Robert Friedman ChFC ®
SEG Relationship Manager
Rob Friedman joins MacDonald Wealth as our Sports and Entertainment (SEG) Relationship Manager. He retired from John Hancock in 2019 after a 40-year career with the financial services giant, most recently serving as Head of Sponsorship and Event Marketing. Rob began his career with the company in 1978 as a financial advisor in Northern New Jersey and after two years was promoted to sales manager. In 1985, Rob was promoted to the Home Office in Boston to director of the Marketing Management Program, a national management development initiative.
In 1988, Rob became Director-International Marketing. As part of John Hancock’s international expansion program, Rob was responsible for researching foreign insurance markets which aligned with the company’s international expansion strategy. He became an integral player in conducting due diligence efforts on several international joint venture opportunities and was instrumental in supporting foreign investments in Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, and China. Rob worked closely with the marketing departments of the foreign operations to transfer John Hancock marketing experience and expertise including the development and delivery of Olympic marketing programs in conjunction with the company’s Worldwide Sponsorship of the Olympic Games.
After ten years in International Operations, Rob was asked to lead John Hancock’s sports marketing program. In this capacity, Rob was responsible for managing the company’s portfolio of sponsorships and the implementation of programs designed to build John Hancock’s brand and business. Rob has managed numerous sponsorship properties including The Worldwide Olympic Games, Major League Baseball, John Hancock Champions on Ice, USA Gymnastics, USA Hockey, the Boston Marathon, the New York City Marathon, The Ryder Cup, The Senior US Open Golf Tournament, the Boston Celtics, the Boston Red Sox, the Los Angeles Dodgers, John Hancock Fantasy Day at Fenway, the Celtics Parquet Challenge, the Best Buddies Hyannisport Challenge, the Pan Mass Challenge and many more. In conjunction with the many sports properties Rob managed, he had the privilege to work with thousands of athletes from across a wide spectrum of sports.
After his corporate retirement, Rob co-founded Boston Sports Partners, a boutique sports marketing firm where he serves as President and CEO. Among the firm’s many services, Rob continues to work closely in the athlete community engaging athletes in both corporate and community non-profit initiatives and providing direct representation to talent.
On the community front, Rob served a ten-year term as a volunteer member of the Board of Directors of Special Olympics of Massachusetts and served on the Boston Chapter Board of the National Sports Marketing Network. He currently serves on the UMass Boston Sport Leadership & Administration Advisory Board. He lives on Cape Cod and New York City with his wife, Deb, and spends as much time as he can with his three grandchildren, Jack, Reese and Sadie.