Senior Vice President, Chief Events Officer
Jen Maurillo is the Senior Vice President, Chief Events Officer for Major League Soccer (MLS) and Soccer United Marketing (SUM), the preeminent commercial soccer enterprise. A strategic sports business executive, Maurillo has a track record of more than two decades of leadership and innovation spanning all areas of the entertainment and hospitality industry.
As the architect of MLS’ Events department, Maurillo and her team are responsible for creating authentic and unique activations throughout the calendar year that celebrate the game and enhance the fans’ soccer experience. Her group spearheads the execution of more than 200 events annually, including major, multi-platform tentpole moments such as the MLS All-Star Game, MLS Cup, and MLS SuperDraft. During these events, her team has implemented countless live experiences entertaining MLS fans with concerts by the likes of Macklemore and 2 Chainz and raising significant funds and awareness for important causes with philanthropic fundraisers featuring David Beckham and Pele.
During her tenure, Maurillo and her team have helped the league reach new event milestones. During the 2018 season, the MLS All-Star Game had the second-largest attendance of any All-Star Game across North American sports leagues. Additionally, a record-setting 73,019 fans attended the 2018 MLS Cup, the league’s title game. She also helped MLS launch more than 20 new franchises since 2000 - including LAFC, Miami, Nashville, Atlanta and Austin in recent years.
Increasing the value of her department within the league, Maurillo expanded MLS Events to include a hospitality arm providing B2B opportunities for internal stakeholders and partners. While sitting at the cross-section of gaming and soccer culture, her team was also instrumental in MLS’ entry into eSports with the launch of eMLS – a competitive EA SPORTS™ FIFA league. In 2020, Maurillo’s department also played a central role in the launch of MLS NEXT – the League’s reimaging of youth soccer leagues as the best player development experience in North America – and the League’s innovative and safe Return to Play during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic with the MLS in Back Tournament in Orlando. The tournament was honored by SportsBusiness Journal as the Event of the Year in all of sports.
In addition to her MLS role, Maurillo supports business operations for SUM events, including properties such as the Mexican National Team Tour, Concacaf Gold Cup and Leagues Cup. She was also an integral part of the local organizing committee for Copa América Centenario 2016 – the first Copa América to be held outside South America - and has attended four World Cups supporting MLS delegations.
Maurillo started her MLS career in Partnership Marketing by creating and delivering programs for blue-chip partners and brands. Prior to joining MLS, she spent two years at the NFL in the league’s international office in the UK, where she focused on growing the game globally. As part of her role, she amplified league tentpole events taking place in the U.S. through hospitality events in London.
Maurillo is a graduate of the University of Michigan, where she played Division I soccer. She currently lives in Westport, Conn. with her husband and two sons. When not cheering on her alma mater, you can find her on the sidelines cheering on her active boys.
