Primary Job Title CEO & Co-Founder Primary Organization Roc Nation
Location New York, New York, United States Regions Greater New York Area, East Coast, Northeastern US Gender Female
Website desireeperezofficial.com LinkedIn View on LinkedIn
Desiree Perez is Chief Executive Officer of Roc Nation, a premier entertainment company she co-founded alongside JAŸ-Z (Chairman), Jay Brown (Vice Chairman), Juan Perez (President of Roc Nation Sports), and Tyran “Ty Ty” Smith (President of A&R). Prior to her current title, she served as Roc Nation’s Chief Operating Officer from 2008 to 2019.
A Bronx native, Perez began her professional career in the entertainment industry as a part-time assistant manager of a nightclub in New York, where she was responsible for securing musical artists. It was through that role she booked and met JAŸ-Z, who would later become her business partner. After that introduction, Perez and JAŸ-Z worked together at Baseline Studios, beginning a decades-long collaboration. In 2003, five years before co-founding Roc Nation, Perez and JAŸ-Z founded The 40/40 Club, a luxury sports bar and lounge in Manhattan.
Perez’s executive responsibilities as CEO of Roc Nation include overseeing development and growth across the organization’s vast portfolio of offerings and ventures. Integral in shaping the massive evolution of Roc Nation, Perez continues to play a pivotal role in orchestrating some of the company’s most significant contracts. Her industry expertise and negotiation prowess helped drive a 10-year, $200 million global touring deal between JAŸ-Z and Live Nation, and ultimately a larger partnership between Roc Nation and Universal Music Group. Known for her tireless commitment to client success, Perez is a key influence and executive producer behind the careers and tours of global superstars such as Alicia Keys, Megan Thee Stallion, and Lil Uzi Vert.
She was instrumental in leading a monumental partnership deal between Roc Nation and the National Football League (NFL) in 2019 when Roc Nation was named the league’s official Live Music Entertainment Strategists. This has resulted in some of the most celebrated Super Bowl halftime shows in the past decade. In 2026, Bad Bunny’s halftime show set a staggering global record with 4.157 billion views across all digital and broadcast platforms within 24 hours.
Perez leverages her public platform to champion for meaningful impact in underserved communities by leading Roc Nation’s philanthropic arm, Team Roc. Team Roc has moved over $94.6 million to assist 5.2 million individuals. These efforts earned Perez the Harry Belafonte Social Justice Award in 2025, awarded by The Gathering for Justice at its 20th Anniversary Gala for her decades-long commitment to criminal legal reform and community empowerment. Outside of her work with Team Roc, Perez further supports criminal justice initiatives through her involvement in other charitable organizations and nonprofits. She is a board member of REFORM Alliance, which advocates for prison reform initiatives and policies. Additionally, she is a United Justice Coalition board member.
Perez is regarded for the historic contributions she has made in the industry. In recognition of her accomplishments, she has been featured on Billboard’s Sports and Music Power Players in 2025 and 2026, Power 100 in 2023, 2024, and 2025, and R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players in 2021, 2023, and 2025. Perez’s accolades also include being a Variety500 Honoree in 2021 and 2023, as well as one of The Hollywood Reporter's 2023 Top 55 Most Powerful Latin Players in Film, TV and Music and Entrepreneur’s 100 Women of Influence in 2022. That same year, she won a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Variety Special (Live) for her work as executive producer of the Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show and was named Community Quarterback at the 29th Annual United Way of New York City’s Gridiron Gala in 2022. Perez was also named Executive of the Year by Billboard at the 2019 Women in Music Awards.
