This woman brought the NBA All-Star game to the Bay Area. Next up, Super Bowl LX and FIFA World Cup
Meet the Bay Area woman credited with bringing Super Bowl LX to Levi's Stadium
Zaileen Janmohamed is one of the most influential women in Bay Area sports -- and the person to thank for the major sporting events coming to the region next year.
SAN FRANCISCO - Zaileen Janmohamed is one of the most influential women in sports in the Bay Area.
As CEO of the Bay Area Host Committee, she is responsible for bringing the 2026 Super Bowl to the Bay in addition to the World Cup and NBA All-Star weekend.
But, she never thought she’d have a seat at the table with the biggest names in sports.
"You always have those moments in time where you're like is right, do I belong here?" Janmohamed said.
She grew up in Canada playing hockey, breaking barriers before she even knew they existed.
"I played a sport that was not typically played by girls," Janmohamed said. "When I was very young I didn't dress like other girls, I didn't act like them."
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But what she did know from an early age – she wanted to work in sports.
She got her undergraduate degree in kinesiology because at the time she thought it was the only avenue for a woman in professional sports.
But it was far from where she would end up. Without many female role models in sports, she turned to her own mother.
‘Challenge barriers’
The backstory:
"I give a lot of credit to my mom because she broke her own version of barriers as a traditional Indian woman who was working and had two kids," Janmohamed said. "She taught me that it was okay to push and challenge barriers and use my voice."
Today she sits in meetings with some of the most powerful people in sports, including everyone from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to San Francisco Giants President Larry Baer.
San Francisco shines as NBA All-Star Weekend draws crowds, boosts sales
San Francisco experienced a major economic boost during NBA All-Star Weekend, as restaurants, hotels and nightlife venues saw strong and -breaking crowds and sales. The city’s vibrant energy, fueled by celebrity appearances and high-profile gatherings, highlighted its recovery and positioned it as a top destination for future prominent events.
And she knows she deserves to be there.
"It isn't ‘thank you for being here,’" Mohamed said. "It's ‘you deserve to be here and not only do you deserve to be here, we need you to use your voice so you can push us further.’"
Outside the boardroom, she wears she has her most important title, mom.
Janmohamed has two sons, ages 11 and 14.
She tries to make it to as many of their events as she can while balancing a high-stress job, which often means even taking calls in the car on the way to watch practice.
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"There are so many different iterations of how I've tried to do both mom and career," Janmohaned said. "I had to grow in that role and be comfortable in my own skin where I've landed."
A few years into her role and Janmohamed wouldn't change a thing about her past or present.
"This job was almost all of these little puzzle pieces coming together to put forward this amazing opportunity for me to bring major sporting events to my hometown."