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Christopher Connor
CEO of The Sherwin-
Williams Company
The Talent CEO
Company Profile
Industry: Specialty
Retail (Paints)
Employees: 29,200
Revenues: $7.3B
Market Cap: $7.87B
CEO Achievements
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CEO Awards
Most Respected CEOs
Christopher Connor
Sherwin-Williams
• Over the past 10 years, Sherwin-
Williams shareholders have
enjoyed an average annual return,
including dividends, of almost 14
percent.
• Despite disappointing results
during the 2009 financial crisis,
the free cash flow for the year
increased by approximately $12
million to an all-time high of $605
million.
• Sherwin-Williams is rated as one
of America’s top 100 companies to
work for.
• The company’s culture of
excellence has created an
environment where outstanding
technology, operational excellence
and engagement all continue
to play a role in the Company’s
growing success.
CEO Bio
Christopher Connor is Chairman
and CEO of The Sherwin-Williams
Company, a global leader in the paint
and coatings industry. Mr. Connor
was elected CEO by the company’s
board of directors on October 25,
1999 and added the title of Chairman
on April 26, 2000.
Mr. Connor, 53, began his
employment with The Sherwin-
Williams Company in 1983 as
Director of Advertising for the
Paint Stores Group. Over his 25year
career with Sherwin-Williams,
Mr. Connor has held a number of
increasingly important assignments
in many different functional areas
of the Company. In addition to
The Sherwin-Williams’ Board of
Directors, Mr. Connor serves on the
board of the Eaton Corporation.
His many civic and community board
engagements include the Greater
Cleveland Partnership, the Rock
and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum,
The Playhouse Square Foundation,
University Hospitals Health System,
United Way Services of Greater
Cleveland, The Commission on
Economic Inclusion, Team NEO,
Fisher College of Business at The
Ohio State University, the National
Manufacturers Association and
The National Paint and Coatings
Association. Mr. Connor is the
past Chairman of the Board for
Keep America Beautiful, University
Hospitals Health System and Walsh
Jesuit High School.
Mr. Connor is a 1974 graduate of
Walsh Jesuit High School and a
1978 graduate of The Ohio State
University.
CEO Insights
We look for top talent, because we believe
people are the ultimate competitive
advantage. We reward innovative people
with a real drive to accomplishment.
20, 30, 40 year careers are not
uncommon in our company. That is
why we are rated as one of the top 100
companies to work for.
We enter 2010 cautiously optimistic that
the worst of the global recession is behind
us. At the same time, we acknowledge
that economic recovery may be slow and
erratic, and coatings demand in many
end markets will likely remain weak. Over
the past three years, we have worked
hard to make Sherwin-Williams a leaner,
financially stronger and more profitable
company. We have fine-tuned our capital
structure, tightly managed fixed costs
and SG&A expense, reduced inventories
and expanded our distribution platform
domestically and abroad. These actions,
along with our continued focus on
serving a diverse and increasingly global
customer base, have positioned us to
perform well through the balance of this
recession and outperform in a recovery.
We are confident that 2010 will be a year
of improvement for the Company.
About Sherwin-Williams
Sherwin-Williams operates over 3,350 paint stores
in the United States, owns many of the paint and
coatings industry leading brand names, and sells
products in over 50 countries around the world.
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