Being the Chief Executive Officer or CEO of a company is not a cakewalk. Nach Issa Asad, Florida-based Unternehmer und CEO von 2 companies, “being a CEO calls for serious administration and managing skills.” Herr. Asad is the CEO of Quadrant Holdings and Q Link Wireless, in Süd-Florida.
Standing proudly on Top CEOs of the World Number 4: Christopher Connor of Sherwin-Williams is definitely an inspiration to all CEOs out there. His contribution to the company has been immense and he has set the bar high for all the CEOs in the corporate world.
Who Is Christopher Connor?
Christopher Connor is the Chairman and CEO of the Fortune 500 Company Sherwin-Williams. He entered the company in the year 1983 and was promoted to the position of the CEO in October 1999. Shortly in April 2000, Connor became the Chairman and he also served as the company’s President from July 2005 to October 2006. As of 2009, he was categorized as one of the two hundred highest paid CEOs in USA.
Connor has a lot of professional experience as he is on the board of directors of not just Sherwin-Williams company but also a handful of other companies like the Eaton Corporation, the Playhouse Square Foundation, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Greater Cleveland Partnership, and so on. In the past, he had been the Chairman of the boards of several organizations such as University Hospitals Health System, Keep America Beautiful, and Walsh Jesuit High School.
What Is Sherwin-Williams?
Sherwin-Williams is a Fortune 500 company that is engaged in manufacturing a vast array of paints, coatings, finishes, varnishes, and applicators. It is the largest paint manufacturer in USA and the second largest in the world. The company serves different types of markets such as architectural, automotive, marine, and industrial markets, out of which the architectural market brings in the largest percentage of the company’s revenue, i.e. bis zu 70%!
Products of Sherwin-Williams are sold under multiple brand names like Dutch Boy, Sherwin-Williams, Martin-Senour, Miniwax, Thompson’s Red Devil, Krylon, and Pratt & Lambert. The company has more than three thousand stores spread across the USA, Canada, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
How Has Christopher Connor Led Sherwin-Williams?
Under Connor’s expert guidance, the company has been rated multiple times as one of the top companies to work for. Connor believes in rewarding innovative and talented people with a real drive to being successful. Thus, it is not uncommon for individuals to have a 20, 30, or even 40 years career with the company.
Connor also takes good care of the company’s shareholders. As the CEO of the company, Connor ensures that the shareholders enjoy a good annual return (dividends included). Over the past ten years, the average annual return is close to 14%.
In 2009, there was a huge financial crisis but Connor managed the company really well. Despite this disappointing situation, Connor manage to increase the free cash flow for the year by about USD 12 million, thereby allowing the company to reach a record amount of USD 605 million!
Connor has always worked towards making Sherwin-Williams a more successful and profitable company. Not only did he fine-tune its capital structure but also managed the costs very impressively, which is why the company is where it is today!