Robert Kraft is the Founder, Chairman and CEO of The Kraft Group, based in Foxborough, Mass. The Kraft Group is the holding company of the Kraft family's many businesses, with interests concentrated in six areas: manufacturing of paper and packaging, international distribution of forest products, sports and entertainment, real estate development, private equity investing and philanthropy.

In the field of sports and entertainment, Kraft is widely recognized as one of the most successful owners in professional sports. As Investor/Operator of the New England Revolution (Major League Soccer), Chairman and CEO of the New England Patriots (National Football League) and owner of Gillette Stadium and Patriot Place, Kraft has created a world-class sports and entertainment environment in New England.

Under Kraft's leadership, the New England Revolution and the New England Patriots have delivered nine conference titles and three league championships in the last decade, while his private-financing of Gillette Stadium has given fans a world-class facility in which to enjoy New England's championship tradition.

Kraft's long-standing support of soccer in the United States dates back to his efforts in the early 1990s to secure Foxborough as one of the nine host venues for the 1994 FIFA World Cup. The success of the 1994 World Cup ushered in a new era in New England sports and on June 6, 1995, the Kraft family became the founding Investor/Operator of the Revolution, joining Major League Soccer for its inaugural season in 1996.

Kraft's contributions to MLS also include a two-season tenure as Investor/Operator of the San Jose Earthquakes from 1999-2000. Additionally, Foxborough has hosted the MLS Cup championship game three times, including the 2002 final between the Eastern Conference Champion Revolution and the Los Angeles Galaxy, which was played in front of the largest crowd in MLS Cup history (61,316).

The United States' Men's and Women's National soccer teams have also enjoyed tremendous support from the Kraft family and soccer fans throughout New England. Since 1990, Foxborough has hosted 25 international matches involving U.S. teams at Foxboro Stadium (1990-2001) and Gillette Stadium (2002-present). The U.S. teams have enjoyed remarkable success in Foxborough, compiling a combined record of 20-1-4 in those games. In addition to hosting games in the 1994 Men's World Cup, Foxborough was a host city for the 1999 Women's World Cup, when more than 50,000 fans watched the U.S. women defeat North Korea, 3-0, and the 2003 Women’s World Cup. Gillette Stadium has also hosted the 2003, 2005 and 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup - the North American, Central American and Caribbean regional championship - and several international friendlies between top national teams. In 2007, the Brazil-Mexico showdown drew a record crowd of 67,584 fans, setting a new soccer attendance record for a game played in New England.

Kraft is a lifelong New England sports fan who began attending Boston Patriots games during their infancy in the 1960s. When the franchise moved to Foxborough in 1971, he purchased season tickets for his family, an account he maintained for the next 23 years before purchasing the team in 1994.

The Kraft family has built the Patriots into one of professional sports' model organizations. Since purchasing the team in 1994, the Patriots have won more games (173), including more playoff games (17), more conference championships (5) and more Super Bowl championships (3) than any other team in the NFL. They also own the league's longest consecutive win streaks in the regular season (21), postseason (10) and overall (21).
Kraft began his business career with the Rand-Whitney Group, Inc. of Worcester, Mass., a company that converted paper into packaging for various industries. He later acquired the company. In 1972, he founded International Forest Products, a trader of paper commodities that now does business in more than 80 countries around the world. Together, Rand-Whitney and International Forest Products comprise one of the largest privately-owned paper and packaging companies in the United States. In 1998, he founded The Kraft Group to serve as the holding company for the family's varied business interests, whose holdings include the Rand-Whitney Group, Rand-Whitney Containerboard, International Forest Products, the New England Patriots, the New England Revolution, Gillette Stadium, Patriot Place and a portfolio of more than 30 private equity investments.

A native of Brookline, Mass., Kraft attended public schools before attending Columbia on an academic scholarship. Upon graduation, he received a fellowship to Harvard Business School, where he earned a master's degree in business administration.

Kraft serves on the board of directors for Viacom and the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. He is also on the executive committee of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, where he established the Robert K. Kraft Family Blood Donor Center. He is a trustee emeritus at Columbia and is a trustee of Boston College. He has also received honorary degrees from several colleges and universities. In 2006, Kraft was awarded the NCAA's highest honor when he received the Theodore Roosevelt Award, which is presented annually to a distinguished citizen of national reputation and outstanding accomplishments.

For more than three decades, the Kraft family has been one of New England's most philanthropic families, donating tens of millions of dollars in support of local charities and civic affairs. The Krafts recently pledged half a million dollars to the Greater Boston Food Bank to enhance the Kids Café program. The contribution will assure thousands of Boston-area children will receive nutritious meals five days a week. A million dollar donation by the Krafts helped fund the Kraft Family Center at the Foxborough branch of the YMCA. The addition includes an aquatics center, with a lap pool and a family fun pool; a full-sized gymnasium with a suspended multi-lane track; an expanded community wellness center; a kids gym and child watch area; a new teen program center; and state-of-the-art youth and teen wellness center.