Chris Connolly
Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing & Operations Officer
Chris Connolly enters his seventh season with the Padres and first as executive vice president, chief marketing and operations officer. In his current role, Connolly oversees all aspects of the Padres marketing, brand, social media, advertising, broadcasting, in-game entertainment and fan engagement efforts in addition to ballpark operations. He works closely with CEO Erik Greupner Greupner and the Padres executive leadership team to advance strategic initiatives, drive organizational growth, and enhance fan experience.
During his tenure in San Diego, the Padres have consistently ranked in the top three in attendance among all Major League Baseball clubs while setting all-time franchise records in attendance three of the past four seasons. Additionally, season ticket memberships have achieved record levels in recent years and the fan experience at Petco Park is recognized as one of the best in sports. Among his accomplishments with the Padres, Connolly helped lead the successful launches of the club's City Connect uniforms in 2022 and 2026 and directed marketing efforts for numerous sold-out concerts and special events at Petco Park.
Prior to joining the Padres, Connolly spent 12 years working for The Walt Disney Company in a variety of senior leadership roles throughout his tenure. He led marketing for the Disneyland Resort where he was instrumental in the successful launches of Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge in 2019 and the Pixar Fest celebration in 2018. Other notable Disneyland accomplishments included driving merchandise and food revenue to record levels through dedicated social media campaigns.
Additionally, Connolly held the title of Senior Vice President of Consumer Marketing for Disney Consumer Products from 2012-16 where he spearheaded the retail, product development and marketing initiatives behind the highly successful Frozen franchise and the popular Disney Princess brand. Upon first joining Disney in 2009, Connolly served as the Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing for Walt Disney Studios, which saw him lead the Home Entertainment consumer marketing and creative services teams responsible for major Blu-Ray and DVD releases.
A native of Southern California, Connolly has also held the titles of President of the Big Idea Marketing Group, LLC. and Vice President of Worldwide Marketing for Hasbro over his career. The University of California, Los Angeles alum also serves as a guest lecturer at local universities and enjoys mentoring students. Connolly and his wife Denise, a San Diego native, have two daughters, Olivia and Caroline.