Jeff Mallett was nine years old when his family moved to Saanich’s Gordon Head neighbourhood.
He didn’t know it then, but the fields around Mount Douglas Secondary would shape not only his love of sport, but a future career that would take him from Yahoo’s boardroom to the top of Major League Soccer (MLS).
“My roots are right there – the people, the values, the soccer,” Mallett said. “Victoria taught me how to compete, how to care, and how to give back. That’s never left me.”
More than four decades later, Mallett is one of Canada’s most accomplished sports executives.
A longtime owner and executive committee member with the San Francisco Giants, and a key investor in the Vancouver Whitecaps since 2006, Mallett’s fingerprints are all over the North American sports landscape.
And while he’s made big plays in Silicon Valley and at the ownership table of billion-dollar franchises, he still talks like a hometown kid who never forgot the people who shaped him.
“Guys like Mel Cooper, the Courtnall brothers, David Foster, the Campbell family – they all showed me how to do good while doing well,” he said. “That’s a Victoria thing. That’s a Mount Doug thing.”
Mallett had planned to return to his hometown of Victoria on Tuesday, June 10, to present UVic’s Distinguished Entrepreneur of the Year award – an award that he originally won in 2004.
But a rough road trip with the Whitecaps to Mexico changed those plans.
Vancouver was trounced 5-0 by Cruz Azul in the CONCACAF Champions Cup final on June 1 – a heavy defeat made worse by what happened after the final whistle. Roughly half of the 75 people who returned to Canada via charter reported gastrointestinal symptoms.
Just four days after the Mexico loss, the Whitecaps rebounded with a commanding 3-0 win over the Seattle Sounders.
“That’s resilience. That’s the culture we’ve built here,” Mallett said. “When you go through adversity and come back stronger – that’s when you learn what your team is made of.”
Mallett’s journey into professional sports ownership began shortly after his run as founding president and COO of Yahoo. He helped scale the company from a handful of engineers into a global digital force worth billions.
But he never lost his connection to sport – especially soccer.
“I almost bought the San Jose Earthquakes in 2001,” Mallett said. “But Don Garber – the commissioner of MLS – said, ‘Hey, you’re Canadian. You need to talk to the folks in Vancouver.’ That’s when I met Greg Kerfoot and joined the Whitecaps.”
He’s been with the club ever since, and in 2023, he became an executive chair.
Under his watch, the Whitecaps have built new infrastructure, expanded their fan base, and become a leading presence in Canadian soccer.
Mallett also played a central role in the league’s groundbreaking global streaming partnership with Apple TV – a deal he believes is just the beginning of something much bigger.
“With the World Cup coming in 2026 and seven matches at BC Place, I think the MLS has a chance to break into the top five (soccer) leagues in the world,” he said. “But it’s going to take continued investment, smart planning, and keeping our foot on the gas.”
With his investment in pro sports, he has made a lot of friends along the way, including Simon Keith.
This summer, on Aug. 23, he’s helping organize the Heart of Gold Gala in Victoria, alongside Keith. The two played soccer together at Mount Doug, suited up for the Vikes afterwards, and have stayed close ever since.
“Simon is a miracle. He’s survived a heart transplant, played professionally, and now helps kids all over the world get life-saving treatment,” Mallett said. “He’s my best friend – 45 years and counting – and this gala is about giving back to the community that gave us both so much.”
Steve Nash – another Victoria product and close friend – is also never far from Mallett’s thoughts. The pair are part of an influential Whitecaps ownership group that includes Kerfoot and Steve Luczo.
“I talk to Steve every day. He’s been a business partner, a mentor, and a motivator,” Mallett said. “He’s one of the people who constantly reminds me to keep showing up for others – to use what we’ve built to lift others.”
While sports have always been at the forefront for Mallett, it was the tech world that gave him his first big break.
He joined Yahoo in 1995 as its 12th employee and helped grow the company into a global destination for information. By the time he left eight years later, Yahoo had 6,000 employees and $5 billion in annual revenue.
Technology has changed drastically since then, Mallett said – and the next wave may be even more transformative.
“Artificial intelligence (AI) is like the internet all over again – maybe 1,000 times bigger,” Mallett said. “It’s coming fast, and if you’re not adapting, you’re falling behind. I’ve seen a lot of change since Yahoo, but this might be the biggest one yet.”
He noted that AI is a horizontal application – meaning it’s not a matter of if companies will adopt it, but when.
Still, no matter where tech or sport takes him, Mallett’s compass always points back to Victoria.
“Every time I come back, it grounds me. That’s where this all started. Soccer, friendship, values – it’s all from there,” Mallett said. “And if I can help pass that forward, whether through the Whitecaps, through Simon, through UVic – that’s the real win.”
