Linda Pizzuti is a great success. She’s an amazing businesswoman and real estate developer. Over the past two decades, the hardworking woman has gone from her beginnings in real estate development to owning and overseeing some of the greatest institutions in the Boston area and beyond.
Pizzuti was already self-taught before meeting her husband, billionaire businessman John W. Henry , the co-founder of the infamous sports management company, Fenway Sports Group. Fenway owns the MLB franchise with multiple World Series victories, the Boston Red Sox, and historic Premier League football club Liverpool. Pizzuti is also a shareholder of Fenway as well as a film producer, managing director of The Boston Globe and many more.
The biography of Linda Pizzuti
The American businesswoman was born on September 20, 1978, in Lynnfield, Massachusetts. Her father, Don Pizzuti, is an Italian immigrant who made his living as a real estate developer and engineer. His mother, Maria Pizzuti, was a housewife.
For her education, Pizzuti attended Babson College where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree. She then took a master’s degree in real estate development at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and was 26 when she graduated.
Linda has three older sisters and growing up, their father taught them the ropes of the real estate business. During this period, they worked in their father’s agency. After college, Linda helped grow her father’s agency until her personal endeavors and marriage won out.
Linda Pizzuti met John Henry on the night of June 6, 2008. Henry was immediately taken with her but she initially refused his advances, partly because John W. Henry was twice her age and also because his parents were opposed to the relationship. They finally gave their consent and she agreed to marry him. The couple tied the knot on Henry’s yacht in 2009 and the reception was held at Fenway Park. Some 400 guests attended, including friends, family and associates.
She has two children with Henry – a daughter named Sienna Henry and an unnamed son; She also has a stepdaughter, Sara, who comes from Henry’s last marriage to a woman named Peggy Sue. Pizzuti is Henry’s third marriage; Prior to marrying Peggy Sue, he was previously married to a woman named Mai Henry – his first wife.
To say that Linda Pizzuti has been a major part of Henry’s empire since their marriage is an understatement. For example, she used her property experience and connections to help Fenway Sports Group negotiate new land deals for the expansion of Anfield Stadium, home of Liverpool Football Club.
Additionally, when John Henry bought The Boston Globe back in 2013 for $70 million, he named Linda its managing director. Initially, many were unhappy with this decision and rightly so; for her part, Linda did not have the qualifications to fulfill her new role and believed that she had not obtained the position on merit. Her naysayers since then, she has praised the commendable and transformative work she has done so far. Linda Pizzuti is also more involved in the newspaper than Henry.
It also featured two flagship festivals – GlobeDocs, a documentary film festival, and HUBweek, aimed to showcase and celebrate cultural and industrial institutions in the Boston area. The businesswoman is also the founder of a few charities and seed investment funds serving the Boston area.
Facts About Red Sox Part-Owner and John Henry’s Wife
1. Henry couldn’t work the nerve to walk to Linda
Linda first met Henry at a bar where the fashion mogul’s daughter, Alan Bilzerian, was celebrating her birthday. John and his associate, Tom Werner, were invited to the party and as soon as Henry spotted Linda, he was hit with her. However, he did not have the courage to join her.
She noticed him throughout the evening, but tried to avoid eye contact. Linda was not practicing the sport at that time, she did not recognize it.
Henry eventually approached her with the help of a friend. However, they didn’t stay in touch until they met again at an event. Pizzuti, who was then in a relationship, always refused his advances.
But soon she had to end her relationship as she was not ready to settle down. Linda and Henry were hanging out after her breakup and eventually grew closer.
2. Linda Pizzuti waited two weeks to respond to John’s proposal
Besides her parents’ reservations, Linda worried about the age gap between the two 29-year-olds and the possibility of a tabloid explosion.
Two weeks after his parents gave their consent, Henry popped the question in an elevator at the Four Seasons hotel. However, Pizzuti did not immediately respond. John had to wait two weeks before finally saying yes to her.
3. Linda has only one stake in Fenway in 2017
Although the businesswoman has been deeply invested in the success of the firm since her marriage to John Henry in 2009, she only obtained her own limited partnership shares in 2017.
She bought shares from Arthur Nicholas, a former partner, in many of the company’s properties. These were Liverpool FC, Boston Red Sox, Fenway Park, Roush Racing, Fenway Sports Management and NESN.
For the regional sports network, NESN, its executive produced NESN Clubhouse and NESN Next Producer in 2014 and 2015 respectively. Both of these series were successful and went on to land Emmy nominations. Linda is also the brains of Fenway Farms, a rooftop garden responsible for the majority of food eaten at the EMC club in Fenway Park.
She is also the first woman to have an ownership stake in the Red Sox since Jean Yawkey in 1976. Linda is deeply entrenched in franchise management, particularly in the area of sports television production.
4. Pizzuti is a film producer
Apart from her professional responsibilities, Linda Pizzuti loves movies and two of her favorite stars are Johnny Depp and Jennifer Aniston . As a result, she served as an executive producer for a few films; these included Their Luck (2013), and Wally’s Opening Day (2017). She also produced a CodeGirl documentary in 2015.
5. She made a bet with Tom, Henry’s partner, at Anfield
On the last day of the 2018/2019 English Premier League football season, Linda, wearing a dress and high heeled shoes, came onto the pitch at Anfield with her husband and partner Tom Werner to thank the supporters from Liverpool for their successful season.
While on the court, Tom asked him to try kicking the ball into the net. She declined as she was not dressed for the challenge. However, she changed her mind after Tom promised to donate $10,000 to a charity of his choice if she could pull it off. She scored the goal and Tom kept his word.
6. She is one of the most influential people in Boston
Due to her contributions to Boston, its people, and its institutions, Linda Pizzuti was recognized with a Boston Magazine recognition list of “Most Influential Movers and Shakers” in 2018. She appeared on the list along with other names such as Marty Walsh and Diane Hessan. However, she beat them all to sit at the top of the list.
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