Andrew Hauptman


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

Biography

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 Business School. Early in his career, he worked at Alex. Brown & Sons in New York City and later, as an executive with Universal Studios in London, where he played a key role in the oversight of its international operations, focusing on the music and film entertainment groups.

Andell Inc.

In 1998, Hauptman and his wife, Ellen Bronfman, founded Andell Inc., a private investment firm and family office formed in the UK and currently based in Los Angeles. Andell manages assets that grew out of the Bronfman family's controlling position of The Seagram Co. Ltd. Andell invests directly in private and public companies and real estate, and acquires control and minority stakes. Examples of past and current Andell portfolio companies include Allied Universal, Chicago Fire, AmWINS Group, Inc., BSN Sports, Universal Studios, MyEyeDr., NSC Minerals Ltd., Watco Companies, LLC, USI Insurance Services, Medforth Global Healthcare Education, Savage x Fenty, and University of St. Augustine. Andell’s real estate platform includes a variety of investments across all asset classes and throughout the capital structure.

Board Affiliations

Hauptman has been a director of numerous public and private companies. He currently serves on the advisory board of Altas Partners.
Current & Former Board Appointments:
Hauptman previously developed and produced several feature films including "Millions" directed by Danny Boyle in 2004, "State of Play," starring Russell Crowe in 2009, and John Hamburg's directorial debut, "Safe Men," which premiered at Sundance in 1998.

Chicago Fire Soccer Club

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.

Growth

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, grew the Chicago Fire Juniors program, 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. 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.

Recognition

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.

Bridgeview Deal

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.

Sale

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."

Philanthropy

Hauptman serves as a national trustee of City Year, an education based non-profit that provides young adults from diverse backgrounds the opportunity to serve full time in under-resourced schools and communities across the nation. He also serves as Chair of City Year Los Angeles, which he co-founded in 2007 and grew into the largest City Year site in the nation. Hauptman has been a contributor in the Huffington Post and CNN.com on the subject of the service movement and educational issues.
Hauptman is also Co-Founder of The Charles Bronfman Prize, an annual global award presented to a humanitarian under fifty whose "innovative work is grounded in Jewish values and is of universal benefit to all people." Hauptman is a member of the Yale University Council, the trustee advisory board of the Center for American Progress, the advisory board of The Los Angeles Coalition for the Economy and Jobs, and the leadership council of International Medical Corps. He remains an advisor to Service Year Alliance and in June 2019, signed on as co-chair for their Serve America Together campaign, calling on 2020 presidential candidates to make national service a priority. Hauptman served as president of the Chicago Fire Foundation for 12 years.
Hauptman co-founded and serves as Director of the Bronfman Hauptman Foundation. Recent public donations include $1 million to the Obama Foundation, $500,000 to the Mayor's Fund for Los Angeles to support those most adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and a $250,000 challenge grant to City Year Los Angeles to motivate donors to give in the wake of COVID-19.

Honors and awards

Hauptman is married to Ellen Bronfman Hauptman, the daughter of Canadian businessman Charles Bronfman.