Andrew Hauptman

The Club was consistently recognized for its deep community engagement, including being awarded ESPN's 2019 Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year Award for their effort to make a difference in the community through P.L.A.Y.S, and being named the 2016 Beyond Sport Team of the Year, winning over other finalists FC Barcelona, Arsenal FC, the San Francisco Giants, and the Detroit Pistons. Mayor Rahm Emanuel praised the "key long-term investments" of the Fire and their ability to "drive tourism and bolster Chicago's future by encouraging our youth to engage in sports and spurring economic development across neighborhoods." He also highlighted the "culture of the Chicago Fire," saying "we're a better city because of what you do." Hauptman was inducted into the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame as Sports Advocate of the year in 2017.

According to Forbes, the deal to move the team to Bridgeview, IL which pre-dated Hauptman's purchase of the team, meant the Fire were "saddled with one of the worst stadium deals and restrictive leases in American pro sports." Hauptman led a complex and successful multi-year effort to leave Bridgeview and move the team to downtown Chicago and Soldier Field. In 2019, he brokered deals with the Village of Bridgeview to exit its lease early and closed a three-year deal with the City of Chicago to return to Chicago's Soldier Field, beginning in 2020.

In September 2019, Hauptman sold his controlling interest in the Fire to Joe Mansueto, founder of Morningstar, Inc., who had purchased a minority stake a year earlier. Mansueto's purchase valued the franchise at $400 million. Mansueto credits Hauptman for having "worked tirelessly to dramatically increase the profile of the Chicago Fire Soccer Club, MLS, and the game overall and... left a wonderful legacy for our City."

Hauptman serves as Director of the Bronfman Hauptman Foundation and Co-Founder of The Charles Bronfman Prize. He is on the board of the Yale University Council, the advisory board of The Los Angeles Coalition for the Economy and Jobs, and on the leadership council of International Medical Corps. Hauptman was on the advisory board of the Franklin Project at The Aspen Institute, which merged to create the Service Year Alliance. He remains an advisor to Service Year Alliance and in June 2019, signed on as a co-chair for their Serve America Together campaign, calling on 2020 presidential candidates to make national service a priority.

Per The Athletic, Hauptman's 12-year tenure as owner was a transformational one for the franchise and the league. Hauptman entered the league as one of 12 owners; the league has since expanded to include 30 teams. During this period, Hauptman sat on the League's Board of Governors and was an active member of MLS governance, holding positions on various league committees including the Expansion, Media, Competition, and Advisory Finance Committees. Under Hauptman, the Fire made extensive investments in the first team – regularly ranking in the top five in the league in salary outlay – as well as community programming and resources, working to build excitement for the sport from the ground up. During his tenure, the Fire constructed the $22 million CIBC Fire Pitch on the north side of Chicago serving 300,000 participants, launched the Chicago Fire Rec Soccer League (20,000 participants), grew the Chicago Fire Juniors program (from 400 to 16,000 players across six states), and formed the Chicago Fire Academy, which became a source for star players signed to the first team. Hauptman also expanded the Chicago Fire Foundation and created its award winning P.L.A.Y.S. (Participate Learn Achieve Youth Soccer) program. Chicago hosted the 2017 MLS All Star Game vs. Real Madrid and the 2011 Chicago Fire vs. Manchester United match, both record setting games at Soldier Field.

From 2007 to 2019, Hauptman was owner and chairman of Major League Soccer's Chicago Fire Soccer Club. In 2007, Andell purchased the Chicago Fire from billionaire Philip Anschutz's AEG for $35 million. Under Hauptman's ownership, the Club experienced dramatic growth, with the franchise value increasing more than ten-fold.

In 1998, he and his wife, Ellen Bronfman Hauptman, founded Andell Inc. (formerly known as Andell Holdings, LLC), a private investment firm based in Los Angeles. Andell manages assets that grew out of the Bronfman family's controlling position of The Seagram Co. Ltd. Andell's current activities include direct and indirect investments in public and private companies, real estate, and partnerships with investment managers. His former production company Andell Entertainment produced several feature films including "Millions" directed by Danny Boyle in 2004 and "State of Play" starring Russell Crowe in 2009.

Andrew Hauptman (born 1969) is an American businessman, co-founder of the investment firm Andell Inc..

Hauptman was born in 1969 to a Jewish family and raised in Smithtown, New York. His father was a pediatrician. He graduated with a B.A. from Yale University and an M.B.A. from Harvard University. He worked at Alex. Brown & Sons in New York City and later as an executive with Universal Studios in London focusing on the music and film entertainment groups.