6. Zak Brown

Zak Brown, born on November 7, 1971, in California, is an American businessman and former professional race car driver. Now residing in Surrey, England, he is the Chief Executive Officer of McLaren Racing, where he oversees the company’s strategic direction, operational performance, marketing, and commercial development.

Brown raced professionally around the world for over a decade before transitioning into motorsport business and marketing. In 1995, he founded Just Marketing International (JMI), rapidly becoming the world’s largest motorsport marketing agency. The company was acquired in 2013 by CSM, a division of Chime Communications, where Brown continued as CEO until stepping down in 2016 to focus on McLaren.

Since joining McLaren in 2017, Zak Brown has transformed the Formula 1 team’s brand, culture, and performance. Under his leadership, McLaren has returned to the front of the F1 grid and expanded into other motorsport categories, including IndyCar, Formula E, Extreme E, esports, and, as of 2024, the World Endurance Championship. He is credited with implementing the people, infrastructure, and vision needed to reestablish McLaren as a global motorsport powerhouse.

Brown’s relentless work ethic, deep knowledge of motorsport history, and strong stance on industry issues have set him apart. His understanding of the sport’s past and present has been instrumental in his leadership. He has taken a leading role in promoting budget caps, sustainability, diversity, and fan engagement within the sport. His willingness to make tough decisions has been key to McLaren’s resurgence.

READ MORE: Nasdaq and Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Unite to Turbocharge Technological Innovation

In addition to his role at McLaren, Zak is the co-founder and co-owner of United Autosports, a top-tier racing team competing in international sports car events, the Supercars Championship in Australia (through Walkinshaw Andretti United), and historic racing. He also co-owns teams in the Extreme E series, including McLaren XE and Andretti United XE.

Brown’s achievements have been widely recognised. He has been listed three times on the Sports Business Journal’s “Forty Under 40” and inducted into its Hall of Fame. JMI was featured five times on Inc. Magazine’s list of the 500 fastest-growing private U.S. companies. He was also named Promo Marketer of the Year by PROMO Magazine.

Outside of motorsport, Zak is an avid collector of historical documents, baseball and ice hockey memorabilia, and rare road and racing cars. He is married with two sons, McGuire and Maxwell, and enjoys golf during his rare moments of downtime.