BAY AREA HOST COMMITTEE NAMES AWARD-WINNING SPORTS INDUSTRY VETERAN ZAILEEN JANMOHAMED AS CEO AND PRESIDENT

March 29, 2023

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – The Bay Area Host Committee today named Zaileen Janmohamed to the role of CEO and President. An award-winning sports industry veteran of 18 years, Janmohamed will be responsible for driving the Bay Area Host Committee's mission to pursue and secure global sports and live entertainment events for the cultural betterment and economic benefit of the Bay Area.  Effective immediately, Janmohamed will lead all preparations for the Bay Area and Levi’s® Stadium to host 2026 FIFA World Cup™ matches, including driving operational efficiencies and commercial opportunities. She will also oversee the Bay Area Host Committee's bids for other high-profile sporting events. Janmohamed will report to the Bay Area Host Committee Board of Directors, consisting of leaders from every major Bay Area sports franchise and other renowned cross-industry executives.

Most recently serving as Senior Vice President, Head of Commercial Development & Innovation for LA28, Janmohamed brings extensive experience preparing for events of this caliber. She has spent her career leading marketing and commercial strategies for major brands including VISA, Google, Intel and more.

"With an incredible foundation of hosting some of the sports industry's most dynamic events, I look forward to jumping in, engaging local stakeholders, including our leading corporate and private sector community, and getting the entire region excited for the many opportunities to come as part of the 2026 FIFA World Cup™,” said Janmohamed. “It is my goal to further this area’s reputation as one of the best sports markets in the country. That effort starts with the World Cup, and will continue as we look to bring additional events to the Bay Area in the years to come.”

“Through the consistency of the Bay Area Host Committee's recruitment and host efforts, our organization and our region are continually mindful of the significant role and power large-scale sporting events bring to a marketplace; and the robust capacity they have to draw the eyes, media, talent, and travelers of the world into a market,” said Al Guido, Bay Area Host Committee Board Member and President of the San Francisco 49ers. “To ensure we continue to attract and win major events capable of driving significant economic impact for our region, we undertook a comprehensive and competitive search to identify a leader whose experience, connections, standards, and aspirations in global sports properties and brands matched our own ambitions. I am extraordinarily proud and confident that Zaileen Janmohamed will represent the interests, capacity, and advantage of the Bay Area effectively across the global landscape of potential sporting and entertainment events.”

In June 2022, FIFA announced the selection of the San Francisco Bay Area as an official host community for the 2026 FIFA World Cup™, capping an intensive bid process led by the Bay Area Host Committee and supported by a collaborative assembly of regional community, business, and political leaders. The event is forecasted to sell more than two million tickets and drive significant economic impact for the Bay Area.

As the region’s only venue hosting matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup™, Levi’s Stadium stands as a world-class sports and entertainment venue boasting a modern and innovative fan experience, and a significant resource for Janmohamed. Entering its 10th year of operation, Levi’s Stadium and the Bay Area Host Committee have previously hosted renowned sporting events including Super Bowl 50, the 2019 College Football Playoff National Championship Game, the 2015 NHL Stadium Series, the 2016 Copa América Centenario, the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup and matches in five consecutive International Champions Cups.

Community members and fans interested in volunteering or involvement with the 2026 FIFA World Cup™ in the Bay Area may visit BayArea2026.com for more information. 

More About Zaileen Janmohamed

Zaileen Janmohamed is a longtime sports and entertainment industry veteran and passionate leader with a wealth of experience in brand, agency and property verticals of sports business. Most recently, Janmohamed was the Head of Commercial Development and Innovation at LA28, where she was responsible for identifying and actioning new initiatives and partnerships to monetize the 2028 Olympic & Paralympic Games in Los Angeles.  Grounded in deep relationships and strong collaboration with the IOC, IPC, USOPC, NBC, global corporate partners, regional government, commercial and community leaders, and more; Janmohamed advanced the business of the movement in Los Angeles, driving groundbreaking initiatives including launching the first NIL marketplace (Athlete Marketing Platform or AMP) for Olympic and Paralympic athletes.  

Prior to her time at LA28, Zaileen guided brands including Intel, Google, and VISA in sponsorship and experiential marketing opportunities as Senior Vice President and General Manager of GMR Marketing's San Francisco office. She also served as the Head of Olympics Management at VISA, Inc., where she was responsible for delivering VISA’s premier sports sponsorship on a global scale for Olympic Games including the Rio 2016 games.  While she began her career with Major League Soccer,  Janmohamed’s deep passion for the professional soccer industry and global football movement began well before her exposure to the MLS Headquarters in New York, during a critical period in the 10th year of the young League’s existence, that included exposure to the creation/formation/addition of two MLS franchises. 

Driven by the belief that diversity and inclusion are catalysts to fuse and maximize culture and business, Janmohamed expects this advocacy will be imperative within her role at the Bay Area Host Committee.

In 2016, Janmohamed was honored as a member of Sports Business Journal’s “Forty Under 40 Class” and Leaders in Sport’s globally acclaimed “Leaders Under 40.” She has been named by Adweek as one of their 2021 “Woman Trailblazers,” and was recently inducted into the Sponsorship Hall of Fame. Zaileen is also the Founder of the Women in Sport Business Program at the University of Massachusetts. 

Janmohamed received her Bachelor of Science from Simon Fraser University (Vancouver, Canada) and an MBA and Masters in Sport Management from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. A proud Canadian, Janmohamed lives in the Bay Area with her husband Arif, and two sons, Aydin and Ihsan. 

About the Bay Area Host Committee

The Bay Area Host Committee is led by President and CEO Zaileen Janmohamed, who reports to the Board of Directors consisting of leaders from the San Francisco 49ers, Golden State Warriors, San Francisco Giants, Oakland A’s, San Jose Earthquakes, and other cross-industry executives. With a spirit of innovation and some of the most passionate sports fans in the country, the Bay Area Host Committee aims to inspire a cultural movement that leaves a lasting legacy for future generations by hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup™. The organization is constantly striving to attract other major events that can foster deep culture and provide significant economic impact for the region. In recent years, the Bay Area has hosted world-class sporting events like Super Bowl 50, the College Football Playoff National Championship, the NHL Stadium Series, the CONCACAF Gold Cup Final, Copa America matches, and International Champions Cup matches.