Lowe's Companies, Inc.
Leadership History
4 leaders · 1996 to present
Marvin Ellison is the CEO of Lowe's, in the role since 2018. The first chief executive was Robert Tillman, from 1996.
| Name | Role | From | To | Years in role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brandon Sink | Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer | 2022 | Present | 4 |
| Marvin Ellison | Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer | 2018 | Present | 8 |
| Robert Niblock | Chairman and Chief Executive Officer | 2005 | 2018 | 13 |
| Robert Tillman | Chairman and Chief Executive Officer | 1996 | 2005 | 9 |
Headquartered in Mooresville, North Carolina, Lowe's operated 1,761 U.S. stores at July 31, 2026, and employed about 276,000 associates at the end of FY2025. It has long skewed toward DIY homeowners while Home Depot built a larger contractor business. Since 2018 CEO Marvin Ellison has exited Canada, Mexico and Orchard Supply, modernized IT and supply chain, and in 2025 spent more than $10 billion on two Pro-focused acquisitions.
Lowe's runs a store-based retail model serving two customer groups. DIY homeowners buy paint, appliances, outdoor and seasonal goods, often through Lowes.com, where online sales grew 15.7% in Q2 2026. Pro customers (contractors, remodelers, property managers) buy repeatedly and in volume through Pro desks, the MVPs Pro Rewards program, job-site delivery and credit. Home services such as flooring, HVAC and cabinet installation add project revenue. Since 2025, Artisan Design Group (interior finishes installed for home builders) and Foundation Building Materials (drywall, ceilings and insulation distribution through 370+ branches) give Lowe's a direct line into large Pro and builder spending that stores alone did not reach.
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
2022 – Present
4 years (current)
Sink managed the massive cash flow generated during the pandemic home improvement boom, aggressively returning capital to shareholders via buybacks.
As CFO, he drove the financial structuring behind the 'Total Home Strategy', attempting to close the margin gap with Home Depot by focusing heavily on professional contractors (Pros).
Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
2018 – Present
8 years (current)
Since July 2018 Ellison has closed Orchard Supply, exited Mexico and sold the Canadian business, rebuilt Lowe's technology and supply chain, launched the Total Home strategy, and in 2025 acquired ADG and FBM to expand into Pro distribution.
He refocused Lowe's on U.S. operations and Pro customers. Sales reached a record $97.1B in FY2022, and under his plan acquisitions now drive growth while comparable sales stay near flat in a weak housing market.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
2005 – 2018
13 years
Niblock oversaw the massive acquisition of RONA to expand into Canada and aggressively acquired Maintenance Supply Headquarters to court Pro customers.
During his 13-year tenure as CEO, he significantly modernized the supply chain, but stepped down after failing to match the operational margins of Home Depot.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
1996 – 2005
9 years
Tillman engineered the aggressive, massive nationwide rollout of the 'big box' store format, rapidly expanding Lowe's outside its traditional rural footprint.
As CEO through the late 1990s and early 2000s, he successfully transformed Lowe's from a regional chain of small hardware stores into a Fortune 50 national powerhouse.
Lowe's is exposed to housing turnover, mortgage rates, consumer confidence, lumber and building-products cycles, store labor costs, inventory complexity, and Home Depot's deeper historic lead with professional contractors.
Notable leaders include Carl Buchan (1950s to 1960), Robert Strickland and Leonard Herring in the 1970s-1990s, Robert Tillman (1996-2005), Robert Niblock (2005-2018), and current Chairman and CEO Marvin R. Ellison (2018-present).
Robert Tillman led Lowe's aggressive transition from small-format regional hardware stores into modern 100,000-square-foot 'big-box' home improvement superstores, taking the chain nationwide to compete directly with The Home Depot.
Robert Niblock oversaw Lowe's expansion into Canada and Mexico, acquired Orchard Supply Hardware in 2013, and built the company into a $68 billion retail enterprise, before stepping down in 2018 amid investor pressure for operational modernization.
Marvin Ellison brought over 30 years of top retail leadership, having served as Chairman and CEO of J.C. Penney, Executive Vice President of US Stores at The Home Depot for 12 years, and 15 years in senior asset protection roles at Target Corporation.
Upon taking leadership, Ellison closed 99 underperforming Orchard Supply Hardware stores, exited retail operations in Mexico, restructured store management tiers, rebuilt the legacy IT software stack, and recruited seasoned retail executives to head merchandising and supply chain.
During 2020-2021 Lowe's stayed open as an essential retailer, paid special bonuses and wage support to frontline associates, expanded online pickup, and saw sales rise to a record $97.1 billion by FY2022.
Ellison is one of the few Black CEOs of a Fortune 100 company and has served on corporate and civic boards, including FedEx's board of directors.
Executive compensation at Lowe's is heavily weighted toward long-term performance-based equity incentives tied directly to return on invested capital (ROIC), comparable store sales growth, and total shareholder return (TSR) outperformance.
Marvin Ellison serves as CEO, taking over in 2018. His appointment was highly strategic; he had previously spent 12 years as a top executive at rival Home Depot. When Ellison arrived at Lowe's, their IT systems and supply chains were a massive disaster. He brutally closed underperforming stores, fired executives, and spent massive billions modernizing their e-commerce infrastructure to save the company.
Compare executive leadership tenures and strategic transitions
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