Management Team

Fred Thiel is the Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of MARA Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: MARA) and has over 35 years of experience in the technology sector. Mr. Thiel is an acclaimed innovator and expert, having led organizations across diverse fields including digital assets, AI, semiconductors and enterprise software. Under his leadership, MARA has grown from a market cap of under $30 million to over $5 billion, becoming the largest company in the bitcoin mining space, with operations spanning across four continents. Before MARA, Mr. Thiel served as CEO of Local Corporation and Lantronix. 

Mr. Thiel attended classes at the Stockholm School of Economics and Harvard Business School. Mr. Thiel chairs Oden Technologies and is active in Young Presidents’ Organization, where he has led initiatives in both the FinTech and Technology Networks. 

A recognized voice in the industry, Fred frequently shares his insights on energy and technology with major media outlets like Bloomberg TV, CNBC, and FOX Business, contributing to vital discussions about the future of these sectors. 

Salman Khan has served as Chief Financial Officer since June 2023. Mr. Khan oversees a broad set of enterprise functions including information technology, investor relations, treasury, digital asset management, internal audit, tax, accounting and financial planning and analysis. His responsibilities have also encompassed legal and corporate development, including MARA's M&A and strategic partnership efforts. He also serves as a MARA-appointed director on the board of Exaion, the Company's European digital infrastructure subsidiary. 

Since joining MARA, Mr. Khan has led over $5 billion in capital markets and balance sheet transactions. Mr. Khan also led the transition from an asset-light Bitcoin mining model to a vertically integrated digital infrastructure platform. He has overseen the acquisition and ongoing integration of Exaion, helped establish a joint venture for HPC and AI data center development, and built MARA's institutional bitcoin treasury strategy. 

Prior to MARA, Mr. Khan served from 2021 to 2023 as Chief Financial Officer of Verb Technology Company, Inc., a Nasdaq-listed SaaS company, where he led the strategic divestiture of the company's core business. From 2006 to 2021, Mr. Khan held progressive senior executive roles at Occidental Petroleum Corporation and its spinoff, California Resources Corporation, including Division Chief Financial Officer, Director of Renewable Energy, and Director of Corporate Development. His 15-year energy tenure spanned capital allocation, infrastructure operations, M&A execution and renewable energy development. Mr. Khan began his career with eight years at Arthur Andersen, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Ernst & Young, serving clients across the technology, media, telecommunications, entertainment, energy, and biotechnology sectors. Mr. Khan holds an MBA from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business and is a licensed Chartered Certified Accountant (UK). 

Mr. Crawford has over eighteen years experience in the technology and business sector with expertise in a wide range of disciplines including new media, mobile marketing, intellectual property, security, and compliance.

In early 2013 Mr. Crawford joined MARA (Nasdaq:MARA), as Chief Operating Officer, overseeing numerous aspects of the company's operations.

Prior to MARA Mr. Crawford served as Chief Information Officer at Modavox/Augme Technologies focusing on internal product development and infrastructure build out. He also worked extensively in the Intellectual Property division to effectuate monetization through licensing, and enforcement, as well as assisting in reducing to practice the company¹s innovations and positioning the patent portfolio as a competitive differentiator. He is a named inventor on several Internet Technology patents pending with the United States Patent & Trademark Office. Mr. Crawford served on the Board of Directors of Augme Technologies from March 2006 through August 2011.

Prior to Augme Technologies Mr. Crawford was a founding member of Kino Interactive, LLC (Acquired by Surfnet Media Group, AKA Modavox/Augme Technologies (HIPP)), a developer of enhanced communication software and digital media solutions, as well as a founder of Audioeye, Inc (AEYE), a patented voice infrastructure technology enabling web compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Mr. Crawford received his Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Washington State University.

Summer Anderson has served as Chief People Officer since November 2024. Ms. Anderson leads MARA's talent acquisition and management, people development, culture and engagement, performance management, compensation and benefits, and change management. She previously served on the Company's advisory board.

Prior to MARA, Ms. Anderson served from 2019 to 2024 as a Managing Director at ZRG Partners, specializing in Chief Product and Chief Technology Officer searches across cybersecurity, SaaS, platform, and semiconductor companies. She joined ZRG in 2019 when it acquired MiROR Partners, the executive search and leadership development firm she co-founded in 2015. Earlier, she was Director of Talent Acquisition, U.S., at Allergan, led cybersecurity executive hiring at Booz Allen Hamilton, and began her career at Coopers & Lybrand and Heidrick & Struggles. Her more than two decades in executive search and talent acquisition spanned finance, operations, information systems, sales, R&D, and engineering roles across the technology, pharmaceutical, healthcare, and professional services sectors. Ms. Anderson holds a B.A. in Sociology from the University of California, Berkeley.

John Ellis has served as Chief Accounting Officer since May 2024. Mr. Ellis oversees the Company's financial reporting, internal controls, and compliance functions, and serves as the primary liaison to the external auditors and the audit committee, supporting the integrity and accuracy of the Company's financial statements and SEC filings. He leads a broad accounting organization spanning general accounting, technical accounting, external reporting, tax, and internal controls.   

Beyond his core reporting responsibilities, Mr. Ellis is deeply embedded in the business as a trusted advisor to his fellow senior leaders. He contributes to strategic planning, supports M&A activity from due diligence through integration, and ensures the financial implications of major business decisions are well understood and properly reflected in the Company's financial position. He works closely with operational leaders across the organization to support the delivery of financial data that is consistent, timely, and actionable 

Mr. Ellis brings more than three decades of progressive finance and accounting leadership, with deep expertise across financial reporting, technical accounting, and business partnering. Prior to MARA, he served from 2022 to 2024 as Chief Accounting Officer of Open Education and from 2018 to 2022 as Senior Vice President, Finance and Chief Accounting Officer of 2U. Before that, Mr. Ellis spent 14 years at Newell Brands, a global consumer goods company, where he held a series of executive finance roles including Chief Accounting Officer and Treasurer, along with leadership positions spanning business transformation, segment finance, financial planning and analysis, and mergers and acquisitions. Mr. Ellis began his career with a decade of public accounting experience at Ernst & Young LLP. A Certified Public Accountant, he holds a BBA in Accounting from Loyola University Maryland and an MBA in Finance and an MS in Real Estate from Johns Hopkins University. 

Zabi Nowaid is MARA's General Counsel and Corporate Secretary. Zabi oversees all of MARA's legal matters, including corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, intellectual property, litigation, and securities compliance. Zabi joined MARA from Open English, a leading global education technology company backed by TCV and Insight Partners, where he served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary.

Prior to Open English, Zabi was the General Counsel & Corporate Secretary of a Nasdaq-listed technology company and held leadership roles at Occidental Petroleum Corporation and its NYSE-listed spinoff, California Resources Corporation. Zabi began his legal career as a corporate lawyer at White & Case LLP, a leading global law firm. Zabi has proven executive expertise in technology, energy, and leading a public company legal department.

Zabi earned a bachelor's degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and a law degree from the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco.

Duncan Dickerson has served as President, Digital Infrastructure, since March 2024. Mr. Dickerson leads MARA's operations, mergers and acquisitions, leasing, origination, development, asset management, and corporate strategy. Since joining MARA, Mr. Dickerson has led the formation of the Company's vertically integrated digital infrastructure portfolio.   

Prior to his current role at MARA, Mr. Dickerson was Chief Growth and Strategy Officer and SVP of corporate development. He has also held roles at Lazard, KKR, and Morgan Stanley and has worked on over $40 billion in traditional and emerging energy transactions spanning M&A, activism defense, public and private capital markets, and in-court and out-of-court restructurings.   

Mr. Dickerson is an adjunct professor at Rice University, where he teaches digital infrastructure finance at Jones Graduate School of Business. He was a premier member of the Houston chapter of the Rikers Debate Project, a nonprofit that teaches competitive debate to incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals to give them a greater voice in the decisions that affect their lives, and has served on committees for the Hermann Park Conservancy in Houston, Texas. Mr. Dickerson holds a B.A. from Columbia University and an MBA from Rice University. He lives in Dana Point, California, with his wife and two children.

Brenda Freeman has served as Senior Vice President and Head of Marketing and Communications since August 2026. Ms. Freeman  oversees MARA’s brand, marketing, corporate communications, and reputation strategy.   

Ms. Freeman has built and transformed brands across technology, media, and consumer businesses. Prior to MARA, she served from 2021 to 2023 as Chief Brand Officer of Wunderkind, a digital commerce technology company, and from 2019 to 2021 as Chief Executive Officer of Arteza, a direct-to-consumer art supplies brand ranked No. 32 on the 2020 Inc. 5000. She held senior leadership roles at Magic Leap, including Chief Marketing Officer, and was Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of National Geographic Channels. Earlier, she served as Global Head of Television Marketing at DreamWorks Animation, Chief Marketing Officer of Turner Broadcasting's Cartoon Network and Adult Swim, and in senior marketing roles at Viacom, including Nickelodeon and VH1. She is the founder of Joyeux Advisory Group.   

Ms. Freeman serves on the boards of Avnet, Caleres, and WM Technology (Weedmaps), where she is Lead Director. She holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and an MBA in finance and marketing from the University of Maryland, College Park.