internal
Heidi G. Petz
Chair, President and Chief Executive Officer
Executive
2 yr
13 reports
The Sherwin-Williams Company ·SHW
Two global business presidents report directly to the CEO
Chemicals · Fortune #191 · Functional structure · 64K employees · Cleveland, OH
View as of:
7
CEO span
↓ tighter than peers (avg 8)
3.1
Avg span
moderate
3
Max depth
3 levels
3.2 yr
Avg tenure
stable vs FY2024
83%
Internal hires
↑ above industry avg
Consolidated financials FY2025 · period end 2025-12-31 · 10-K
Revenue
$23.6B
Operating income
$4.2B
Net income
$2.6B
Total assets
$25.9B
Shares out
248M
Sourced from The Sherwin-Williams Company DEF 14A · filed 2026-03-11 ↗ View on SEC
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Two global business presidents report directly to the CEO at Sherwin-Williams. This page maps the functional-heavy leadership structure, details the executive team and recent CFO succession, and compares Sherwin-Williams’ centralized model with chemical and coatings 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 Benjamin E. Meisenzahl moved into Senior Vice President Finance and CFO
Promoted effective January 1, 2026
Source · See change logScenario views in the chart
- Add Chief AI Officer Adds a Chief AI Officer reporting to the CEO to accelerate digital manufacturing and demand forecasting.
- Consolidate Operations Under COO Moves major operational leaders under a strengthened COO to reduce 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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The people
Who's running this
7 executives identified as Named Executive Officers in the most recent SEC proxy. Bar length scales with tenure.
internal
Justin T. Binns
President, Global Architectural Group
Architectural Coatings
5 yr
2 reports
internal
Karl J. Jorgenrud
President, Global Industrial Group
Industrial Coatings
5 yr
2 reports
internal
Benjamin E. Meisenzahl
Senior Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer
Finance
0 yr
3 reports
Open Role
Chief Operating Officer
Operations
1 yr
0 reports
internal
Mary L. Garceau
Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary
Legal
6 yr
0 reports
Open Role
Senior Vice President, Human Resources
Human Resources
1 yr
0 reports
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
7×Director cash retainer
Ownership guidelines expressed as multiples of base salary or annual cash retainer.
The businesses
How The Sherwin-Williams Company divides the work
3 divisions report into the group CEO. Tile size scales with estimated headcount.
Global Architectural Group
35K employees
President, Global Architectural Group (Justin T. Binns)
Drives architectural coatings sold through company-owned stores and major retail partners.
Global Industrial Group
18K employees
President, Global Industrial Group (Karl J. Jorgenrud)
Serves industrial, packaging, automotive, and protective coatings markets worldwide.
Finance
2K employees
SVP Finance and CFO (Benjamin E. Meisenzahl)
Oversees financial reporting, treasury, tax, and capital allocation.
The thesis
Why this org is unusual
Two global business presidents report directly to the CEO, which is distinctive for a coatings manufacturer of this scale.
Sherwin-Williams combines a functional corporate core (finance, legal, HR, operations) with powerful global business presidents for Architectural and Industrial groups. This structure preserves tight functional control while giving the two largest revenue engines direct CEO access.
The CEO’s span of control is relatively wide, with seven direct reports, but depth remains modest at four levels. The model emphasizes accountability at the segment-president level rather than creating additional regional CEOs or holding-company layers, reflecting the company’s long-standing operational discipline.
- Architectural and Industrial presidents both report directly to CEO
- Recent CFO succession was an internal promotion
The comparison
How The Sherwin-Williams Company stacks up
Compared with peers like PPG Industries and RPM International, Sherwin-Williams is more centralized, with fewer standalone business CEOs and stronger functional authority. PPG and BASF typically add regional or business-unit CEOs, increasing depth. Sherwin-Williams’ flatter functional structure supports margin …
C-suite size
Reporting depth
The Sherwin-Williams Company
3 levels
5 levels
RPM International
5 levels
BASF
6 levels
Axalta
5 levels
Avg C-suite tenure
Has COO / Has CAIO
The Sherwin-Williams Company ✓ COO — no CAIO
RPM International ✓ COO — no CAIO
BASF ✓ COO — no CAIO
Axalta — no COO — no CAIO
Current signals
What changed recently
The most significant change was the internally promoted CFO succession from Allen Mistysyn to Benjamin Meisenzahl effective January 2026.
- promotedBenjamin E. Meisenzahl Senior Vice President Finance and CFO
Promoted effective January 1, 2026
Source - departed
Leadership Timeline
Year-over-year executive structure based on SEC proxy and annual filings.
FY2025
DEF 14A filed 2026-03-11
- CEO
- Heidi G. Petz
- CEO span
- 6
- C-suite
- 5
- Avg tenure
- 3.1 yr
Final year before CFO retirement and transition.
Named executive officers (5)
- Heidi G. Petz - CEO since 2024
- Allen J. Mistysyn - CFO since 2017
- Justin T. Binns - President, Global Architectural
- Karl J. Jorgenrud - President, Global Industrial
- Mary L. Garceau - Chief Legal Officer
FY2024
DEF 14A filed 2025-03-06
- CEO
- Heidi G. Petz
- CEO span
- 7
- C-suite
- 6
- Avg tenure
- 3.4 yr
Chair and CEO roles transitioned during the year.
Named executive officers (5)
- Heidi G. Petz - CEO since 2024
- Allen J. Mistysyn - CFO since 2017
- John G. Morikis - Executive Chairman
- Justin T. Binns - President, Global Architectural
- Karl J. Jorgenrud - President, Global Industrial
FY2023
DEF 14A filed 2024-03-xx
- CEO
- John G. Morikis
- CEO span
- 6
- C-suite
- 6
- Avg tenure
- 5.2 yr
Morikis served as CEO prior to Petz succession.
Year-over-year changes
The primary change was a planned CFO retirement followed by an internal succession.
- CEO span: 7 → 7
- C-suite size: 6 → 5
- Avg tenure: 3.4 → 3.1 yr
- departed Allen J. Mistysyn - CFO (was SVP Finance and CFO) (8-K, Nov 2025)
- promoted Benjamin E. Meisenzahl - CFO (was SVP Finance) (8-K, Nov 2025)
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the CEO of Sherwin-Williams?
Heidi G. Petz has served as President and CEO since 2024 and became Chair in 2025.
What type of organizational structure does Sherwin-Williams use?
Sherwin-Williams primarily uses a functional structure with two major global business presidents.
How many direct reports does Sherwin-Williams's CEO have?
The CEO currently has seven direct reports.
How has Sherwin-Williams's leadership changed recently?
The CFO role transitioned from Allen Mistysyn to internally promoted Benjamin Meisenzahl in January 2026.
Who reports directly to Sherwin-Williams's CEO?
Direct reports include the CFO, Chief Legal Officer, two global business presidents, and core functional leaders.
Sources
- 8-K Filing, Nov 2025
- SEC EDGAR: The Sherwin-Williams Company DEF 14A Proxy Statement
- SEC EDGAR: The Sherwin-Williams Company 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). The Sherwin-Williams Company organizational structure. Creately. Retrieved , from https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/sherwin-williams/MLA 9th
"The Sherwin-Williams Company Organizational Structure." Creately, April 1, 2026, https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/sherwin-williams/. Accessed .Chicago 17
Creately. "The Sherwin-Williams Company Organizational Structure." Last modified April 1, 2026. https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/sherwin-williams/.Original SEC source View on SEC ↗
The Sherwin-Williams Company. DEF 14A. Filed 2026-03-11. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/89800/000008980026000025/shw-20260310.htmPermanent URL: https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/sherwin-williams/ · last updated 2026-04-01