internal
David Bruton Smith
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Executive
7 yr
4 reports
Sonic Automotive, Inc. ·SAH
Founder-led CEO also serves as Board Chair
Retailing · Fortune #304 · Hybrid structure · 11K employees · Charlotte, North Carolina
4
CEO span
↓ tighter than peers (avg 8)
2
Avg span
tight
2
Max depth
2 levels
8.5 yr
Avg tenure
75%
Internal hires
↑ above industry avg
Consolidated financials FY2025 · period end 2025-12-31 · 10-K
Revenue
$15.2B
Operating income
$368M
Net income
$119M
Total assets
$6.0B
Sourced from Sonic Automotive, Inc. DEF 14A · filed 2026-03-06 ↗ View on SEC
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Sonic Automotive, Inc. organizational chart
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Sonic Automotive stands out for its founder-led structure where the CEO also serves as Board Chair. This page details Sonic’s compact executive team, governance model, leadership tenure, recent changes, and how its structure compares with other major U.S. auto retailers.
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 2026 Equity Incentive Plan changed role as Company-wide equity compensation
New equity incentive plan approved by shareholders on April 29, 2026, replacing the 2012 plan.
Source · See change logScenario views in the chart
- Add Chief Operating Officer Introduce a COO role to reduce operational load on the President and CEO as the dealership network grows.
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
Jeff Dyke
President
Operations
10 yr
0 reports
internal
Heath R. Byrd
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Finance
12 yr
0 reports
Stephen K. Coss
Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary
Legal
5 yr
0 reports
internal
David Bruton Smith
Board Chair
Board
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.
David Bruton Smith $11.8M
- Base salary
- $1.74M
- Stock awards
- $3.98M
- Non-equity incentive
- $5.65M
- Other
- $468K
- Fiscal year
- FY2025
- Source
- SEC DEF 14A ↗
The businesses
How Sonic Automotive, Inc. divides the work
3 divisions report into the group CEO. Tile size scales with estimated headcount.
Operations
9K employees
President (Jeff Dyke)
Oversees franchised dealerships, EchoPark, and powersports operations across the U.S.
Finance
400 employees
EVP & CFO (Heath R. Byrd)
Manages financial reporting, treasury, capital structure, and investor relations.
Legal & Governance
100 employees
SVP & General Counsel (Stephen K. Coss)
Handles legal affairs, compliance, SEC reporting, and board governance.
The thesis
Why this org is unusual
The most distinctive feature of Sonic Automotive’s structure is that its CEO also serves as Board Chair, consolidating executive and board leadership.
David Bruton Smith holds both roles, reflecting Sonic’s status as a controlled, founder-led company with dual-class shares. The executive team is compact, with only a handful of direct reports to the CEO, notably the President, CFO, and General Counsel.
This lean top structure places significant operational responsibility under the President and financial oversight under a long-tenured CFO. Governance oversight is shaped by the Smith family’s voting control, which allows Sonic to rely on NYSE controlled-company exemptions and operate with a board that is not majority independent.
- CEO also serves as Board Chair
- Controlled company with dual-class shares
- Very small executive leadership team
The comparison
How Sonic Automotive, Inc. stacks up
Compared with peers such as AutoNation, Lithia Motors, and Penske Automotive Group, Sonic Automotive operates with a notably smaller C-suite. Many peers separate the Chair and CEO roles and maintain larger executive teams with dedicated COOs or regional presidents. Sonic’s structure emphasizes centralized control and …
C-suite size
Reporting depth
Sonic Automotive, Inc.
2 levels
4 levels
5 levels
Penske Automotive Group
4 levels
4 levels
Avg C-suite tenure
Sonic Automotive, Inc.
9 yr
6 yr
5 yr
Penske Automotive Group
8 yr
Has COO / Has CAIO
Sonic Automotive, Inc. — no COO — no CAIO
Penske Automotive Group — no COO — no CAIO
Current signals
What changed recently
In 2026, Sonic replaced its legacy equity plan with a new shareholder-approved incentive plan.
- reorg2026 Equity Incentive Plan Company-wide equity compensation
New equity incentive plan approved by shareholders on April 29, 2026, replacing the 2012 plan.
Source
Leadership Timeline
Year-over-year executive structure based on SEC proxy and annual filings.
FY2025
DEF 14A filed 2026-03-06
- CEO
- David Bruton Smith
- CEO span
- 3
- C-suite
- 3
- Avg tenure
- 8.5 yr
Continued founder-led governance with stable executive team.
Named executive officers (3)
- David Bruton Smith - Chairman & CEO since 2018
- Jeff Dyke - President since 2015
- Heath R. Byrd - EVP & CFO since 2013
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the CEO of Sonic Automotive?
David Bruton Smith has served as Chief Executive Officer since September 2018.
What type of organizational structure does Sonic Automotive use?
Sonic Automotive uses a hybrid structure with centralized executive control over multiple retail segments.
How many direct reports does Sonic Automotive's CEO have?
The CEO has four direct executive-level reports.
How has Sonic Automotive's leadership changed recently?
In 2026, Sonic implemented a new shareholder-approved equity incentive plan, replacing its prior plan.
Does Sonic Automotive have a COO?
No. Operational leadership is concentrated under the President rather than a separate COO role.
Sources
- 8-K Filing, May 1, 2026
- SEC EDGAR: Sonic Automotive, Inc. DEF 14A Proxy Statement
- SEC EDGAR: Sonic Automotive, 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). Sonic Automotive, Inc. organizational structure. Creately. Retrieved , from https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/sonic-automotive/MLA 9th
"Sonic Automotive, Inc. Organizational Structure." Creately, April 1, 2026, https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/sonic-automotive/. Accessed .Chicago 17
Creately. "Sonic Automotive, Inc. Organizational Structure." Last modified April 1, 2026. https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/sonic-automotive/.Original SEC source View on SEC ↗
Sonic Automotive, Inc.. DEF 14A. Filed 2026-03-06. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1043509/000162828026015631/sah-20260306.htmPermanent URL: https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/sonic-automotive/ · last updated 2026-04-01