Lions Name Richard Haddad Team President, CEO

Back in April, the Lions announced that team president and chief executive officer Rod Wood would be retiring before the 2026 NFL season and that they would begin searching for his successor. On Wednesday, Detroit announced that Richard Haddad had been selected to assume both titles.

At the time of Wood’s announcement, the team had already interviewed some internal candidates. A team panel, comprised of Wood, owner Sheila Hamp, vice chairman Bill Ford, senior football advisor to ownership Chris Spielman, and chief people and inclusion officer Lindsay Verstegen, was formed to execute the search process, utilizing the global leadership advisory firm Russell Reynolds to identify external candidates and seeking input from head coach Dan Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes, when necessary.

A Michigan native, Haddad is joining the organization after a 14-year tenure with Pistons Sports & Entertainment (PSE) and the Detroit Pistons, where he served as chief operating officer. His role was to oversee business operations and development for all companies and properties under the Pistons and PSE brands in order to support all basketball operations. His goal in both entities was to establish key initiatives and build strategic partnerships while working with community, business, and governmental leaders in Detroit and all of Michigan.

His biggest accomplishments in his previous position included the return of the Pistons back to Detroit from Auburn Hills and the development, construction, and opening of the Henry Ford Detroit Pistons Performance Center. He also helped lead efforts to bring a WNBA team back to Detroit after the Detroit Shock relocated to Tulsa in 2009. In June 2025, the association announced that they would expand into Detroit in 2029, and Haddad helped to develop a WNBA team headquarters and practice facility on the Detroit riverfront.

Once recognized as an inclusion on Sports Business Journal’s 40 Under 40, Haddad will now transition to the world of football, officially stepping into the role in early September. He will reportedly assume oversight of all football and business operations and work closely with Hamp and the team’s board of directors to set the vision for the future growth of the franchise and Ford Field.