Sports Business Journal and presenting sponsors Anheuser-Busch, Bank of America, Polymarket, TurnkeyZRG and Verizon are pleased to announce the Forty Under 40 Class of 2026. The 40 executives are recognized for achievement and innovation in their careers, all before the age of 40.
Chara-Lynn Aguiar of ESPN joins the SBJ Forty Under 40 Hall of Fame, which is reserved for three-time honorees. With her induction, the Hall of Fame includes 72 past honorees.
This year’s class also includes two-time Forty Under 40 and past New Voices Under 30 honoree Ben Kennedy of NASCAR; past New Voices Under 30 honorees Kerry Scalora of Anheuser-Busch and Scott Zanghellini of WWE; and 2022 Game Changers honoree Elizabeth Cohen of Major League Soccer.
Notably, the Class of 2026 includes 16 women, the most ever selected to SBJ’s Forty Under 40.
Honorees will be featured in the Aug. 10 issue of SBJ, in which the stories of their careers and successes are told. They also will be recognized at our annual Forty Under 40 gala on Nov. 20 at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers in Manhattan. For more information, please visit FortyUnder40awards.com.
Class of 2026
Alex Cadicamo, Major League Baseball
Tom Chapman, WME Sports
Hedy Chen, National Football League
Elizabeth Cohen, Major League Soccer
Jose Diaz, SMAC Entertainment
William DiBlasi, Elevate
Samantha Engelhardt, New York Mets
Ryan Fischer, Fenway Sports Management
Megan Fogarty, Allied Sports
Benjamin Freeman, Proskauer
Grant Hastings, Monumental Sports & Entertainment
Brady Hart, University of Tennessee
Kate Hussmann, Buffalo Bills
Chris Kaiser, Rock Entertainment Group
Julia Kang, U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Properties
Ben Kennedy, NASCAR
Jason Lavine, Los Angeles Chargers
Kyle McCarthy, Athletes First
Charlie Neiman, Amazon
Megan Nicol, CAA Sports
Adam Nurik, Genesco Sports Enterprises
Max Paulsen, National Hockey League
Zohar Ravid, Fanatics
Jasmine Robinson, Monarch Collective Fund
Jamie Rocha, Airbnb
Kerry Scalora, Anheuser-Busch
Arianna Scavetti, Weil, Gotshal & Manges
Preetam Sen, Excel Sports Management
Alex Seyferth, Chicago Cubs
Henry Shepherd, Diamond Baseball Holdings
Connor Swarbrick, The Team
Taylor Traub, Ilitch Sports + Entertainment
Maria Valdehueza, Golden State Valkyries
Kyle Vasey, University of Alabama
Sean Wallis, Legends Global
Katelyn West, National Basketball Association
Scott Zanghellini, WWE
Megan Zee, PGA Tour
Zach Zimmerman, Moelis & Company
Jimmy Zasowski, Walt Disney Company
HALL OF FAME
Chara-Lynn Aguiar
Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Research, Strategy and Office of the Chairman — ESPN
