Formula One Power List NASCAR Power List Formula One Power List Sports Business Journal's 'Forty under 40' Promo Magazine 'Marketer of the Year' Jim Trueman Award RFA Promising Young Star AARWB Sports Car Driver GCKS Rookie of the Year
Occupation
Chief Executive Officer of McLaren Racing
Zakary Challen Brown (born November 7, 1971)[2] is an American businessman and former professional racing driver, currently residing in England. He is the chief executive officer of McLaren Racing.[3] Born and raised in California,[4] Brown raced professionally around the world for ten years before developing his skills in motorsport's business and commercial worlds.
Brown has been recognised by a range of industry bodies and publications, including the Paddock Magazine F1 Power List[8] and his induction into the Sports Business Journal "Forty Under 40" Hall of Fame, where he was listed three times.[9][10] He was named Promo Marketer of the Year by PROMO Magazine,[11] and Just Marketing, Inc. (JMI), a motorsports marketing agency founded by Brown in 1995, has appeared five times in Inc. Magazine's "Inc 500" annual list of the 500 fastest-growing private companies in the United States.[12]
Career
In racing
Brown began his racing career in karting in 1986, winning 22 races in five seasons from 1986 to 1990. He moved to Europe where his first win was in Formula Ford 1600 at England's Donington Park.[citation needed] In the 1992 Formula Opel-Lotus Benelux Series Brown secured top-ten finishes in each of the season's races. The following year, Brown finished fourth in the series.
Brown took a sabbatical from professional racing between 2001 and 2005 to concentrate on JMI, his motorsport marketing business(more below). In 2006 he returned to the track with an entry in the Britcar 24 Hours race, winning his class as a member of the driver line-up for Moore International Motorsport.[16] In 2007, he contested the Ferrari Challenge Series as part of a six-car stable fielded by Ferrari of Washington. At his debut in Fontana, he started in pole position and led every lap to claim victory.[17] The following year Brown returned to full-time competition, with his Ferrari Challenge Series campaign highlighted by a win at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal.[18]
In 1995, he founded Just Marketing International (JMI),[25] which grew to become the largest motorsport marketing agency in the world. In 2013, JMI was acquired by CSM,[26] a division of Chime Communications Limited,[27] and Brown became the company's CEO. He relinquished that position in the winter of 2016 to focus on his responsibilities with McLaren.[28]
United Autosports also operates a Historic Division, restoring, preparing and managing a range of historic sportscars and F1 race cars, some from Brown's own collection, as well as for customers.[33] These compete globally at such events as the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion,[34] the Silverstone Classic,[35] Monaco Historics, Le Mans Classic,[36] Spa Classic,[37] Nürburgring Old Timers, and Goodwood Festival of Speed.[38]
In 2021, United Autosports entered the inaugural Extreme E series, pairing with Andretti Autosport to enter the Andretti United XE team.[39] When McLaren formed its own Extreme E program in 2022, Brown stressed he was a "silent partner" in Andretti United XE and that he would exclusively focus on McLaren.[40]
McLaren Racing
On November 21, 2016, Brown was announced as executive director of McLaren Technology Group.[41] On April 10, 2018, Brown became the chief executive officer of McLaren Racing as part of an operational restructure of the McLaren Group.[42][43] As CEO, Brown has overall responsibility for the business, including strategic direction, operational performance, marketing and commercial development. In 2024, Under Brown’s leadership McLaren Racing won the 2024 Formula One World Constructors' Championship.
Brown is an avid collector of historical documents and sporting memorabilia, as well as both road and racing cars.[49] His car collection is primarily housed in the workshop of United Autosports, the sports car team Brown jointly owns with Richard Dean.[50]