Jean-Marc Gilson
President and Chief Executive Officer
Executive
1 yr
7 reports
Leadership change Jean-Marc Gilson became President and CEO · DEF 14A, Apr 2 2026
Westlake Corporation ·WLK
CEO split from two Chao family board chairs
Chemicals · Fortune #345 · Holding structure · 16K employees · Houston, Texas
6
CEO span
↓ tighter than peers (avg 9)
1.2
Avg span
tight
3
Max depth
3 levels
6.5 yr
Avg tenure
50%
Internal hires
near industry avg
Consolidated financials FY2025 · period end 2025-12-31 · 10-K
Revenue
$11.2B
Operating income
$-1578000000
Net income
$-1508000000
Total assets
$20.0B
Shares out
128M
Sourced from Westlake Corporation DEF 14A · filed 2026-04-02 ↗ View on SEC
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Westlake Corporation organizational chart
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Westlake separates operational control from ownership influence, with a CEO reporting alongside two Chao family board chairs. This page details the enterprise leadership structure, recent executive changes, governance context, and peer comparisons.
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 Jonathan H. Baksht joined as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Appointed effective June 15, 2026
Source · See change logScenario views in the chart
- Add Chief Operating Officer Introduce a COO role to consolidate operational oversight across segments and reduce CEO span.
- Accelerated CFO Succession Model the impact if the incoming CFO departs earlier than planned, requiring interim coverage.
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
7 executives identified as Named Executive Officers in the most recent SEC proxy. Bar length scales with tenure.
internal
Albert Y. Chao
Executive Chairman of the Board
Board
20 yr
0 reports
internal
James Y. Chao
Senior Chairman of the Board
Board
22 yr
0 reports
Jonathan H. Baksht
Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Finance
0 yr
0 reports
internal
L. Benjamin Ederington
Executive Vice President, Legal and External Affairs
Legal
5 yr
0 reports
internal
John T. Chao
Senior Vice President, Strategy and Corporate Development
Strategy
1 yr
0 reports
Brian Powers
Senior Vice President, Performance & Essential Materials Segment Head
Operations
0 yr
0 reports
The businesses
How Westlake Corporation divides the work
3 divisions report into the group CEO. Tile size scales with estimated headcount.
Performance & Essential Materials
6K employees
SVP, Performance & Essential Materials (Brian Powers)
Core manufacturing and performance materials operations across North America and Europe.
Finance
400 employees
SVP & CFO (Jonathan H. Baksht)
Corporate finance, accounting, treasury, and investor reporting.
Legal & External Affairs
200 employees
EVP, Legal & External Affairs (L. Benjamin Ederington)
Legal, regulatory, government affairs, and compliance functions.
The thesis
Why this org is unusual
Westlake’s most distinctive structural feature is the formal separation of CEO authority from two powerful Chao family board chair roles.
The CEO oversees day‑to‑day operations, while strategic and ownership influence remains concentrated with the Executive Chairman and Senior Chairman.
This structure reflects Westlake’s status as a controlled company, with TTWF LP holding over 70% of shares. Operational leadership is relatively lean, with major segment heads and functional leaders reporting directly to the CEO rather than through a COO layer.
Recent changes reinforce this pattern: the CFO transition and segment‑head succession were handled without adding new executive layers, preserving a flat enterprise leadership model.
- Separated CEO and chair roles
- Family-controlled governance
- No COO role
The comparison
How Westlake Corporation stacks up
Compared with large U.S. chemical peers such as Dow, DuPont, and LyondellBasell, Westlake stands out for its family‑controlled governance and split chairmanship. Most peers combine or rotate chair and CEO roles and rely more heavily on independent directors. Westlake’s C‑suite is smaller and more centralized, with …
C-suite size
Reporting depth
Westlake Corporation
3 levels
5 levels
5 levels
LyondellBasell
4 levels
5 levels
Avg C-suite tenure
Has COO / Has CAIO
Westlake Corporation — no COO — no CAIO
LyondellBasell — no COO — no CAIO
Current signals
What changed recently
Westlake executed a planned CFO succession and essential materials segment leadership transition in early 2026.
- newJonathan H. Baksht Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Appointed effective June 15, 2026
Source - reorgBrian Powers SVP, Performance & Essential Materials Segment Head
Appointed effective April 2, 2026 following planned retirement of predecessor
Source - departedRobert F. Buesinger EVP, Performance & Essential Materials Segment Head
Transitioned to Special Advisor role effective April 2, 2026
Source
Leadership Timeline
Year-over-year executive structure based on SEC proxy and annual filings.
FY2025
DEF 14A filed 2026-04-02
- CEO
- Jean-Marc Gilson
- CEO span
- 6
- C-suite
- 5
- Avg tenure
- 6.2 yr
Year marked by CEO transition and planned CFO and segment leadership successions.
Named executive officers (5)
- Jean-Marc Gilson - President and CEO since 2024
- Albert Y. Chao - Executive Chairman since 2003
- James Y. Chao - Senior Chairman since 2003
- M. Steven Bender - EVP & CFO
- Robert F. Buesinger - EVP, Performance & Essential Materials
Year-over-year changes
The CEO role transitioned to Jean-Marc Gilson, slightly expanding CEO span while average tenure declined.
- CEO span: 5 → 6
- C-suite size: 6 → 5
- Avg tenure: 7.1 → 6.2 yr
- new Jean-Marc Gilson - President and CEO (DEF 14A, Apr 2 2026)
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the CEO of Westlake?
Jean-Marc Gilson has served as President and Chief Executive Officer since 2024.
What type of organizational structure does Westlake use?
Westlake operates a holding-company structure with centralized executive control and segment heads reporting directly to the CEO.
How many direct reports does Westlake's CEO have?
The CEO has six direct executive-level reports.
How has Westlake's leadership changed recently?
In 2026, Westlake appointed a new CFO and transitioned its essential materials segment leadership following planned retirements.
Does Westlake have a COO?
No, Westlake does not currently have a Chief Operating Officer role.
Sources
- Form 8-K, Apr 20 2026
- Form 8-K, Apr 2 2026
- SEC EDGAR: Westlake Corporation DEF 14A Proxy Statement
- SEC EDGAR: Westlake Corporation 10-K Annual Report
Reference
Cite this page
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APA 7th
Creately. (2026). Westlake Corporation organizational structure. Creately. Retrieved , from https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/westlake/MLA 9th
"Westlake Corporation Organizational Structure." Creately, April 1, 2026, https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/westlake/. Accessed .Chicago 17
Creately. "Westlake Corporation Organizational Structure." Last modified April 1, 2026. https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/westlake/.Original SEC source View on SEC ↗
Westlake Corporation. DEF 14A. Filed 2026-04-02. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1262823/000119312526138974/d49581ddef14a.htmPermanent URL: https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/westlake/ · last updated 2026-04-01