Once hailed by Fortune as “one of the women who saved Best Buy,” longtime retail exec Shari Ballard pivoted to sports management in 2021. Before she signed on as CEO of Minnesota United, Ballard spent her entire career at Best Buy, where she began as an assistant store general manager and worked her way to high-ranking roles in corporate. Now, sitting at the helm of the soccer club, she says her priority is, “first and foremost, to put a winning team on the field and wrap it with a world-class fan experience.” Leveraging her long experience in retail, Ballard is also keeping her eyes open for new business partnerships.