internal
Christopher A. O’Herlihy
President & Chief Executive Officer
Executive
2 yr
44,000 reports
Leadership change Christopher A. O’Herlihy was promoted to President & CEO (from Senior Executive) · DEF 14A, Mar 2025
Illinois Tool Works Inc. ·ITW
Decentralized enterprise with only five true corporate executives
Industrials · Fortune #268 · Holding structure · 44K employees · Glenview, Illinois
View as of:
4
CEO span
↓ tighter than peers (avg 9)
1
Avg span
tight
2
Max depth
2 levels
5.8 yr
Avg tenure
stable vs FY2024
75%
Internal hires
↑ above industry avg
Consolidated financials FY2025 · period end 2025-12-31 · 10-K
Revenue
$16.0B
Operating income
$4.2B
Net income
$3.1B
Total assets
$16.1B
Shares out
288M
Sourced from Illinois Tool Works Inc. DEF 14A · filed 2026-03-27 ↗ View on SEC
Interactive org chart
Illinois Tool Works Inc. organizational chart
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Illinois Tool Works operates with an unusually small corporate leadership team: only four executives report directly to the CEO. This page maps ITW’s enterprise structure, highlights its decentralized model, analyzes governance implications, and compares it with other diversified industrial peers.
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 Christopher A. O’Herlihy joined as President & CEO
Assumed CEO role effective January 1, 2024.
Source · See change logScenario views in the chart
- Add Chief AI Officer Introduce a Chief AI Officer reporting to the CEO to coordinate data, automation, and AI strategy across divisions.
- Add COO to Centralize Operations Insert a COO layer to increase operational coordination across divisions, reducing autonomy.
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
5 executives identified as Named Executive Officers in the most recent SEC proxy. Bar length scales with tenure.
Michael M. Larsen
Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer
Finance
11 yr
0 reports
internal
Axel R. J. Beck
Executive Vice President
Enterprise Strategy / International
4 yr
0 reports
internal
T. Kenneth Escoe
Executive Vice President
Operations
3 yr
0 reports
Mary K. Lawler
Senior Vice President & Chief Human Resources Officer
Human Resources
9 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.
Christopher A. O’Herlihy $15.2M
- Base salary
- $1.34M
- Stock awards
- $5.25M
- Option awards
- $5.25M
- Non-equity incentive
- $2.70M
- Pension change
- $256K
- Other
- $416K
- 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
3×NEO base salary
5×Director cash retainer
Executives must meet stock ownership guidelines within five years.
The businesses
How Illinois Tool Works Inc. divides the work
3 divisions report into the group CEO. Tile size scales with estimated headcount.
Finance
500 employees
SVP & CFO (Michael M. Larsen)
Oversees global finance, treasury, tax, and investor relations across ITW’s decentralized divisions.
Human Resources
400 employees
SVP & CHRO (Mary K. Lawler)
Leads global talent, compensation, leadership development, and culture for ITW.
Enterprise Strategy
200 employees
EVP (Axel R. J. Beck)
Supports enterprise strategy, portfolio management, and international leadership alignment.
The thesis
Why this org is unusual
Illinois Tool Works’ most distinctive feature is how little power sits at corporate headquarters relative to its size.
Only four executives report directly to the CEO, with no segment presidents or product P&L leaders at the enterprise level.
This structure reflects ITW’s long‑standing decentralized model: 88 operating divisions run with substantial autonomy, while corporate leadership focuses on capital allocation, talent, governance, and the ITW Business Model rather than day‑to‑day operations. The absence of a COO and the small C‑suite are deliberate, not transitional.
Compared with peers, ITW relies more heavily on process discipline (80/20, Customer‑Back Innovation) than on hierarchical control, enabling a flat corporate structure despite operating at global industrial scale.
- No COO role
- Very small corporate C-suite
- Extreme divisional autonomy
The comparison
How Illinois Tool Works Inc. stacks up
Among large diversified industrial peers, ITW stands out for the minimal size of its enterprise leadership team. Companies like Honeywell, Eaton, and Parker‑Hannifin operate with larger C‑suites and more centralized segment oversight. ITW’s approach trades tighter operational control for speed and accountability at the …
C-suite size
Illinois Tool Works Inc.
5
3M Company
9
Eaton Corporation
11
Reporting depth
Illinois Tool Works Inc.
2 levels
5 levels
3M Company
5 levels
5 levels
Eaton Corporation
6 levels
5 levels
Avg C-suite tenure
Illinois Tool Works Inc.
6 yr
3M Company
5 yr
7 yr
Eaton Corporation
6 yr
6 yr
Has COO / Has CAIO
Illinois Tool Works Inc. — no COO — no CAIO
3M Company — no COO — no CAIO
Eaton Corporation ✓ COO — no CAIO
Current signals
What changed recently
The most significant recent change was the January 2024 CEO transition and re‑separation of the Chair and CEO roles.
- new
- Date not confirmed reorgBoard Leadership Structure Chair/CEO Split
Roles of Chairman and CEO separated following CEO transition in January 2024.
Source
Leadership Timeline
Year-over-year executive structure based on SEC proxy and annual filings.
FY2025
DEF 14A filed 2026-03-27
- CEO
- Christopher A. O’Herlihy
- CEO span
- 4
- C-suite
- 5
- Avg tenure
- 5.8 yr
Corporate leadership remained intentionally small with no COO or segment CEOs.
Named executive officers (5)
- Christopher A. O’Herlihy - President & CEO since 2024
- Michael M. Larsen - SVP & CFO since 2013
- Axel R. J. Beck - EVP since 2021
- T. Kenneth Escoe - EVP since 2022
- Mary K. Lawler - SVP & CHRO since 2014
FY2024
DEF 14A filed 2025-03-21
- CEO
- Christopher A. O’Herlihy
- CEO span
- 4
- C-suite
- 5
- Avg tenure
- 5.2 yr
First full year following CEO succession from E. Scott Santi.
Named executive officers (5)
- Christopher A. O’Herlihy - President & CEO since 2024
- Michael M. Larsen - SVP & CFO since 2013
- Axel R. J. Beck - EVP since 2021
- T. Kenneth Escoe - EVP since 2022
- Mary K. Lawler - SVP & CHRO since 2014
FY2023
DEF 14A filed 2024-03-22
- CEO
- E. Scott Santi
- CEO span
- 5
- C-suite
- 6
- Avg tenure
- 6.1 yr
Chair and CEO roles were combined prior to 2024 transition.
Named executive officers (5)
- E. Scott Santi - Chairman & CEO since 2012
- Christopher A. O’Herlihy - Senior Executive
- Michael M. Larsen - SVP & CFO since 2013
- Mary K. Lawler - SVP & CHRO since 2014
- Axel R. J. Beck - EVP since 2021
Year-over-year changes
2024 marked a CEO succession and simplification of the enterprise leadership team.
- CEO span: 5 → 4
- C-suite size: 6 → 5
- Avg tenure: 6.1 → 5.2 yr
- promoted Christopher A. O’Herlihy - President & CEO (was Senior Executive) (DEF 14A, Mar 2025)
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the CEO of Illinois Tool Works?
Christopher A. O’Herlihy has served as President and CEO since January 1, 2024.
What type of organizational structure does Illinois Tool Works use?
ITW uses a highly decentralized holding-company structure with strong divisional autonomy.
How many direct reports does Illinois Tool Works’ CEO have?
The CEO has four direct enterprise-level executive reports.
How has Illinois Tool Works’ leadership changed recently?
In January 2024, ITW appointed a new CEO and separated the Chair and CEO roles.
Does Illinois Tool Works have a COO?
No. ITW intentionally operates without a Chief Operating Officer at the enterprise level.
Sources
- Company Press Release, Jan 2024
- DEF 14A, Mar 2024
- SEC EDGAR: Illinois Tool Works Inc. DEF 14A Proxy Statement
- SEC EDGAR: Illinois Tool Works 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). Illinois Tool Works Inc. organizational structure. Creately. Retrieved , from https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/illinois-tool-works/MLA 9th
"Illinois Tool Works Inc. Organizational Structure." Creately, April 1, 2026, https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/illinois-tool-works/. Accessed .Chicago 17
Creately. "Illinois Tool Works Inc. Organizational Structure." Last modified April 1, 2026. https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/illinois-tool-works/.Original SEC source View on SEC ↗
Illinois Tool Works Inc.. DEF 14A. Filed 2026-03-27. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/49826/000119312526127599/itw-20260325.htmPermanent URL: https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/illinois-tool-works/ · last updated 2026-04-01