internal
Leon J. Topalian
Chair, President and Chief Executive Officer
Executive
5 yr
6 reports
Nucor Corporation ·NUE
Highly decentralized steelmaker with multiple COOs reporting to CEO
Materials · Fortune #140 · Functional structure · 33K employees · Charlotte, NC
6
CEO span
↓ tighter than peers (avg 8)
1
Avg span
tight
3
Max depth
3 levels
3.7 yr
Avg tenure
100%
Internal hires
↑ above industry avg
Consolidated financials FY2025 · period end 2025-12-31 · 10-K
Revenue
$32.5B
Net income
$1.7B
Total assets
$35.1B
Shares out
228M
Sourced from Nucor Corporation DEF 14A · filed 2026-03-27 ↗ View on SEC
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Nucor operates a highly decentralized leadership structure in which multiple COOs report directly to CEO Leon Topalian. This page maps the executive team, explains how authority is pushed to operating divisions, and compares Nucor’s unusually lean corporate model with major steel industry 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 Daniel R. Needham departed as Executive Vice President, Commercial
Announced retirement effective June 20, 2026.
Source · See change logScenario views in the chart
- Add Chief AI Officer Create a new executive role to coordinate automation, AI and advanced analytics across mills and product groups.
- Commercial EVP Retirement Remove the EVP Commercial role following Daniel Needham’s retirement, redistributing responsibilities to operating leaders.
Atlas work this supports
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The people
Who's running this
6 executives identified as Named Executive Officers in the most recent SEC proxy. Bar length scales with tenure.
internal
Stephen D. Laxton
President and Chief Operating Officer
Operations
5 yr
0 reports
internal
David A. Sumoski
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
Operations
4 yr
0 reports
internal
John L. Sullivan
Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Executive Vice President
Finance
0 yr
0 reports
internal
Daniel R. Needham
Executive Vice President, Commercial
Commercial
4 yr
0 reports
internal
K. Rex Query
Executive Vice President
Strategy
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.
Leon J. Topalian $14.9M
- Base salary
- $1.56M
- Bonus
- $8.90M
- Stock awards
- $2.00M
- Option awards
- $2.49M
- Other
- $4K
- 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
Stock ownership guidelines apply to executives and directors.
The businesses
How Nucor Corporation divides the work
3 divisions report into the group CEO. Tile size scales with estimated headcount.
Steel Mills
15K employees
President and COO (Stephen D. Laxton)
Produces sheet, plate, bar and structural steel across Nucor’s core electric-arc furnace network.
Steel Products
12K employees
Executive Vice President (David A. Sumoski)
Manufactures downstream steel products including joists, decking, tubing and engineered systems.
Raw Materials
3K employees
Executive Vice President (K. Rex Query)
Supplies scrap, DRI and other inputs supporting Nucor’s vertically integrated steelmaking model.
The thesis
Why this org is unusual
Nucor’s most distinctive structural feature is its unusually decentralized operating model, with multiple COOs reporting directly to the CEO.
Unlike peers that consolidate operations under a single chief operator, Nucor splits operational authority across senior executives, reinforcing autonomy at the division level. This structure aligns with Nucor’s long-standing culture of local decision-making and performance accountability.
The CEO maintains a relatively small but powerful span of control, focused on capital allocation, culture, and safety, while day-to-day operating decisions sit deep in the organization. Corporate headquarters remains lean, with only about 200 employees, underscoring how much authority is pushed into mills and product divisions.
Recent leadership changes—most notably the CFO transition in early 2026—have not altered this core structure, suggesting strong board confidence in the decentralized model as a competitive advantage in cyclical steel markets.
- Multiple COOs
- Lean corporate center
- Decentralized P&L ownership
The comparison
How Nucor Corporation stacks up
Compared with other large North American steelmakers such as Steel Dynamics and U.S. Steel, Nucor is more decentralized and less layered. Peers typically operate with clearer segment presidents and tighter corporate oversight. Nucor’s approach more closely resembles an industrial holding company, despite being formally …
C-suite size
Reporting depth
Nucor Corporation
3 levels
4 levels
U.S. Steel
5 levels
ArcelorMittal
6 levels
4 levels
Avg C-suite tenure
Has COO / Has CAIO
Nucor Corporation ✓ COO — no CAIO
U.S. Steel ✓ COO — no CAIO
ArcelorMittal — no COO — no CAIO
Current signals
What changed recently
The most significant recent change was the appointment of John L. Sullivan as CFO in March 2026, alongside the announced retirement of EVP Daniel Needham.
- departedDaniel R. Needham Executive Vice President, Commercial
Announced retirement effective June 20, 2026.
Source - new
Leadership Timeline
Year-over-year executive structure based on SEC proxy and annual filings.
FY2025
DEF 14A filed 2026-03-27
- CEO
- Leon J. Topalian
- CEO span
- 5
- C-suite
- 5
- Avg tenure
- 3.5 yr
Leadership remained stable with long-tenured internal executives.
Named executive officers (5)
- Leon J. Topalian - CEO since 2020
- Stephen D. Laxton - CFO / EVP
- David A. Sumoski - COO
- Daniel R. Needham - EVP since 2021
- K. Rex Query - EVP since 2021
The board
Board of directors
2 directors. 1 of 2 independent (50%). Source: most recent DEF 14A.
Leon J. Topalian
Chair Inside
Chair and CEO, Nucor Corporation
Christopher J. Kearney
Lead Indep. Independent
Retired Executive Chairman, Otis Worldwide
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the CEO of Nucor?
Leon J. Topalian has served as Chair, President and CEO of Nucor since 2020.
What type of organizational structure does Nucor use?
Nucor uses a functional but highly decentralized structure with strong authority at the operating-division level.
How many direct reports does Nucor's CEO have?
The CEO has six direct executive reports.
How has Nucor's leadership changed recently?
In early 2026, Nucor appointed a new CFO and announced the planned retirement of an Executive Vice President.
Does Nucor have a COO?
Yes. Nucor operates with multiple COOs, reflecting its decentralized operating philosophy.
Sources
- 8-K Filing, Mar 3 2026
- 8-K Filing, Feb 20 2026
- SEC EDGAR: Nucor Corporation DEF 14A Proxy Statement
- SEC EDGAR: Nucor 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). Nucor Corporation organizational structure. Creately. Retrieved , from https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/nucor/MLA 9th
"Nucor Corporation Organizational Structure." Creately, April 1, 2026, https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/nucor/. Accessed .Chicago 17
Creately. "Nucor Corporation Organizational Structure." Last modified April 1, 2026. https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/nucor/.Original SEC source View on SEC ↗
Nucor Corporation. DEF 14A. Filed 2026-03-27. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/73309/000119312526127739/d21430ddef14a.htmPermanent URL: https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/nucor/ · last updated 2026-04-01