Jonathan Kraft, an Investor/Operator of the New England Revolution, has guided the organization from its infancy to its present position as one of the most successful and respected teams in Major League Soccer.

Kraft is also the President and Chief Operating Officer 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 its sports and entertainment division, The Kraft Group's holdings include the four-time conference champion New England Revolution and the three-time world champion New England Patriots, as well as Gillette Stadium, the world-class venue that both franchises call home. Kraft oversees the operation of all three sports entities. As the President of the Patriots, Kraft has been the day-to-day driving force behind the rebuilding and rebranding of the franchise since 1994, bringing long-overdue stability to the once wayward organization. It has been a remarkable transformation, as the Patriots have evolved from worst to first in many categories, both on and off the field. Over the past 15 years, the Patriots have won more Super Bowls (3), more overall games (173) and more often (.655 winning percentage) than any other team in the NFL. They have also set NFL records for the longest consecutive win streaks in the postseason (10), regular season (21) and overall games (21).

In 1995, Kraft was involved in securing one of Major League Soccer's founding clubs, and he was principally responsible for bringing the MLS's championship game to New England in the league's first season of operation in 1996. It was the first of three MLS Cups to be played in New England in the league's first seven years of operation.

In 1999, Kraft developed the creative private-financing strategy to gain approval for the construction of Gillette Stadium. Throughout the stadium initiative, no one was more involved in each phase of the project, including the planning, construction, opening and on-going operation and development of Gillette Stadium. Kraft worked closely with stadium designers to create a world-class sports and entertainment facility that would highlight features indigenous to New England. His team delivered on the promise of a fan-friendly facility, on time and under budget.

Kraft and the project team also drew praise for innovative environmental practices. In June of 2001, the Environmental Business Council presented The Kraft Group with the Environmental Award for Corporate Leadership. In May of 2002, The Kraft Group received New England's Environmental Merit Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for the development and construction of Gillette Stadium.

On May 11, 2002, the Krafts opened Gillette Stadium, now known as one of the world's premier sports and entertainment facilities, with a match between the New England Revolution and the Dallas Burn. One week later, the U.S. Men's National Team made its first appearance at Gillette Stadium. On Oct. 20, 2002, MLS Cup returned to Foxborough for the third time in seven years, with the Revolution vying for the league's top honors in front of an MLS Cup record crowd of 61,316 fans.

The Kraft Group's holdings in manufacturing are concentrated in paper and packaging and include the Rand-Whitney Group, a manufacturer of corrugated containers, as well as Rand-Whitney Containerboard, a manufacturer of 100 percent high performance recycled linerboard. They also maintain holdings in distribution, a specialty of International Forest Products Corporation (IFP), which is a trader of paper commodities that does business in more than 80 countries.

Most recently, The Kraft Group has expanded to include real estate development. After the successful construction and development of Gillette Stadium, The Kraft Group developed Patriot Place, a 1.3 million square foot super-regional lifestyle and entertainment center. The entertainment destination will feature over 70 retail shops, including more than a dozen restaurants, a 14-screen movie theater, a state-of-the-art sports medicine and healthcare facility, and a four-star hotel.

A Williams College graduate, Kraft also earned an MBA from Harvard Business School. He is on the board of directors for several organizations, including the U.S. Soccer Federation and Children's Hospital Trust. He is also on the board of trustees at Williams College and the Belmont Hill School.

Kraft is active in youth athletics, coaching Pop Warner football, youth soccer and Little League baseball in the greater Boston area. In 2006, he was the recipient of the Warner Award, named after Glenn S. "Pop" Warner. The award is presented annually and is considered Pop Warner's highest honor.

Kraft and his wife, Patti, have three children.