internal
Ron M. Vachris
President & Chief Executive Officer
Executive
2 yr
13 reports
Leadership change Ron M. Vachris became CEO (from President) · DEF 14A 2024
Costco Wholesale Corporation ·COST
Two COOs split U.S./Mexico and International operations
Retailing · Fortune #11 · Functional structure · 316K employees · Issaquah, WA
View as of:
7
CEO span
↓ tighter than peers (avg 11)
2.4
Avg span
tight
3
Max depth
flat for 316K emp
3.4 yr
Avg tenure
stable vs FY2024
71%
Internal hires
↑ above industry avg
Consolidated financials FY2025 · period end 2025-08-31 · 10-K
Revenue
$275.2B
Operating income
$10.4B
Net income
$8.1B
Total assets
$77.1B
Shares out
443M
Sourced from Costco Wholesale Corporation DEF 14A · filed 2025-12-04 ↗ View on SEC
Interactive org chart
Costco Wholesale Corporation organizational chart
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Costco uses a distinctive dual-COO structure, splitting U.S./Mexico and International operations under the CEO. This page maps its functional leadership model, executive team, compensation, and board, with analysis and peer comparison.
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 Russ D. Miller departed as Senior EVP, COO – U.S. & Mexico Operations
Retirement announced August 4, 2025; effective February 2026.
Source · See change logScenario views in the chart
- Add Chief AI Officer Create a CAIO role reporting to the CEO to accelerate analytics and automation.
- Consolidate COOs under single global COO Merge U.S./Mexico and International operations under one global COO to simplify accountability.
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
8 executives identified as Named Executive Officers in the most recent SEC proxy. Bar length scales with tenure.
internal
Russ D. Miller
Senior Executive Vice President, COO – U.S. & Mexico Operations
Operations
7 yr
3 reports
Gary Millerchip
Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer
Finance
1 yr
1 reports
internal
Pierre Riel
Executive Vice President, COO – International Division
Operations
3 yr
2 reports
Javier Polit
Executive Vice President, Chief Information & Digital Officer
Technology
2 yr
0 reports
internal
Claudine Adamo
Executive Vice President, Merchandising
Merchandising
3 yr
0 reports
internal
John Sullivan
Executive Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary
Legal
5 yr
0 reports
internal
Patrick Callans
Executive Vice President, Administration
Administration
6 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.
Ron M. Vachris $13.9M
- Base salary
- $1.18M
- Bonus
- $12.04M
- Stock awards
- $600K
- Non-equity incentive
- $54K
- Pension change
- $59K
- 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.
| Holder | Shares | % of class |
|---|---|---|
| Ron M. Vachris | 52K | <1% |
The businesses
How Costco Wholesale Corporation divides the work
4 divisions report into the group CEO. Tile size scales with estimated headcount.
Warehouse Operations
250K employees
Senior EVP, COO – U.S. & Mexico Operations (Russ D. Miller)
Runs all warehouse and depot operations across U.S. and Mexico.
International Operations
50K employees
EVP, COO – International Division (Pierre Riel)
Oversees warehouses and logistics outside the U.S. and Mexico.
Finance
3K employees
EVP & CFO (Gary Millerchip)
Manages financial reporting, treasury, tax, and controls.
Information & Digital
5K employees
EVP, Chief Information & Digital Officer (Javier Polit)
Leads enterprise IT, digital platforms, and e-commerce systems.
The thesis
Why this org is unusual
Two separate chief operating officers—one for U.S./Mexico and one for International—report directly to the CEO.
This split reflects Costco’s warehouse-centric operating model, where execution discipline and regional scale matter more than product-line P&Ls. The structure keeps merchandising, technology, and administration as centralized functions while giving operations leaders broad geographic authority.
Unlike many large retailers, Costco has no single global COO. Instead, operational accountability is bifurcated, with divisional COOs underneath the U.S./Mexico leader and country/region heads under the International COO. Finance, legal, and digital remain tightly centralized, reinforcing Costco’s low-SKU, low-variance operating philosophy.
- Dual-COO operating model
- No standalone global COO
- High internal promotion rate
The comparison
How Costco Wholesale Corporation stacks up
Compared with peers like Walmart and Target, Costco’s structure is more functionally centralized and less divisional by banner or concept. Walmart layers multiple regional CEOs and segment presidents, while Costco maintains a single brand and relies on geographic COOs. This reduces overhead but concentrates operational …
Reporting depth
Current signals
What changed recently
Costco announced the 2026 retirement of its U.S./Mexico COO and named Caton Frates as successor.
Leadership Timeline
Year-over-year executive structure based on SEC proxy and annual filings.
FY2025
DEF 14A filed 2025-12-04
- CEO
- Ron M. Vachris
- CEO span
- 6
- C-suite
- 6
- Avg tenure
- 3.2 yr
Dual-COO model fully in place.
Named executive officers (5)
- Ron M. Vachris - CEO since 2024
- Gary Millerchip - CFO since 2024
- Russ D. Miller - COO U.S./Mexico since 2018
- Pierre Riel - COO International since 2022
- Javier Polit - CIDO since 2023
FY2024
DEF 14A filed 2024-12-19
- CEO
- Ron M. Vachris
- CEO span
- 6
- C-suite
- 6
- Avg tenure
- 2.9 yr
CFO transition year.
Named executive officers (2)
- Ron M. Vachris - CEO since 2024
- Richard Galanti - CFO since 1985
FY2023
DEF 14A filed 2023-12-20
- CEO
- Craig Jelinek
- CEO span
- 6
- C-suite
- 6
- Avg tenure
- 8.1 yr
Founder-era leadership ending.
Named executive officers (2)
- Craig Jelinek - CEO since 2012
- Richard Galanti - CFO since 1985
Year-over-year changes
CEO succession reduced average tenure sharply.
- CEO span: 6 → 6
- C-suite size: 6 → 6
- Avg tenure: 8.1 → 2.9 yr
- new Ron M. Vachris - CEO (was President) (DEF 14A 2024)
C-suite stabilized after CFO change.
- CEO span: 6 → 6
- C-suite size: 6 → 6
- Avg tenure: 2.9 → 3.2 yr
- retitled Gary Millerchip - CFO (DEF 14A 2025)
The board
Board of directors
2 directors. 2 of 2 independent (100%). Source: most recent DEF 14A.
Hamilton E. James
Chair Independent
Chairman, Jefferson River Capital
Susan L. Decker
Independent
Former CFO, Yahoo!
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 8 mtgs/yr
- denman_dir Chair
- Susan L. Decker
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the CEO of Costco Wholesale?
Ron M. Vachris has served as President and CEO since January 2024.
What type of organizational structure does Costco use?
Costco uses a primarily functional structure with centralized functions and geographic COOs.
How many direct reports does Costco's CEO have?
The CEO has seven direct reports at the EVP and COO level.
How has Costco's leadership changed recently?
In 2025, Costco announced the retirement of its U.S./Mexico COO and a successor appointment effective 2026.
Who reports directly to Costco's CEO?
Direct reports include the CFO, two COOs, CIO/CDO, General Counsel, and heads of merchandising and administration.
Sources
- 8-K Filing, Aug 2025
- SEC EDGAR: Costco Wholesale Corporation DEF 14A Proxy Statement
- SEC EDGAR: Costco Wholesale Corporation 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). Costco Wholesale Corporation organizational structure. Creately. Retrieved , from https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/costco/MLA 9th
"Costco Wholesale Corporation Organizational Structure." Creately, April 1, 2026, https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/costco/. Accessed .Chicago 17
Creately. "Costco Wholesale Corporation Organizational Structure." Last modified April 1, 2026. https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/costco/.Original SEC source View on SEC ↗
Costco Wholesale Corporation. DEF 14A. Filed 2025-12-04. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/909832/000090983225000159/cost-20251204.htmPermanent URL: https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/costco/ · last updated 2026-04-01