Ted Phillips was named President and Chief Executive Officer on February 10, 1999. He is the fourth person to serve as president in the organization's storied 94-year history following Michael McCaskey, George "Mugs" Halas, Jr., and George S. Halas. Since taking on the top leadership role, Phillips has insisted on attention to detail and smooth execution at every level of the Bears’ operation. He has solidified the long-term stability of the Club, while staying keenly focused on bringing a 10th championship to the NFL’s premier franchise.

Phillips has revitalized both the business and football operations by hiring high character, intelligent and driven individuals who share common goals and philosophies on how to build a consistent winner.

Drawing from 32 years of experience with the Chicago Bears, Phillips has shown effective leadership skills by empowering his executive staff to create an environment of collective responsibility in running the day-to-day operations of the Club. Phillips is involved in all critical decisions of the Bears and continues to strive to make all aspects of the Bears organization the best in the NFL. Always insisting on a team first attitude, Phillips has surrounded himself with individuals who fit the organization’s character, culture and values. The team dynamic was crucial in the Bears return to the Super Bowl for the first time in 21 years following the 2006 campaign.

To help set the team up for future success, Phillips oversaw a Halas Hall renovation project that added over 30,000 square feet to the team’s headquarters, which opened in 1997. The renovations included additions to the weight and training rooms, an upgraded locker room, additional meeting spaces and offices, and a new event center which features a broadcast studio and conference space.

Phillips’ other highlights include creating and continuing a strong customer service mentality throughout the organization, returning the Bears training camp to Illinois and presiding over four division championships (2001, 2005, 2006 and 2010) after a decade-long drought. He is also a member of the NFL Fan Experience Club Working Group.

During the 2015 off-season, Phillips hired Ryan Pace as the sixth general manager in franchise history, giving new direction to the Bears football operations. He has also restructured the front office, promoting five key individuals to the level of Vice-President with direct reporting to Phillips. Additional departmental emphasis was also placed on expanding various customer service initiatives along with placing a new emphasis on database management, marketing research and digital media efforts, in an effort to deliver added value to Bears fans, season ticketholders and business partners.

The Bears training camp returned to the State of Illinois in 2002, turning out in record numbers over the three-week training period on the campus of Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, IL. The 2015 camp marks the 14th year the important touchpoint for Bears fans has been in Illinois.

Phillips’ leadership was also key in negotiating a new home for the team at Soldier Field. Not only making the club more financially competitive, it provides the best fans in professional sports, with a stadium complete with all the amenities they deserve. The Soldier Field game-day experience is second to none, and fans have been critical in creating a great home-field advantage for the team as the Bears continue to maintain their proud history and tradition on Chicago’s magnificent lakefront.

Among the many local and national awards, the Soldier Field project was selected by the New York Times as one of the nation's best architectural buildings in 2003, and Midwest Construction selected Soldier Field as “Overall Project of the Year.”

Phillips served as the Bears' Vice President of Operations for six seasons starting in 1993. Recognized for his many years of handling the Bears' contract negotiations and team finances, Phillips currently serves on the NFL’s CEC Working Club Executive Committee whose mission is to analyze the economic, legal and operational aspects of both the salary cap system and the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the NFL and the NFL Players Association. Phillips also serves as a member of the NFL Employee Benefits committee, and he was recently named a Trustee of the NFL Player Benefits Committee. Phillips also serves on the Board of Directors of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce.

Before becoming Vice President of Operations, Phillips served as the Director of Finance from 1987 to 1993, handling all player contract negotiations and overseeing the club's business operations. Phillips joined the Bears staff on September 28, 1983, as the team's Controller, a position he held for four years.

Prior to joining the Bears, Phillips was employed as an auditor and tax accountant with the international accounting firm Ernst & Whinney (now Ernst & Young), from 1979-83. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1979 with a degree in business and accounting. Phillips earned a master of marketing and management degree from the Kellogg Graduate School at Northwestern University in 1989.

Phillips was born in Oneida, N.Y., grew up in Nashua, N.H., and he currently resides in Libertyville, IL. He has three sons, Matthew, Max and Frank.