Rod Wood
President & CEO
Detroit Lions
As Detroit Lions Team President and CEO, Rod Wood overseas all football and business operations of the Lions organization and reports directly to Principal Owner and Chair Sheila Ford Hamp. He was originally appointed team president on Nov. 19, 2015.
Following organizational changes at the end of the 2020 season, Wood and Mrs. Hamp set out to establish a new leadership vision for the Lions. On December 15, 2020, Wood welcomed Lions Legend Chris Spielman to a formal role in the organization as Special Assistant to President/CEO and Chairperson. Together, along with Lions Senior Vice President of Football & Business Administration Mike Disner, the group began the process of bringing the right general manager and head coach to Detroit.
The thorough search for the Lions' new leadership tandem resulted in the arrival of Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell. Holmes was named executive vice president and general manager on January 14, 2021 after spending 18 seasons with the Los Angeles Rams (2003-20) in a variety of roles, including most recently director of college scouting.
"Brad stood out to us as the perfect fit for the general manager we were looking for," Wood said about Holmes' hiring. "His leadership qualities were evident. So was his intelligence, his engaging personality and his collaborative and confident approach to team building. His embrace of the fusion of analytics and scouting intuition in his approach to drafting blew us all away. He was our unanimous choice.
Just six days later, Campbell, a former tight end with 22 years of NFL experience, including 11 as a coach and 11 as a player, was named the team's new head coach. In an introductory press conference welcoming Campbell to Detroit, Wood described specific criteria he and Ford Hamp were looking for in the team's next head coach.
"First, a leader of men. Someone who can command the room and the attention of the entire team. The temperament to handle the grind of an NFL season, dealing with losses, injuries, and outside distractions. A positive voice for the entire organization with the media, the League, colleges, staff and our fans, and the ability to assemble an excellent staff. Dan checked every box."
With the hiring of Holmes and Campbell, the Lions' improved culture of communication, collaboration and innovation will continue to follow the lead of Wood and Mrs. Hamp's vision toward establishing long-term success on and off the field.
Upon his initial hiring, Wood immediately began evaluating all business functions within the Lions and Ford Field. Concurrent with his organizational evaluation, Wood's "everything is on the table" approach to shaping the business affairs of the franchise has made a tangible and positive impact on the business operations for both the Lions and Ford Field on and off the field.
In his five years, Wood has implemented significant changes that range from day-to-day operations to new branding and has done so guided by a mission to improve the team's competitive financial position, fan engagement and overall customer experience. Wood has strengthened the Lions and Ford Field brands with improved business partnerships and more strategic alliances that positively influence business initiatives and provide necessary financial support to the club's football operations.
In February 2017, Wood unveiled plans for the first major renovation to the Detroit Lions' home stadium, Ford Field, since it opened its doors in 2002. The $100 million investment incorporated a complete overhaul of the audio and visual experience that features new videoboards as well as a new state-of-the-art sound system. The stadium's premium spaces also received a complete makeover with expanded offerings to fans.
"We still hear what a great venue Ford Field is from our fans, visiting teams and the great acts that have performed here," Wood said. "The Ford Family is making a substantial investment to make sure our stadium remains among the best, but ultimately it's still about winning football games. We want to get fans in the building having a great time and excited about what they're experiencing so that they can continue to help us create a home field advantage."
During this time, the team also unveiled a comprehensive rebranding initiative that emphasized the classic colors of Honolulu Blue and Silver. At the forefront of the team's rebranding and perhaps its most visible assets, the Lions' new uniforms, revealed in April 2017, now feature Home, Away, Throwback and Color Rush combinations.
With the fan game-day experience a primary focus for Wood, his team also implemented a significant upgrade to the stadium's Wi-Fi and oversaw the return of a team cheerleading squad for the first time in four decades. These enhancements aided Ford Field in reaching new heights in 2017 as the stadium set records with six standing-room-only games and a total attendance of 513,100, which topped the previous record of 510,369 in 2013. Three Lions games in 2017 also ranked among the six most attended in stadium history, including a new Ford Field Thanksgiving (11/23/17) record of 66,613. In May 2019, the Lions also announced a partnership with FieldTurf to upgrade the Ford Field playing surface to a new FieldTurf Classic HD system.
Off the field, Wood provided support for an initial $600,000 commitment from Mrs. Ford and players toward the launch of Detroit Lions Inspire Change, the team's social justice initiative in the City of Detroit. The initiative has continued through 2020 and into 2021 through grants to various Metro Detroit organizations.
Additionally, Wood has worked to improve the team's football infrastructure at the Lions' Allen Park practice facility. Over the past three years, the organization has completely renovated and updated the weight room and practice fields, along with other ongoing facility improvements and branding enhancements.
At the League level, Wood was appointed to and serves on the NFL's Investment Committee. For the eight years prior to his appointment as team president, Wood worked closely with the Detroit Lions organization and the Ford Family in his role as President and CEO of Ford Estates.
From 1999 until his appointment at Ford Estates in 2007, Wood was Executive Vice President of Wealth Management for the Wilmington Trust Company in Wilmington, Del., a $400 million operation with 17 offices in eight states. Wood directed the company's entire wealth management business nationally, and he managed the personal trust, financial planning, private banking, investment management, family office services and sales functions for the wealth advisory business of Wilmington Trust.
Prior to joining Wilmington Trust, Wood held an executive position with Comerica Bank where he oversaw 12 offices in four states.
Over the years, Wood has been a member on numerous company and non-profit boards. He now serves on the board of trustees and is an officer for Detroit Lions Foundation. He is also a member of the boards for Business Leaders For Michigan, an organization dedicated to making Michigan a Top Ten state for jobs, personal income and a healthy economy; CATCH, an organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for pediatric patients and their families at Children's Hospital of Michigan and Henry Ford Hospital; the Downtown Detroit Partnership, which includes business, philanthropic and government partners that strengthen the city through strategic initiatives and programs; City Year Detroit, an organization that provides in-classroom support that helps students stay in school, become more engaged and perform better academically; as well as the Detroit Sports Organizing Corporation.
Wood graduated from Goodrich (Mich.) High School, and earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Michigan and a graduate degree from the ABA Graduate School of Commercial Banking.
Wood and his wife, Susan, have one daughter, Alison, and a son, Taylor.
211 West Fort Street
