internal
James Reid
Executive Vice President and President, Workplace Solutions
Workplace Solutions
3 yr
9 reports
Lincoln National Corporation ·LNC
Four business presidents drive a divisional insurance model
Financials · Fortune #228 · Divisional structure · 10K employees · Radnor, PA
View as of:
4
CEO span
↓ tighter than peers (avg 10)
4.2
Avg span
moderate
4
Max depth
4 levels
3 yr
Avg tenure
stable vs FY2024
75%
Internal hires
↑ above industry avg
Consolidated financials FY2018 · period end 2018-12-31 · 10-K
Revenue
$1.3B
Net income
$1.2B
Total assets
$417.2B
Shares out
190M
Sourced from Lincoln National Corporation DEF 14A · filed 2026-04-16 ↗ View on SEC
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Lincoln National Corporation organizational chart
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Four business presidents drive a divisional insurance model at Lincoln National. This page maps the CEO‑centric structure, key executives, reporting depth, recent leadership changes, and peer comparisons to highlight how accountability is organized across its core insurance businesses.
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 Brian Kroll departed as EVP, Head of Retail Life and Annuity Solutions
Announced retirement effective June 1, 2026 as part of planned succession.
Source · See change logScenario views in the chart
- Add Chief AI Officer Introduce a Chief AI Officer reporting to the CEO to coordinate data, analytics and automation across divisions.
- Retail EVP Retirement Remove the retiring Retail Life & Annuities EVP pending appointment of a successor, temporarily increasing CEO span.
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.
Sean N. Woodroffe
Executive Vice President, Chief People, Communications & Enterprise Services Officer
People & Enterprise Services
3 yr
11 reports
internal
Christopher Neczypor
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Finance
3 yr
10 reports
internal
Brian Kroll
Executive Vice President, Head of Retail Life and Annuity Solutions
Retail Life & Annuities
2 yr
8 reports
internal
Ellen G. Cooper
Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
Executive
4 yr
28 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.
Ellen G. Cooper $28.0M
- Base salary
- $1.31M
- Stock awards
- $20.30M
- Non-equity incentive
- $5.36M
- Other
- $1.02M
- Fiscal year
- FY2025
- Source
- SEC DEF 14A ↗
Christopher Neczypor $7.7M
- Base salary
- $948K
- Stock awards
- $3.36M
- Non-equity incentive
- $2.94M
- Other
- $434K
- 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
5×CEO base salary
3×NEO base salary
5×Director cash retainer
Stock ownership guidelines disclosed in 2026 Proxy Statement.
| Holder | Shares | % of class |
|---|---|---|
| Ellen G. Cooper | 673K | <1% |
| Christopher Neczypor | 132K | <1% |
The businesses
How Lincoln National Corporation divides the work
4 divisions report into the group CEO. Tile size scales with estimated headcount.
Retail Life & Annuities
4K employees
EVP, Head of Retail Life and Annuity Solutions (Brian Kroll)
Provides individual life insurance and annuity products through retail distribution channels.
Workplace Solutions
3K employees
EVP & President, Workplace Solutions (James Reid)
Delivers group protection and retirement plan services to employers.
Finance
900 employees
EVP & CFO (Christopher Neczypor)
Manages capital, financial reporting, investor relations and treasury.
People & Enterprise Services
1K employees
EVP, Chief People, Communications & Enterprise Services Officer (Sean N. Woodroffe)
Oversees human resources, communications and shared enterprise services.
The thesis
Why this org is unusual
Four business presidents report directly to the CEO, highlighting Lincoln National’s clear divisional operating model.
Each major revenue engine—Retail Life & Annuities, Workplace Solutions, and enterprise services—has an empowered EVP with end‑to‑end responsibility. This limits matrix complexity and keeps accountability close to P&L leadership.
The structure also shows relatively few corporate overlays above the divisions. Finance and People & Enterprise Services support the operating businesses rather than acting as parallel power centers. Depth is limited to four levels, which is relatively flat for a Fortune 500 insurer.
This design reflects Lincoln’s recent strategic focus on capital discipline and segment‑level performance, especially as it repositions higher‑volatility businesses.
- CEO directly oversees all major business presidents
- No COO role in current structure
The comparison
How Lincoln National Corporation stacks up
Compared with peers such as MetLife and Prudential, Lincoln National operates with fewer C‑suite roles and a tighter CEO span. Larger insurers often interpose a COO or multiple regional presidents, adding reporting layers. Lincoln’s model instead emphasizes direct CEO visibility into each business line. Relative to …
C-suite size
Reporting depth
Lincoln National Corporation
4 levels
5 levels
5 levels
4 levels
Principal Financial
4 levels
Avg C-suite tenure
Has COO / Has CAIO
Lincoln National Corporation — no COO — no CAIO
Principal Financial — no COO ✓ CAIO
Current signals
What changed recently
The most significant change is the planned retirement of Retail Life & Annuities head Brian Kroll in June 2026.
- departedBrian Kroll EVP, Head of Retail Life and Annuity Solutions
Announced retirement effective June 1, 2026 as part of planned succession.
Source - new
Leadership Timeline
Year-over-year executive structure based on SEC proxy and annual filings.
FY2025
DEF 14A filed 2026-04-16
- CEO
- Ellen G. Cooper
- CEO span
- 4
- C-suite
- 5
- Avg tenure
- 3 yr
Leadership centered on divisional presidents with no COO.
Named executive officers (5)
- Ellen G. Cooper - President and CEO since 2022
- Christopher Neczypor - EVP and CFO since 2023
- Brian Kroll - EVP, Head of Retail Life and Annuity Solutions since 2024
- James Reid - EVP & President, Workplace Solutions since 2021
- Sean N. Woodroffe - EVP, Chief People & Enterprise Services Officer since 2023
FY2024
DEF 14A filed 2025-04-10
- CEO
- Ellen G. Cooper
- CEO span
- 3
- C-suite
- 4
- Avg tenure
- 3 yr
Retail Life & Annuities leadership transition underway.
Named executive officers (4)
- Ellen G. Cooper - President and CEO since 2022
- Christopher Neczypor - EVP and CFO since 2023
- James Reid - EVP & President, Workplace Solutions since 2021
- Sean N. Woodroffe - EVP, Chief People & Enterprise Services Officer since 2023
FY2023
DEF 14A filed 2024-04-11
- CEO
- Ellen G. Cooper
- CEO span
- 3
- C-suite
- 4
- Avg tenure
- 4 yr
Post‑pandemic stabilization with streamlined executive team.
Named executive officers (4)
- Ellen G. Cooper - President and CEO since 2022
- Christopher Neczypor - EVP and CFO since 2023
- James Reid - EVP & President, Workplace Solutions since 2021
- Sean N. Woodroffe - EVP, Chief People & Enterprise Services Officer since 2023
Year-over-year changes
Retail Life & Annuities leadership was added, expanding CEO span.
- CEO span: 3 → 4
- C-suite size: 4 → 5
- Avg tenure: 4 → 3 yr
- new Brian Kroll - EVP, Head of Retail Life and Annuity Solutions (DEF 14A 2025)
Planned retirement of the Retail EVP announced after FY2025.
- departed Brian Kroll - EVP, Head of Retail Life and Annuity Solutions (Form 8-K Apr 16 2026)
The board
Board of directors
9 directors. 9 of 9 independent (100%). Source: most recent DEF 14A.
Deirdre P. Connelly
Lead Indep. Independent
Former CEO, GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals
William H. Cunningham
Independent
Former CEO, YRC Worldwide
Reginald E. Davis
Independent
Former CFO, National Grid US
Eric G. Johnson
Independent
Former CEO, Lane Bryant
Gary C. Kelly
Independent
Former CEO, Southwest Airlines
M. Leanne Lachman
Independent
President, Lachman Associates
Dale LeFebvre
Independent
Former CFO, State Street Global Advisors
James Morris
Independent
Former CEO, Pacific Life
Owen Ryan
Independent
Former CFO, Prudential Financial
The board, organized
Board committees
4 standing committees. Audit and Compensation must be 100% independent under SEC rules; the rest vary.
Audit Committee
100% independent
- Reginald E. Davis Chair
- Dale LeFebvre
- Owen Ryan
Compensation Committee
100% independent
- Deirdre P. Connelly Chair
- William H. Cunningham
- Eric G. Johnson
Corporate Governance Committee
100% independent
- M. Leanne Lachman Chair
- Gary C. Kelly
- James Morris
Finance Committee
100% independent
- Gary C. Kelly Chair
- William H. Cunningham
- Owen Ryan
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the CEO of Lincoln National?
Ellen G. Cooper has served as Chairman, President and CEO since 2022.
What type of organizational structure does Lincoln National use?
Lincoln National uses a divisional structure organized around major insurance and retirement businesses.
How many direct reports does Lincoln National's CEO have?
The CEO has four direct reports, primarily the presidents of major business segments.
How has Lincoln National's leadership changed recently?
In April 2026 the company announced the planned retirement of EVP Brian Kroll, effective June 1, 2026.
Does Lincoln National have a COO?
No, Lincoln National does not currently have a Chief Operating Officer role.
Sources
- Form 8-K, Apr 16 2026
- DEF 14A, Apr 16 2026
- SEC EDGAR: Lincoln National Corporation DEF 14A Proxy Statement
- SEC EDGAR: Lincoln National 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). Lincoln National Corporation organizational structure. Creately. Retrieved , from https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/lincoln-national/MLA 9th
"Lincoln National Corporation Organizational Structure." Creately, April 1, 2026, https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/lincoln-national/. Accessed .Chicago 17
Creately. "Lincoln National Corporation Organizational Structure." Last modified April 1, 2026. https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/lincoln-national/.Original SEC source View on SEC ↗
Lincoln National Corporation. DEF 14A. Filed 2026-04-16. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/59558/000119312526157983/d66808ddef14a.htmPermanent URL: https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/lincoln-national/ · last updated 2026-04-01