The 49ers promote team president Al Guido to role of chief executive officer

SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco 49ers team president Al Guido is being promoted to chief executive officer of the franchise.

The 49ers announced the move on Monday at the start of the week that the team is hosting its second Super Bowl. Team owner Jed York had also previously served as the team’s CEO before Guido took over.

York will still remain heavily involved as owner of the team with Guido, general manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan all reporting directly to York.

“It doesn’t really change much,” Guido said. “I would say my role has evolved with how the business has evolved. I sort of look at it into three parts. The first part of my role was helping get Levi’s up and running and and operationalized. Then the second was to figure out the building, make sure that we continue to be at the forefront of things that we need to do within the National Football League and host world-class events. Then the third now is as the business of the 49ers evolves well past the 49ers to continue to manage those things.”

Guido had been promoted to team president 10 years ago after serving as chief operating office for the Niners from 2014-16. Guido has been heavily involved in bringing major events to the team’s home at Levi’s Stadium.

The venue hosted the College Football Playoff championship in January 2019 and will become the first stadium to host the Super Bowl and the World Cup in the same year.

“Al has been an exceptional leader for this organization for more than a decade,” York said. “His vision, partnership and steady leadership have positioned the 49ers for success today and well into the future. The evolution of his role reflects how essential he has been to this organization and our confidence about what’s ahead.”

Guido also serves as chairman and CEO of Elevate, a full-service consulting firm supporting high-performing organizations in sports and beyond.

Guido addressed a few other issues regarding the 49ers, saying he expects the team to give up one of its nine home games next season to play an international game with Mexico City and London the top options.

“Not only do we have global marketing rights in Mexico and the UK but we’ve also played there,” Guido said. “So for us, the familiarity plus the fact that we believe we have a large fan base based off all the data that we’re seeing that you can venture to guess that both of those would be favorable for us.”

Guido said he is also leading the organization's efforts to investigate whether an electrical substation next to the team's practice facility contributes to the team's high injury rate.

Some players have expressed concern and Lynch said the team will look into it. Dr. Allen Sills. the NFL's medical expert, said there is no evidence linking the substation to injuries.

“Our players have asked. They’ve been on podcasts and other media outlets wanting to know a little bit more so John and I are embarking on getting them as much information as we can.” Guido said.