internal
Joseph E. Creed
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Executive
1 yr
8 reports
Leadership change Joseph E. Creed was promoted to CEO (from Group President) · DEF 14A, 2026-04-30
Caterpillar Inc. ·CAT
Four global operating groups report directly to the CEO
Industrials · Fortune #56 · Divisional structure · 113K employees · Irving, TX
View as of:
7
CEO span
↓ tighter than peers (avg 9)
7
Avg span
wide
2
Max depth
flat for 113K emp
3.4 yr
Avg tenure
↓ 2.7yr from FY2024
71%
Internal hires
↑ above industry avg
Consolidated financials FY2025 · period end 2025-12-31 · 10-K
Revenue
$67.6B
Operating income
$11.2B
Net income
$2.7B
Total assets
$98.6B
Shares out
465M
Sourced from Caterpillar Inc. DEF 14A · filed 2026-04-30 ↗ View on SEC
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Caterpillar Inc. organizational chart
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Four global operating groups report directly to Caterpillar’s CEO with no COO layer. This page maps the divisional structure, executive team, recent leadership changes, financial context, and peer comparisons for Caterpillar Inc.
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 Kyle Epley joined as Chief Financial Officer
Appointed CFO effective May 1, 2026.
Source · See change logScenario views in the chart
- Add a Chief Operating Officer Introduce a COO to consolidate oversight of the four operating groups and reduce CEO span.
- Consolidate Financial Products under CFO Move Financial Products to report to the CFO to tighten balance-sheet oversight.
Atlas work this supports
- Connect Workday or UKG Get these analytics for YOUR org — tenure, span of control, headcount, automatically from your HRIS.
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- Plan a Reorg Use this as a starting point. Model scenarios, compare structures, present options to your board.
The people
Who's running this
9 executives identified as Named Executive Officers in the most recent SEC proxy. Bar length scales with tenure.
internal
Kyle Epley
Chief Financial Officer
Finance
0 yr
0 reports
Andrew R. J. Bonfield
Chief Financial Officer (through May 1, 2026)
Finance
7 yr
0 reports
Christy M. Pambianchi
Chief Human Resources Officer
Human Resources
1 yr
0 reports
internal
Derek Owens
Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel
Legal
4 yr
0 reports
internal
Tony Fassino
Group President, Construction Industries
Construction Industries
5 yr
0 reports
Denise C. Johnson
Group President, Resource Industries
Resource Industries
7 yr
0 reports
internal
Bob De Lange
Group President, Energy & Transportation
Energy & Transportation
6 yr
0 reports
internal
David Walton
Group President, Financial Products
Financial Products
4 yr
0 reports
The pay
Executive compensation
From the most recent DEF 14A Summary Compensation Table. 1 named executive officers disclosed. Bar length scales with total compensation.
Joseph E. Creed $17.0M
- Base salary
- $1.38M
- Stock awards
- $9.54M
- Option awards
- $3.10M
- Non-equity incentive
- $2.48M
- Other
- $510K
- Fiscal year
- FY2025
- Source
- SEC DEF 14A ↗
The businesses
How Caterpillar Inc. divides the work
4 divisions report into the group CEO. Tile size scales with estimated headcount.
Construction Industries
35K employees
Group President (Tony Fassino)
Designs and manufactures construction equipment serving infrastructure and building markets.
Resource Industries
25K employees
Group President (Denise C. Johnson)
Provides mining and heavy industrial equipment and services globally.
Energy & Transportation
30K employees
Group President (Bob De Lange)
Supplies engines, turbines, and power solutions across energy and transport markets.
Financial Products
8K employees
Group President (David Walton)
Provides financing, leasing, and insurance to dealers and customers.
The thesis
Why this org is unusual
Caterpillar’s most distinctive structural feature is that its four global operating groups report directly to the CEO with no COO layer.
This creates a wide CEO span anchored around P&L-owning Group Presidents for Construction Industries, Resource Industries, Energy & Transportation, and Financial Products.
The structure reflects Caterpillar’s long-standing divisional model, with each group responsible for strategy, margins, and capital discipline in its end markets. Corporate functions—finance, legal, and HR—remain centralized and comparatively lean, supporting the operating units rather than acting as intermediary layers.
Recent leadership transitions, including the CEO succession in 2025 and CFO transition in 2026, did not alter this architecture, underscoring board confidence in the divisional model’s scalability and accountability.
- No COO role
- Four P&L-owning group presidents
The comparison
How Caterpillar Inc. stacks up
Compared with peers like Deere, Komatsu, and Volvo Group, Caterpillar runs a similarly divisional structure but with a slightly wider CEO span. Deere and Volvo both interpose stronger central operating roles, while Caterpillar relies more heavily on autonomous group presidents. This places more decision-making …
C-suite size
Caterpillar Inc.
9
Deere & Company
8
Komatsu
9
Volvo Group
10
CNH Industrial
9
Reporting depth
Caterpillar Inc.
2 levels
Deere & Company
4 levels
Komatsu
5 levels
Volvo Group
5 levels
CNH Industrial
4 levels
Avg C-suite tenure
Caterpillar Inc.
3 yr
Deere & Company
6 yr
Komatsu
7 yr
Volvo Group
6 yr
CNH Industrial
5 yr
Has COO / Has CAIO
Caterpillar Inc. — no COO — no CAIO
Deere & Company ✓ COO — no CAIO
Komatsu ✓ COO — no CAIO
Volvo Group ✓ COO — no CAIO
CNH Industrial — no COO — no CAIO
Current signals
What changed recently
The most consequential change was the CEO succession to Joseph Creed, followed by a CFO transition in 2026.
- new
- departed
- promoted
Leadership Timeline
Year-over-year executive structure based on SEC proxy and annual filings.
FY2025
DEF 14A filed 2026-04-30
- CEO
- Joseph E. Creed
- CEO span
- 7
- C-suite
- 6
- Avg tenure
- 3.4 yr
First full proxy reflecting Creed as CEO.
Named executive officers (5)
- Joseph E. Creed - CEO since 2025
- Andrew R. J. Bonfield - CFO since 2018
- Bob De Lange - Group President since 2020
- Denise C. Johnson - Group President since 2018
- Christy M. Pambianchi - CHRO since 2025
FY2024
DEF 14A filed 2025-04-25
- CEO
- D. James Umpleby III
- CEO span
- 7
- C-suite
- 6
- Avg tenure
- 6.1 yr
Final year before CEO succession.
Named executive officers (1)
- D. James Umpleby III - Chairman and CEO since 2017
Year-over-year changes
Leadership transition to a new CEO without structural reorganization.
- CEO span: 7 → 7
- C-suite size: 6 → 6
- Avg tenure: 6.1 → 3.4 yr
- promoted Joseph E. Creed - CEO (was Group President) (DEF 14A, 2026-04-30)
The board
Board of directors
2 directors. 1 of 2 independent (50%). Source: most recent DEF 14A.
Joseph E. Creed
Chair Inside
Chairman and CEO, Caterpillar Inc.
Debra L. Reed-Klages
Lead Indep. Independent
Former Chairman and CEO, Sempra Energy
Also on: Chevron, Lockheed Martin
The board, organized
Board committees
1 standing committees. Audit and Compensation must be 100% independent under SEC rules; the rest vary.
Audit Committee
100% independent
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the CEO of Caterpillar Inc.?
Joseph E. Creed has served as Chairman and CEO since May 1, 2025.
What type of organizational structure does Caterpillar Inc. use?
Caterpillar uses a divisional structure organized around global operating groups.
How many direct reports does Caterpillar's CEO have?
The CEO has seven direct reports, including four group presidents and key functional leaders.
How has Caterpillar's leadership changed recently?
Key changes include a CEO succession in 2025 and a CFO transition effective May 2026.
Does Caterpillar have a COO?
No, Caterpillar operates without a COO; group presidents report directly to the CEO.
Sources
- 8-K Filing, Apr 2026
- 8-K Filing, Jan 2026
- DEF 14A Filing, Apr 2026
- SEC EDGAR: Caterpillar Inc. DEF 14A Proxy Statement
- SEC EDGAR: Caterpillar Inc. 10-K Annual Report
Reference
Cite this page
If you reference this page in research, analysis, or news writing, use one of the formats below. Citation includes the SEC filing source where applicable.
APA 7th
Creately. (2026). Caterpillar Inc. organizational structure. Creately. Retrieved , from https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/caterpillar/MLA 9th
"Caterpillar Inc. Organizational Structure." Creately, April 1, 2026, https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/caterpillar/. Accessed .Chicago 17
Creately. "Caterpillar Inc. Organizational Structure." Last modified April 1, 2026. https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/caterpillar/.Original SEC source View on SEC ↗
Caterpillar Inc.. DEF 14A. Filed 2026-04-30. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/18230/000130817926000358/cat014496-def14a.htmPermanent URL: https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/caterpillar/ · last updated 2026-04-01