James G. Conroy
Chief Executive Officer
Executive
1 yr
4 reports
Leadership change James G. Conroy became Chief Executive Officer · DEF 14A filed 2026-04-07
Ross Stores, Inc. ·ROST
Two retail brand presidents anchor a divisional structure
Retailing · Fortune #204 · Divisional structure · 107K employees · Dublin, CA
4
CEO span
↓ tighter than peers (avg 10)
4
Avg span
moderate
2
Max depth
flat for 107K emp
3.8 yr
Avg tenure
75%
Internal hires
↑ above industry avg
Consolidated financials FY2025 · period end 2026-01-31 · 10-K
Revenue
$22.8B
Operating income
$2.7B
Net income
$2.1B
Total assets
$15.5B
Shares out
322M
Sourced from Ross Stores, Inc. DEF 14A · filed 2026-04-07 ↗ View on SEC
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Ross Stores, Inc. organizational chart
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Ross Stores uses a divisional structure anchored by brand leadership, with the President of Ross Dress for Less reporting directly to the CEO. This page maps the executive org chart, leadership roles, compensation context, and recent succession-driven changes, with peer comparison and structural analysis.
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 Board Leadership changed role as Chairman of the Board
Executive Chairman role ended; independent chair appointed effective February 1, 2026.
Source · See change logScenario views in the chart
- Add Chief Digital Officer Introduce a CDO reporting to the CEO to accelerate digital and analytics capabilities.
- COO Succession Planning Prepare for eventual COO transition by redistributing operational oversight.
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.
internal
Michael J. Hartshorn
Group President and Chief Operating Officer
Operations
7 yr
0 reports
internal
William W. Sheehan II
Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer
Finance
1 yr
0 reports
internal
Karen Fleming
President, Chief Merchandising Officer, Ross Dress for Less
Merchandising
6 yr
0 reports
internal
Ken Jew
Group Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary
Legal
5 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.
James G. Conroy $17.4M
- Base salary
- $1.45M
- Bonus
- $500K
- Stock awards
- $10.65M
- Non-equity incentive
- $4.23M
- Other
- $573K
- Fiscal year
- FY2025
- Source
- SEC DEF 14A ↗
The businesses
How Ross Stores, Inc. divides the work
3 divisions report into the group CEO. Tile size scales with estimated headcount.
Ross Dress for Less
85K employees
President & CMO (Karen Fleming)
Largest off-price apparel brand, operating over 1,900 stores nationwide.
dd’s DISCOUNTS
22K employees
Group President & COO (Michael J. Hartshorn)
Value-focused off-price chain serving lower-to-moderate income households.
Finance
2K employees
CFO (William W. Sheehan II)
Oversees financial planning, accounting, treasury, and controls.
The thesis
Why this org is unusual
Ross Stores’ most distinctive structural feature is its clean divisional split by retail brand, with the Ross Dress for Less merchandising organization led as a standalone presidency reporting directly to the CEO.
Unlike many large retailers that consolidate merchandising and operations under a single brand-agnostic layer, Ross preserves brand-specific accountability at the top.
The CEO maintains a relatively tight span of control, with core enterprise functions (finance, legal) and the operating president reporting directly. Operations are centralized under a long-tenured COO, reflecting the company’s emphasis on execution, supply chain efficiency, and store operations scale rather than rapid portfolio diversification.
- Brand-level president reports directly to CEO
- High internal promotion across C-suite
- Lean executive structure for company scale
The comparison
How Ross Stores, Inc. stacks up
Compared with other off-price and specialty apparel retailers, Ross Stores exhibits greater leadership stability and fewer C-suite layers. TJX Companies and Burlington Stores both operate with larger executive teams and deeper matrices across brands and geographies. Ross’s structure is closer to Burlington’s than TJX’s …
C-suite size
Reporting depth
Ross Stores, Inc.
2 levels
TJX Companies
5 levels
4 levels
5 levels
5 levels
Avg C-suite tenure
Has COO / Has CAIO
Ross Stores, Inc. ✓ COO — no CAIO
TJX Companies ✓ COO — no CAIO
Current signals
What changed recently
The most consequential change was the CFO succession, with William Sheehan promoted following Adam Orvos’s retirement in October 2025.
Leadership Timeline
Year-over-year executive structure based on SEC proxy and annual filings.
FY2025
DEF 14A filed 2026-04-07
- CEO
- James G. Conroy
- CEO span
- 4
- C-suite
- 5
- Avg tenure
- 22 yr
Year marked by CEO transition and CFO succession.
Named executive officers (5)
- James G. Conroy - CEO since 2025
- Michael J. Hartshorn - COO since 2019
- William W. Sheehan II - CFO since 2025
- Karen Fleming - President & CMO
- Michael Balmuth - Executive Chairman since 2023
Year-over-year changes
2025 reflects a major leadership reset with a new CEO and streamlined executive team.
- CEO span: 3 → 4
- C-suite size: 6 → 5
- Avg tenure: 24 → 22 yr
- new James G. Conroy - Chief Executive Officer (DEF 14A filed 2026-04-07)
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the CEO of Ross Stores?
James G. Conroy has served as CEO since early 2025.
What type of organizational structure does Ross Stores use?
Ross Stores uses a divisional structure organized around its retail brands.
How many direct reports does Ross Stores's CEO have?
The CEO currently has four direct executive reports.
How has Ross Stores's leadership changed recently?
The company completed a CFO succession in October 2025 and transitioned to an independent board chair in February 2026.
Who reports directly to Ross Stores's CEO?
The CEO’s direct reports include the COO, CFO, President of Ross Dress for Less, and General Counsel.
Sources
- 8-K Filing, Nov 2025
- 8-K Filing, Sep 2025
- SEC EDGAR: Ross Stores, Inc. DEF 14A Proxy Statement
- SEC EDGAR: Ross Stores, 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). Ross Stores, Inc. organizational structure. Creately. Retrieved , from https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/ross-stores/MLA 9th
"Ross Stores, Inc. Organizational Structure." Creately, April 1, 2026, https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/ross-stores/. Accessed .Chicago 17
Creately. "Ross Stores, Inc. Organizational Structure." Last modified April 1, 2026. https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/ross-stores/.Original SEC source View on SEC ↗
Ross Stores, Inc.. DEF 14A. Filed 2026-04-07. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/745732/000074573226000013/rost-20260406.htmPermanent URL: https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/ross-stores/ · last updated 2026-04-01