Woody Johnson and Jonathan Tisch, co-chairmen of the New York/New Jersey 2014 Super Bowl Host Committee, today announced that Alfred F. Kelly Jr., former president of the American Express Company, will serve as the committee's chief executive officer.
In his new role, Kelly, 52, will oversee preparations for history's first open-air, cold-weather Super Bowl, to be played at New Meadowlands Stadium in February 2014. The Super Bowl will bring unprecedented community and economic benefits to the region, with an economic impact expected to exceed $550 million.
"Having led one of the most successful Fortune 500 companies, Al is a great choice to lead our host committee and drive this effort forward energetically and efficiently," said Johnson, the Jets' chairman and CEO. "We believe we have secured one of the best minds in the business world to guide us as we set out on this historic endeavor. With Al at the helm, we are thrilled with this strong start to the years of planning and implementation that are ahead."
"Al's professional career to date can best be mapped by marking one success after another," said Tisch, co-chairman of Loews Corporation and treasurer of the Giants. "At American Express, he set effective, strategic objectives, drove operating excellence, and assembled focused teams that produced top-quality results, helping to mold the company into the innovative marketing and customer service powerhouse that it is today. Al's winning record proves that he possesses the strategic ability, insight and fortitude to help us bring the world's greatest game onto its biggest stage."
During his tenure as president of the American Express Company, Kelly led day-to-day global operations for the American Express consumer businesses, including consumer cards, small business cards, customer service, global banking, prepaid products, travel operations and information management. Under his leadership, the company and its consumer marketing efforts, customer service, and small business relationships thrived.
"This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and instantly struck a personal chord with me," said Kelly. "As a lifelong resident of the region and an ardent football fan, I am eager to leverage my skill and experience in marketing and customer service, two of the hallmarks of American Express's success, to drive this landmark effort forward. In the coming weeks and months ahead, my priority will remain to lay the groundwork for an event that will offer the best possible experience for all involved. I have been thoroughly impressed by both the vision and passion displayed by Woody and Jonathan, and I'm honored to be part of a team that will undoubtedly be known for its enthusiasm, creativity, determination and success."
Kelly first joined American Express in 1987 in the strategic planning department, rose to vice president of technologies in 1988, and held a series of increasingly senior positions in planning, marketing operations and marketing, including executive vice president of U.S. card marketing. Throughout his final 12 years at the company, he also managed the global risk management function and the end-to-end customer experience.
Before joining American Express, Kelly held senior positions in government and private industry. A leader in information systems and technology, he was head of information systems at the White House from 1985-87, where he led the information processing functions for eight of the agencies that constitute the executive office of the President. From 1981-85 he held a series of positions at PepsiCo in information systems and strategic and financial planning.
Kelly is a member of the board of directors of MetLife Inc. and serves on the board of trustees of New York-Presbyterian Hospital and the board of directors of the Affinion Group. Additionally, he is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and is deeply involved with a varied array of charitable endeavors. He is on the board of directors of St. Joseph's Seminary and College, the New York Catholic Foundation, and School of the Holy Child, and for the past 22 years has served as a chairman of the Wall Street Charity Golf Classic, a major fundraising event for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
The original New Jersey/New York bid was summarized by the tagline "Make Some History" and conceived a Super Bowl experience unlike any other, one that will incorporate an array of stadium and region-specific benefits, including the facility's state-of-the-art technological advancements and the vast entertainment and business offerings of the area.
Acknowledging that the bid would be an opportunity to celebrate the New Meadowlands Stadium and the great heritage and history of the NFL in the New York and New Jersey region, an NFL committee approved the application to bid despite the traditional requirement that Super Bowl host regions have a minimum temperature of 50 degrees or a climate-controlled indoor stadium.
The host committee is chaired by Johnson and Tisch. The search was expertly conducted by Turnkey Search, a subsidiary of Turnkey Sports & Entertainment, the leading executive recruiting firm in sports, media and entertainment.
About the 2014 Super Bowl
In an unprecedented decision by NFL team owners, the New Jersey/New York region on May 25, 2010, was awarded the 2014 Super Bowl. The region will provide visiting fans an unparalleled Super Bowl experience, complete with a multitude of exceptional venues, landmark destinations and sightseeing and shopping opportunities. The area offers 40 Broadway theatres, 60 off-Broadway theatres, more than 100 museums and nearly 1,700 public parks, as well as more than 18,000 restaurant choices and 275 world-class hotels with 100,000 hotel rooms, suitable for a wide range of tastes and budgets.
New Meadowlands Stadium is the only stadium to serve as the home to two NFL teams, the New York Jets and New York Giants. As such, it is able to provide equal "homefield advantage" to both competing teams, with two of everything — including locker rooms, training rooms, hometeam coaches booths, and premium in-game medical treatment facilities, as well as two full-practice training facilities, the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center and the Giants' Timex Performance Center.
