochran Salute to Excellence Award, which honors individuals and organizations who display outstanding performances on the field, in front offices, and across the United States by exemplifying diversity, courage and meritorious performance.
Beyond the 49ers, Marathe is actively involved in the Bay Area community with organizations and causes that are personally important to him. He currently sits on the Board of Directors for The Body Positive, Andrea's Voice and Project HEAL, two nonprofits that are focused on bringing awareness and funding, respectively, for fighting eating disorders. He serves on the Board of the Sequoia Hospital Foundation, where both of his daughters were born. Marathe is a faculty member at Stanford's Graduate School of Business, where he is a Lecturer in Management and co-teaches MBA courses on Negotiation Dynamics in Sports, Entertainment and Media.
A native of Saratoga, CA, Marathe's passion for the 49ers was instilled at a very young age. As an avid Bay Area sports fan, he has rarely missed any 49ers games since he was six years old. Marathe's Bay Area roots run deep, having received his bachelor's degree with high honors from the Haas School of Business at the University of California-Berkeley and his MBA from Stanford University's Graduate School of Business.
Marathe, his wife, Jennifer, and two daughters, Juniper and Maren, live in Los Altos, CA.
