internal
Richard B. Handler
Chief Executive Officer
Executive
25 yr
13 reports
Jefferies Financial Group Inc. ·JEF
CEO and President dual leadership anchors Jefferies’ enterprise model
Financials · Fortune #403 · Hybrid structure · 8K employees · New York, New York
View as of:
8
CEO span
↓ tighter than peers (avg 9)
2.8
Avg span
moderate
3
Max depth
3 levels
11.2 yr
Avg tenure
stable vs FY2024
60%
Internal hires
↑ above industry avg
Consolidated financials FY2025 · period end 2025-11-30 · 10-K
Revenue
$5.5B
Operating income
$-250973000
Net income
$1.7B
Total assets
$76.0B
Shares out
207M
Sourced from Jefferies Financial Group Inc. DEF 14A · filed 2026-02-23 ↗ View on SEC
Interactive org chart
Jefferies Financial Group Inc. organizational chart
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Jefferies Financial Group operates with a rare dual leadership structure where a long-tenured CEO and President jointly anchor the enterprise. This page details its executive org chart, leadership tenure, business line oversight, recent changes, and peer comparisons.
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 Yoshihiro Hyakutome joined as Director Nominee
Nominated to the board in March 2026 as SMBC representative.
Source · See change logScenario views in the chart
- Add Chief AI Officer Introduce a Chief AI Officer reporting to the CEO to coordinate AI strategy across trading, research, and risk.
- Consolidate Equities and Fixed Income Merge Equities and Fixed Income under a single Markets head to streamline trading oversight.
Atlas work this supports
- Connect Workday or UKG Get these analytics for YOUR org — tenure, span of control, headcount, automatically from your HRIS.
- Connect Salesforce Map your target accounts like this. Import contacts, visualize decision chains, plan multi-threading.
- 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
Brian P. Friedman
President
Executive
13 yr
0 reports
Unknown
Head of Investment Banking
Investment Banking
1 yr
0 reports
internal
Matthew S. Larson
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Finance
4 yr
3 reports
Unknown
Head of Equities
Equities
1 yr
0 reports
Unknown
Head of Fixed Income
Fixed Income
1 yr
0 reports
internal
Michael J. Sharp
Executive Vice President and General Counsel
Legal
5 yr
2 reports
Unknown
Head of Asset Management
Asset Management
1 yr
0 reports
Joseph S. Steinberg
Chairman of the Board
Board
13 yr
0 reports
The pay
Executive compensation
From the most recent DEF 14A Summary Compensation Table. 5 named executive officers disclosed. Bar length scales with total compensation.
Richard B. Handler $28.4M
- Base salary
- $1.00M
- Bonus
- $10.00M
- Stock awards
- $17.21M
- Pension change
- $9K
- Other
- $232K
- Fiscal year
- FY2025
- Source
- SEC DEF 14A ↗
Brian P. Friedman $28.7M
- Base salary
- $1.00M
- Bonus
- $10.00M
- Stock awards
- $17.21M
- Other
- $455K
- Fiscal year
- FY2025
- Source
- SEC DEF 14A ↗
Joseph S. Steinberg $1.3M
- Base salary
- $811K
- Stock awards
- $502K
- Fiscal year
- FY2025
- Source
- SEC DEF 14A ↗
Michael J. Sharp $9.8M
- Base salary
- $1.00M
- Bonus
- $4.00M
- Stock awards
- $4.80M
- Pension change
- $6K
- Fiscal year
- FY2025
- Source
- SEC DEF 14A ↗
Matthew S. Larson $8.8M
- Base salary
- $1.00M
- Bonus
- $3.00M
- Stock awards
- $4.80M
- Pension change
- $6K
- 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
10×CEO base salary
5×Director cash retainer
CEO and President required to hold 10x salary in company stock.
The businesses
How Jefferies Financial Group Inc. divides the work
4 divisions report into the group CEO. Tile size scales with estimated headcount.
Investment Banking
2K employees
Head of Investment Banking (Unknown)
Advisory and capital markets franchise spanning M&A, ECM, and leveraged finance.
Equities
2K employees
Head of Equities (Unknown)
Global equities trading, sales, and research platform.
Fixed Income
2K employees
Head of Fixed Income (Unknown)
Rates, credit, and structured products trading and distribution.
Asset Management
700 employees
Head of Asset Management (Unknown)
Alternative asset management including credit and direct lending.
The thesis
Why this org is unusual
The most distinctive structural feature at Jefferies is its dual leadership model, where both a long-tenured CEO and a powerful President sit at the apex of the organization.
Richard Handler has led the firm for over two decades, while Brian Friedman has served as President since 2013, creating an unusually stable top layer.
The org chart shows a hybrid enterprise structure: core revenue businesses (Investment Banking, Equities, Fixed Income, Asset Management) report directly to the CEO, alongside functional leaders such as the CFO and General Counsel. This keeps business heads close to capital allocation and risk decisions.
Compared with universal banks, Jefferies runs a flatter structure with fewer intermediate management layers, reinforcing accountability but also concentrating authority at the top.
- CEO tenure exceeds 25 years
- President role nearly as influential as CEO
- Flat structure for a global broker-dealer
The comparison
How Jefferies Financial Group Inc. stacks up
Among diversified financial firms, Jefferies stands out for leadership continuity and concentration of decision-making. Peers such as Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley have more rotational leadership and clearer separation between CEO and President/COO roles. Jefferies’ model resembles a partnership-style investment …
C-suite size
Reporting depth
Jefferies Financial Group Inc.
3 levels
5 levels
5 levels
Lazard
4 levels
Evercore
4 levels
Avg C-suite tenure
Has COO / Has CAIO
Jefferies Financial Group Inc. — no COO — no CAIO
Lazard — no COO — no CAIO
Evercore — no COO — no CAIO
Current signals
What changed recently
The most consequential recent change is the expansion of the SMBC strategic alliance and board representation in 2025–2026.
Leadership Timeline
Year-over-year executive structure based on SEC proxy and annual filings.
FY2025
DEF 14A filed 2026-02-23
- CEO
- Richard B. Handler
- CEO span
- 8
- C-suite
- 5
- Avg tenure
- 11.2 yr
Leadership remained stable with long-tenured CEO and President.
Named executive officers (5)
- Richard B. Handler - Chief Executive Officer since 2001
- Brian P. Friedman - President since 2013
- Joseph S. Steinberg - Chairman since 2013
- Michael J. Sharp - Executive VP & General Counsel since 2021
- Matthew S. Larson - Executive VP & CFO since 2022
FY2024
DEF 14A filed 2025-02-24
- CEO
- Richard B. Handler
- CEO span
- 8
- C-suite
- 5
- Avg tenure
- 10.5 yr
No major executive turnover.
Named executive officers (5)
- Richard B. Handler - Chief Executive Officer since 2001
- Brian P. Friedman - President since 2013
- Joseph S. Steinberg - Chairman since 2013
- Michael J. Sharp - Executive VP & General Counsel since 2021
- Matthew S. Larson - Executive VP & CFO since 2022
FY2023
DEF 14A filed 2024-02-26
- CEO
- Richard B. Handler
- CEO span
- 8
- C-suite
- 5
- Avg tenure
- 9.8 yr
C-suite composition largely unchanged.
Named executive officers (5)
- Richard B. Handler - Chief Executive Officer since 2001
- Brian P. Friedman - President since 2013
- Joseph S. Steinberg - Chairman since 2013
- Michael J. Sharp - Executive VP & General Counsel since 2021
- Theresa S. Gendron - Executive Officer
Year-over-year changes
Minor C-suite simplification with one executive departure.
- C-suite size: 6 → 5
- Avg tenure: 9.8 → 10.5 yr
- departed Theresa S. Gendron - Executive Officer (was Executive Officer) (DEF 14A, Feb 2025)
Leadership continuity with increasing average tenure.
- Avg tenure: 10.5 → 11.2 yr
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the CEO of Jefferies Financial Group?
Richard B. Handler has been CEO since 2001 and has led the firm for over two decades.
What type of organizational structure does Jefferies Financial Group use?
Jefferies uses a hybrid enterprise structure combining functional leadership with direct CEO oversight of major business lines.
How many direct reports does Jefferies Financial Group's CEO have?
The CEO has eight direct reports, including the President and heads of major business lines.
How has Jefferies Financial Group's leadership changed recently?
Recent changes include the expansion of the SMBC strategic alliance and the nomination of a new SMBC-affiliated director in 2026.
Who reports directly to Jefferies Financial Group's CEO?
Direct reports include the President, CFO, General Counsel, and the heads of Investment Banking, Equities, Fixed Income, and Asset Management.
Sources
- Company Proxy Statement, Feb 2026
- Company Newsroom, Sep 2025
- SEC EDGAR: Jefferies Financial Group Inc. DEF 14A Proxy Statement
- SEC EDGAR: Jefferies Financial Group 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). Jefferies Financial Group Inc. organizational structure. Creately. Retrieved , from https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/jefferies-financial-group/MLA 9th
"Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Organizational Structure." Creately, April 1, 2026, https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/jefferies-financial-group/. Accessed .Chicago 17
Creately. "Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Organizational Structure." Last modified April 1, 2026. https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/jefferies-financial-group/.Original SEC source View on SEC ↗
Jefferies Financial Group Inc.. DEF 14A. Filed 2026-02-23. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/96223/000114036126006361/ny20059423x2_def14a.htmPermanent URL: https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/jefferies-financial-group/ · last updated 2026-04-01