internal
Laura Alber
President & Chief Executive Officer
Executive
16 yr
10 reports
Williams-Sonoma, Inc. ·WSM
Brand presidents run P&Ls under a long-tenured CEO
Retailing · Fortune #482 · Hybrid structure · 20K employees · San Francisco, California
View as of:
4
CEO span
↓ tighter than peers (avg 9)
1.8
Avg span
tight
3
Max depth
3 levels
7 yr
Avg tenure
↑ 1.0yr from FY2024
75%
Internal hires
↑ above industry avg
Consolidated financials FY2025 · period end 2026-02-01 · 10-K
Revenue
$7.8B
Operating income
$1.4B
Net income
$1.1B
Total assets
$5.4B
Shares out
119M
Sourced from Williams-Sonoma, Inc. 10-K · filed 2026-03-26 ↗ View on SEC
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Williams-Sonoma, Inc. organizational chart
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Brand presidents run P&Ls under a long-tenured CEO. This page maps Williams-Sonoma’s hybrid brand-led structure, detailing the executive team, reporting lines, governance context, recent leadership changes, and how the model compares with retail 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 Arianna Huffington joined as Director
Appointed to Board effective 2024-08-01
Source · See change logScenario views in the chart
- Add Chief AI Officer Create a dedicated AI and data leadership role to accelerate personalization and supply-chain analytics.
- Add Chief Operating Officer Insert a COO layer to coordinate brand operations and reduce CEO span as the portfolio 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
6 executives identified as Named Executive Officers in the most recent SEC proxy. Bar length scales with tenure.
internal
Jeff Howie
Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer
Finance
4 yr
3 reports
internal
Monica Bhargava
President, Pottery Barn
Brand
3 yr
1 reports
internal
David King
Executive Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary
Legal
9 yr
1 reports
Karalyn Yearout
Executive Vice President & Chief Talent Officer
Human Resources
6 yr
1 reports
Jeremy Brooks
Chief Accounting Officer
Finance
2 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.
Laura Alber $27.7M
- Base salary
- $1.60M
- Bonus
- $16.00M
- Stock awards
- $10.00M
- Other
- $93K
- Fiscal year
- FY2024
- Source
- SEC DEF 14A ↗
The businesses
How Williams-Sonoma, Inc. divides the work
3 divisions report into the group CEO. Tile size scales with estimated headcount.
Pottery Barn Brand
6K employees
President, Pottery Barn (Monica Bhargava)
Flagship home furnishings brand with omni-channel retail and design-led merchandising.
Finance
400 employees
EVP & CFO (Jeff Howie)
Oversees financial planning, accounting, treasury, and investor reporting.
Legal & Compliance
200 employees
EVP, General Counsel (David King)
Manages legal risk, compliance, governance, and regulatory matters.
The thesis
Why this org is unusual
Brand presidents with clear P&L accountability report directly to a long-tenured CEO, rather than being grouped under a single chief operating executive.
This structure emphasizes brand autonomy while retaining centralized control over finance, legal, and talent. Laura Alber’s 16-year tenure provides stability that allows this decentralized brand-led model to operate without an additional operational layer.
- No standalone COO role
- Brand presidents report directly to CEO
The comparison
How Williams-Sonoma, Inc. stacks up
Compared with peers like RH and Wayfair, Williams-Sonoma places more authority at the individual brand-president level. Many specialty retailers consolidate brand operations under a COO, while Williams-Sonoma relies on CEO-level oversight of brands supported by strong centralized functions. This reflects confidence in …
C-suite size
Reporting depth
Williams-Sonoma, Inc.
3 levels
Restoration Hardware
4 levels
5 levels
6 levels
6 levels
Avg C-suite tenure
Has COO / Has CAIO
Williams-Sonoma, Inc. — no COO — no CAIO
Restoration Hardware — no COO — no CAIO
Current signals
What changed recently
The most notable recent change was the addition of Arianna Huffington to the Board in August 2024.
- new
- Date not confirmed promotedMonica Bhargava President, Pottery Barn
Named President in 2023 following tenure as Chief Design Officer
Source
Leadership Timeline
Year-over-year executive structure based on SEC proxy and annual filings.
FY2025
10-K filed 2026-03-26
- CEO
- Laura Alber
- CEO span
- 4
- C-suite
- 5
- Avg tenure
- 7 yr
Stable executive team with long CEO tenure and brand-led structure.
Named executive officers (5)
- Laura Alber - CEO since 2010
- Jeff Howie - CFO since 2022
- Monica Bhargava - President, Pottery Barn since 2023
- David King - General Counsel since 2017
- Karalyn Yearout - Chief Talent Officer since 2019
FY2024
10-K filed 2025-03-27
- CEO
- Laura Alber
- CEO span
- 4
- C-suite
- 5
- Avg tenure
- 6 yr
Transition year preceding Bhargava’s elevation to brand president.
Named executive officers (5)
- Laura Alber - CEO since 2010
- Jeff Howie - CFO since 2022
- Monica Bhargava - Chief Design Officer since 2020
- David King - General Counsel since 2017
- Karalyn Yearout - Chief Talent Officer since 2019
Year-over-year changes
The key change was elevating Monica Bhargava to President of Pottery Barn, reinforcing brand-level P&L ownership.
- CEO span: 4 → 4
- C-suite size: 5 → 5
- Avg tenure: 6 → 7 yr
- promoted Monica Bhargava - President, Pottery Barn (was Chief Design Officer) (10-K filed 2026-03-26)
The board
Board of directors
3 directors. 2 of 3 independent (67%). Source: most recent DEF 14A.
Laura Alber
Inside
CEO, Williams-Sonoma, Inc.
Also on: Salesforce, Inc.
Scott Dahnke
Chair Independent
Global CEO, L Catterton
Anne Finucane
Lead Indep. Independent
Senior Advisor, TPG Climate
The board, organized
Board committees
1 standing committees. Audit and Compensation must be 100% independent under SEC rules; the rest vary.
Audit and Finance Committee
100% independent 8 mtgs/yr
- Anne Finucane Chair
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the CEO of Williams-Sonoma?
Laura Alber has served as President and CEO since 2010.
What type of organizational structure does Williams-Sonoma use?
Williams-Sonoma uses a hybrid structure with brand presidents running P&Ls supported by centralized functions.
How many direct reports does Williams-Sonoma's CEO have?
The CEO has four primary direct reports, including the CFO and brand president.
How has Williams-Sonoma's leadership changed recently?
Recent changes include the appointment of Arianna Huffington to the Board in August 2024.
Who reports directly to Williams-Sonoma's CEO?
Direct reports include the CFO, General Counsel, Chief Talent Officer, and the President of Pottery Barn.
Sources
- Form 8-K, Aug 2024
- Company Proxy, 2025
- SEC EDGAR: Williams-Sonoma, Inc. DEF 14A Proxy Statement
- SEC EDGAR: Williams-Sonoma, 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). Williams-Sonoma, Inc. organizational structure. Creately. Retrieved , from https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/williams-sonoma/MLA 9th
"Williams-Sonoma, Inc. Organizational Structure." Creately, April 1, 2026, https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/williams-sonoma/. Accessed .Chicago 17
Creately. "Williams-Sonoma, Inc. Organizational Structure." Last modified April 1, 2026. https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/williams-sonoma/.Original SEC source View on SEC ↗
Williams-Sonoma, Inc.. 10-K. Filed 2026-03-26. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/719955/000071995526000059/wsm-20260201.htmPermanent URL: https://creately.com/org-chart/fortune-500/williams-sonoma/ · last updated 2026-04-01