DENVER – The journey towards succeeding her father as the Broncos’ principal owner continues for Brittany Bowlen.
The clear favorite among Pat Bowlen’s seven children to one day take charge of the Broncos, Brittany Bowlen begins her new job with McKinsey & Company on Wednesday at the firm’s downtown Denver branch.
McKinsey is considered one of the world’s most prestigious business consulting companies. Business experience is considered a vital step for Brittany Bowlen to become qualified for consideration as the Broncos’ boss, as measured by the trustees of the Pat Bowlen Trust.
There is little question Brittany met whatever education requirements have been set forth as she graduated from Notre Dame with a finance degree and 3.8 grade-point average in 2013 and earned her Master’s and Business Administration (MBA) degree from Duke University in May.
She has also interned for NBC Sports, worked two full years in a variety of roles at the NFL office in New York, and the 2015 season with the Broncos as a business analyst.
While there is no timetable for how long Brittany Bowlen will work for McKinsey, the expectation is when she completes her term there she will be brought back to the Broncos for more team front-office experience.
Pat Bowlen, who has been nominated as a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, was the chief steward of the Broncos from March 1984 until Alzheimer’s disease led to transferring control of the team to the Pat Bowlen Trust in July 2014.
The trust is run by three trustees: Joe Ellis, who also serves as the Broncos’ chief executive officer and president, Rich Slivka, the Broncos’ general counsel, and attorney Mary Kelly. It would make sense for the trust to continue overseeing the team through the new collective bargaining agreement negotiations in 2021 while Brittany Bowlen continues to build her resume.
While the trust oversees the entire Broncos’ franchise operation, John Elway has been running the team’s football operations since 2011. Elway is in the second year of a five-year contract extension he received last year.
