Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. ·AJG

Founder-led CEO retains unusually long-tenured executive core

Financials · Fortune #367 · Hybrid structure · 56K employees · Rolling Meadows, Illinois

View as of:
4
CEO span
↓ tighter than peers (avg 8)
1
Avg span
tight
2
Max depth
2 levels
15.8 yr
Avg tenure
↑ 1.2yr from FY2024
100%
Internal hires
↑ above industry avg
Consolidated financials FY2025 · period end 2025-12-31 · 10-K
Revenue
$13.9B
Net income
$1.5B
Total assets
$70.7B
Employees
706K
Shares out
257M

Sourced from Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. DEF 14A · filed 2026-03-23 ↗ View on SEC

Interactive org chart

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. organizational chart

Explore the executive structure, reporting layers, and scenario-ready operating model from public filings.

Open editable chart

Founder-led CEO Patrick Gallagher oversees a small, long-tenured executive team with only four direct reports. This page details Gallagher’s centralized leadership structure, executive roles, tenure patterns, recent changes, and peer comparisons among global insurance brokers.

What to model

Use the chart to test org decisions, not just view reporting lines

Start with the public baseline, then use the scenario views and source-backed changes to ask what happens when leadership, span, or team ownership shifts.

Latest signal Sherry Barrat departed as Director

Announced retirement effective May 12, 2026, reducing board size from 10 to 9.

Source · See change log

Scenario views in the chart

  • Add Chief AI Officer Introduce a Chief AI Officer reporting to the CEO to accelerate analytics, automation, and data-driven brokerage capabilities.
  • COO Succession Planning Remove the current COO role to model a succession scenario where operational control shifts back to the President.

Atlas work this supports

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The people

Who's running this

5 executives identified as Named Executive Officers in the most recent SEC proxy. Bar length scales with tenure.

internal

J. Patrick Gallagher, Jr.

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Executive

36 yr

4 reports

internal

Tom Gallagher

President

Executive

8 yr

0 reports

internal

Patrick Gallagher

Chief Operating Officer

Operations

2 yr

0 reports

internal

Douglas K. Howell

Chief Financial Officer

Finance

10 yr

0 reports

internal

Walter D. Bay

Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary

Legal

7 yr

0 reports

The pay

Executive compensation

From the most recent DEF 14A Summary Compensation Table. 2 named executive officers disclosed. Bar length scales with total compensation.

Pat Gallagher $20.7M
Base salary
$1.50M
Bonus
$194K
Stock awards
$6.58M
Option awards
$2.23M
Non-equity incentive
$7.95M
Pension change
$2.29M
Fiscal year
FY2025
Source
SEC DEF 14A ↗
Doug Howell $10.0M
Base salary
$1.05M
Bonus
$1.00M
Stock awards
$2.01M
Option awards
$1.36M
Non-equity incentive
$3.67M
Pension change
$3K
Other
$921K
Fiscal year
FY2025
Source
SEC DEF 14A ↗

The skin in the game

Beneficial ownership

Insider stock holdings and the company's ownership requirements for executives and directors. Disclosed in the most recent DEF 14A.

Stock ownership requirements
6×CEO base salary
4×NEO base salary

Stock ownership guidelines expressed as multiples of base salary.

The businesses

How Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. divides the work

4 divisions report into the group CEO. Tile size scales with estimated headcount.

Executive Management

50 employees

Chairman and CEO (J. Patrick Gallagher, Jr.)

Sets overall strategy, capital allocation, and acquisition priorities for the enterprise.

Operations

30K employees

Chief Operating Officer (Patrick Gallagher)

Oversees global brokerage and risk management operations and integration of acquisitions.

Finance

2K employees

Chief Financial Officer (Douglas K. Howell)

Manages financial reporting, capital markets, treasury, and investor relations.

Legal & Compliance

800 employees

General Counsel (Walter D. Bay)

Handles legal affairs, regulatory compliance, governance, and M&A execution.

The thesis

Why this org is unusual

Founder-led CEO Patrick Gallagher continues to run Arthur J.

Gallagher with an unusually long-tenured inner circle, with all core executives promoted internally. The CEO has only four direct reports, reflecting a tight, relationship-driven executive model rather than a broad functional span. This structure emphasizes continuity and acquisition integration discipline over frequent leadership churn.

The presence of both a President and a COO reporting directly to the CEO shows a layered operational model, with day-to-day divisional execution delegated while strategic control remains centralized. Legal and finance also report directly to the CEO, underscoring the importance of M&A, governance, and capital markets expertise in Gallagher’s growth strategy.

  • All CEO direct reports promoted internally
  • CEO tenure exceeds three decades

The comparison

How Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stacks up

Compared with other large insurance brokers, Arthur J. Gallagher stands out for executive longevity and internal promotion. Peers such as Marsh McLennan and Aon typically show more frequent C-suite turnover and broader CEO spans. Gallagher’s structure is more centralized, with fewer named C-suite roles and heavier …

C-suite size

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.
5
Marsh McLennan
8
Aon
9
Willis Towers Watson
10
Brown & Brown
7

Reporting depth

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.
2 levels
Marsh McLennan
5 levels
Aon
5 levels
Willis Towers Watson
6 levels
Brown & Brown
4 levels

Avg C-suite tenure

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.
16 yr
Marsh McLennan
6 yr
Aon
5 yr
Willis Towers Watson
4 yr
Brown & Brown
9 yr

Has COO / Has CAIO

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. ✓ COO — no CAIO
Marsh McLennan ✓ COO ✓ CAIO
Aon — no COO ✓ CAIO
Willis Towers Watson ✓ COO ✓ CAIO
Brown & Brown — no COO — no CAIO

Current signals

What changed recently

The most significant recent change was the retirement of long-serving director Sherry Barrat, modestly refreshing the board.

  • departed
    Sherry Barrat Director

    Announced retirement effective May 12, 2026, reducing board size from 10 to 9.

    Source
  • Date not confirmed reorg
    Patrick Gallagher Chief Operating Officer

    Operational responsibilities consolidated under COO following divisional leadership reorganization completed in 2024.

    Source

Leadership Timeline

Year-over-year executive structure based on SEC proxy and annual filings.

FY2025
DEF 14A filed 2026-03-23
CEO
J. Patrick Gallagher, Jr.
CEO span
4
C-suite
5
Avg tenure
15.8 yr

Leadership remained stable with no C-suite turnover.

Named executive officers (5)
  • J. Patrick Gallagher, Jr. - Chairman and CEO since 1986
  • Douglas K. Howell - CFO since 2015
  • Tom Gallagher - President since 2017
  • Patrick Gallagher - COO since 2024
  • Walter D. Bay - General Counsel since 2018
FY2024
DEF 14A filed 2025-03-24
CEO
J. Patrick Gallagher, Jr.
CEO span
4
C-suite
5
Avg tenure
14.6 yr

COO role formalized to oversee divisional operations.

Named executive officers (5)
  • J. Patrick Gallagher, Jr. - Chairman and CEO since 1986
  • Douglas K. Howell - CFO since 2015
  • Tom Gallagher - President since 2017
  • Patrick Gallagher - COO since 2024
  • Walter D. Bay - General Counsel since 2018
FY2023
DEF 14A filed 2024-03-25
CEO
J. Patrick Gallagher, Jr.
CEO span
3
C-suite
4
Avg tenure
13.9 yr

No dedicated COO prior to 2024 reorganization.

Named executive officers (4)
  • J. Patrick Gallagher, Jr. - Chairman and CEO since 1986
  • Douglas K. Howell - CFO since 2015
  • Tom Gallagher - President since 2017
  • Walter D. Bay - General Counsel since 2018

Year-over-year changes

FY2023 → FY2024

The addition of a COO increased CEO span and formalized operational oversight.

  • CEO span: 3 → 4
  • C-suite size: 4 → 5
  • Avg tenure: 13.9 → 14.6 yr
  • new Patrick Gallagher - Chief Operating Officer (DEF 14A, 2025-03-24)
FY2024 → FY2025

No executive turnover; average tenure increased further.

  • Avg tenure: 14.6 → 15.8 yr

The board

Board of directors

9 directors. 8 of 9 independent (89%). Source: most recent DEF 14A.

J. Patrick Gallagher, Jr.

Chair Inside

Chairman and CEO, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

Deborah Caplan

Independent

Teresa Clarke

Independent

John Coldman

Independent

Richard Harries

Independent

David Johnson

Independent

Chris Miskel

Independent

Ralph Nicoletti

Independent

Norman Rosenthal

Independent

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the CEO of Arthur J. Gallagher?

J. Patrick Gallagher, Jr. has served as Chairman and CEO since 1986, making him one of the longest-tenured CEOs in the Fortune 500.

What type of organizational structure does Arthur J. Gallagher use?

Gallagher uses a hybrid structure with centralized executive control and decentralized operating divisions.

How many direct reports does Arthur J. Gallagher's CEO have?

The CEO has four direct reports: the President, COO, CFO, and General Counsel.

How has Arthur J. Gallagher's leadership changed recently?

Recent changes include the retirement of director Sherry Barrat in 2026 and a completed operational reorganization under the COO.

Is Arthur J. Gallagher known for internal promotions?

Yes. All current CEO direct reports were promoted internally, reflecting a strong internal succession culture.

Sources

  • 8-K Filing, Mar 2026
  • Company Proxy Statement, Mar 2025
  • SEC EDGAR: Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. DEF 14A Proxy Statement
  • SEC EDGAR: Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. 10-K Annual Report

Reference

Cite this page

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APA 7th
Creately. (2026). Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. organizational structure. Creately. Retrieved , from https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/arthur-j-gallagher/
MLA 9th
"Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Organizational Structure." Creately, April 1, 2026, https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/arthur-j-gallagher/. Accessed .
Chicago 17
Creately. "Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Organizational Structure." Last modified April 1, 2026. https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/arthur-j-gallagher/.
Original SEC source View on SEC ↗
Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.. DEF 14A. Filed 2026-03-23. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/354190/000035419026000101/ajg-20260323.htm

Permanent URL: https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/arthur-j-gallagher/ · last updated 2026-04-01

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