Skip to main content
C
CorpDigest
Search

AutoZone, Inc.

Automotive Parts and Accessories RetailFounded 1979
Reviewed by Swet Parvadiya
Company data updated: September 2026

Leadership History

AutoZone: CEO History

5 leaders · 1979 to present

Who is the CEO of AutoZone?

Philip B. Daniele is the CEO of AutoZone, in the role since 2024. The first chief executive was J.R. 'Pitt' Hyde III, from 1979.

Current CEO
Philip B. Daniele (since 2024)
First CEO
J.R. 'Pitt' Hyde III (1979)
Leaders documented
5
Founded
1979
NameRoleFromToYears in role
Philip B. Daniele IIIChief Executive Officer2024Present2
William C. Rhodes IIIExecutive Chairman; Former President and Chief Executive Officer2005202419
Steve OdlandChairman, President and Chief Executive Officer200120054
John AdamsChairman and Chief Executive Officer199720014
J.R. 'Pitt' Hyde IIIFounder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer1979199718
Who was CEO of AutoZone before Philip B. Daniele III?
William C. Rhodes III was CEO of AutoZone from 2005 to 2024, before Philip B. Daniele III took over in 2024.

Company Overview

AutoZone is the largest U.S. retailer of automotive replacement parts by store count, with 6,863 stores in the United States at August 29, 2026 plus 1,001 in Mexico and 167 in Brazil. The stores are built for the DIY customer replacing a battery, brake pads or a taillight, and for the repair shop that needs a part the same day. Most stores carry 20,000 to 25,000 unique SKUs; 172 mega hub stores carry 80,000 to 110,000 and feed the smaller stores around them, which is why a part for an older, specific vehicle is usually on a shelf nearby. The company is headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee.

Philip B. Daniele III

Chief Executive Officer

2024 – Present

2 years (current)

Key Decisions & Impact

Daniele joined AutoZone as a manager in training in 1993 and moved up through store operations, merchandising and commercial roles: divisional vice president of store operations from 2005 to 2008, vice president of merchandising from 2008 to 2013, vice president of commercial support from 2013 to 2015, senior vice president of commercial from 2015 to 2021 and executive vice president of merchandising, marketing and supply chain from June 2021 to September 2023, before the board named him chief executive elect in June 2023. His tenure has continued the Rhodes-era priorities of mega hub expansion, commercial share gains and buybacks rather than a strategic reset, with a record 374 store openings in fiscal 2026 and a stated target of about 300 mega hubs within three years.

Legacy

Philip B. Daniele III has served as president and chief executive officer since January 2, 2024. Under Daniele the company has kept repurchasing stock, US$2.0 billion in fiscal 2026, and kept building out the mega hub network, reaching 172 mega hubs, while net sales passed US$20 billion for the first time at US$20.34 billion in fiscal 2026 with 8,031 stores at year end.

Source →

William C. Rhodes III

Executive Chairman; Former President and Chief Executive Officer

2005 – 2024

19 years

Key Decisions & Impact

During his nearly two decades as chief executive, AutoZone roughly doubled its store count and more than tripled revenue, to more than US$17 billion in fiscal 2023, and the company said its share price rose more than 25 times over his tenure. He handed the chief executive role to Philip Daniele on January 2, 2024 and stayed on as executive chairman, signing the fiscal 2025 Form 10-K in that capacity.

Legacy

Rhodes, an accounting graduate of the University of Tennessee at Martin with an MBA from the University of Memphis, worked as a manager at Ernst & Young before joining AutoZone in 1994 and rising to president and CEO in 2005, a role he held for nearly 19 years. He stepped down as CEO on January 2, 2024, becoming executive chairman and handing the role to Philip Daniele rather than leaving the company entirely, and he continued in that governance role afterward.

Source →

Steve Odland

Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer

2001 – 2005

4 years

Key Decisions & Impact

Odland narrowed the company to passenger-car parts retailing, selling the TruckPro heavy-duty parts division to Paratus Capital Management in December 2001, and built out the hub, feeder and satellite store network from 2002 to hold more inventory in each market with less total investment. Founder Pitt Hyde returned as interim non-executive chairman when he left.

Legacy

Odland was named chairman, president and chief executive in January 2001 and held the roles until March 2005, when he resigned to become chairman and chief executive of Office Depot. AutoZone opened its 3,000th store, in Cicero, Illinois, in May 2001 during his first months in charge.

Source →

John Adams

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

1997 – 2001

4 years

Key Decisions & Impact

Adams opened the first store outside the United States, in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, in December 1998, and fiscal 1998 is the year from which AutoZone still measures its cumulative share repurchases, now US$40.5 billion. He resigned the chief executive post and was replaced by Steve Odland in January 2001.

Legacy

Adams became chairman and chief executive in 1997 when founder Pitt Hyde retired, and ran the company through its most acquisitive year. In 1998 AutoZone bought 112 Auto Palace stores in January, 43 TruckPro locations in May, more than 550 Chief Auto Parts stores for about US$280 million in June and 100 Express stores from Pep Boys in October.

Source →

J.R. 'Pitt' Hyde III

Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

1979 – 1997

18 years

Key Decisions & Impact

Hyde took Malone & Hyde and Auto Shack private in a 1984 management buyout with Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, spun the parts chain off as a separate company in 1986, launched the Duralast in-house brand and the Loan-A-Tool program that year, renamed the chain AutoZone in 1987 after Radio Shack won its trademark appeal, put electronic parts catalogs in the stores from 1987, and took the company public on the New York Stock Exchange with KKR in 1991. He left the board in December 2018.

Legacy

Hyde was running Malone & Hyde, his family's Memphis wholesale grocery business, when he opened the first Auto Shack store in Forrest City, Arkansas on July 4, 1979 as its auto parts division. He led the company until retiring as chairman and chief executive in 1997, by which point the chain had grown from one store to 1,143 stores in 26 states in 1995.

Source →

Challenges & Strategic Context

AutoZone's costliest early problem was its own name. Radio Shack sued Auto Shack for trademark infringement in 1986 and won on appeal, and in 1987 the chain, by then 459 stores in 16 states, had to rebrand as AutoZone. The pressures now are different. DIY demand is soft: domestic DIY same store sales fell 0.6 percent in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026 while commercial sales grew 8.6 percent. International results swing with currency, with international same store sales up 13.5 percent as reported in fiscal 2026 but 2.2 percent in constant currency. Supply is concentrated enough to matter: in fiscal 2025 one class of similar products accounted for about 14 percent of revenues and one vendor supplied 13 percent of purchases, though the company says alternative sources exist for most products. Over the longer term, electric vehicles need fewer engine-related replacement parts than internal combustion vehicles, which narrows the hard parts base the company was built on.

AutoZone CEO and Leadership FAQ

Who is Philip B. Daniele and what is his background as CEO of AutoZone?

Philip B. Daniele III became president and chief executive officer on January 2, 2024. He joined AutoZone as a manager in training in 1993 and rose through store operations, merchandising and commercial roles, serving as senior vice president of commercial from 2015 to 2021 and executive vice president of merchandising, marketing and supply chain from 2021 to 2023.

Who was William C. Rhodes III and what was his impact as long-time CEO of AutoZone?

William C. Rhodes III was president and chief executive from March 2005 until January 2, 2024, and chairman from 2007. AutoZone said that over his tenure the company roughly doubled its store count, more than tripled revenue and saw its share price rise more than 25 times. He remains executive chairman.

Who was Steve Odland and what were his achievements as AutoZone CEO from 2001 to 2005?

Steve Odland was chairman, president and chief executive from January 2001 to March 2005, when he left to lead Office Depot. AutoZone opened its 3,000th store in 2001, sold the TruckPro heavy-duty division in December 2001 and built out its hub, feeder and satellite store network from 2002 during his tenure.

Who was J.R. 'Pitt' Hyde III and what was his founding legacy at AutoZone?

Pitt Hyde founded AutoZone in 1979 as a division of wholesale grocer Malone & Hyde, serving as CEO and Chairman until 1997; he transformed the auto parts retail industry with clean, supermarket-style stores, electronic parts catalogs, and intense customer focus.

Who is Jamere Jackson and what is his role as Chief Financial Officer of AutoZone?

Jamere Jackson has served as Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President of Finance and Store Development since 2020 (previously CFO of Hertz and Nielsen), managing capital allocation, debt leverage, and multi-billion-dollar buybacks.

Who is Thomas Newbern and what is his role at AutoZone?

Thomas B. Newbern has been chief operating officer since September 2023. He began his AutoZone career in 1985 and previously ran store operations, commercial, international, information technology, loss prevention and ALLDATA in various executive roles.

Who else sits on AutoZone's senior leadership team?

Alongside chief executive Phil Daniele, the fiscal 2025 Form 10-K lists Jamere Jackson as chief financial officer, Thomas B. Newbern as chief operating officer and J. Scott Murphy as vice president and controller, with William C. Rhodes III as executive chairman.

What is AutoZone's cultural recognition practice for frontline employees?

AutoZone employees are called AutoZoners and work to a written Pledge and Values that includes Puts Customers First, Cares About People and Strives for Exceptional Performance, summed up internally as WOW! Customer Service. About 91 percent of AutoZoners work in stores or direct field supervision.

Who is the CEO of AutoZone?

Phil Daniele took over as CEO following the massive, multi-decade tenure of Bill Rhodes, who successfully navigated the company through the rise of e-commerce.

Related Leadership Timelines

Compare executive leadership tenures and strategic transitions

Competitor

Oreilly Auto

View Leadership Timelines
Competitor

Advance Auto Parts

View Leadership Timelines
Competitor

Genuine Parts

View Leadership Timelines
Competitor

Walmart

View Leadership Timelines

Explore AutoZone

Core profile pages, founders and related research hubs for this company.

Content is for informational purposes only. Not financial advice. Data sourced from SEC filings, annual reports, and public records. See our full disclaimer and methodology.