COMPANY INFO
Costco Wholesale Corporation, founded in 1983 by James Sinegal and Jeffrey Brotman, is a leading global retail company operating membership-only warehouse clubs. With approximately 333,000 employees as of 2024, Costco offers a wide selection of quality brand-name merchandise at low prices through its warehouse club model, serving millions of members worldwide. Its official website is costco.com and it operates primarily in the retail industry. (costco.com, wikipedia.org, britannica.com)
Costco Wholesale Corporation is a leading global retail company operating membership-only warehouse clubs, founded in 1983 by James Sinegal and Jeffrey Brotman. As of 2024, Costco employs approximately 333,000 people worldwide and is renowned for offering high-quality merchandise at low prices to millions of loyal members.
Costco's executive team is composed of seasoned leaders with deep expertise in retail, finance, technology, and supply chain management, many of whom have advanced internally through the company’s strong culture of promotion from within. The company’s leadership, including the CEO, executives overseeing finance and operations, as well as IT and merchandising, collectively foster operational excellence and efficient growth while staying true to Costco’s founding principles of employee care, member value, and disciplined management.
Ron M. Vachris took on the role of CEO of Costco Wholesale Corporation in January 2024, steering a global retail giant with $237.7 billion in net sales and approximately 876 warehouses worldwide. He is known for reinforcing Costco’s tradition of internal advancement and operational rigor, frequently engaging with frontline staff and leading a disciplined expansion strategy that adds about 25 new warehouses each year.
Vachris began his career in the warehouse sector as a forklift driver at Price Club in 1982 and steadily rose through the ranks, serving as assistant warehouse manager, regional VP, and senior VP/general manager for multiple U.S. regions. He later became Costco’s senior VP of real estate development, partnering closely with co-founder Jeff Brotman to lead global site selection and international growth. He attended Glendale Community College, focusing on business coursework.
Richard A. Galanti served as Costco's CFO for nearly four decades, departing the post in March 2024. During his tenure, Galanti was instrumental in developing Costco’s world-class financial systems, tightly controlling costs, and maintaining industry-leading margins, which enabled the company to consistently reinvest in employee well-being and member value.
Raised in a family grocery business in Atlanta, Galanti holds an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business and a Wharton undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He previously worked in corporate banking with Bankers Trust and First Chicago.
Gary Millerchip became CFO in March 2024, taking the financial helm to maintain Costco’s low-cost leadership and support international growth. Since joining, Millerchip has played a key role in overseeing membership fee adjustments and ensuring Costco’s capital allocation continues to drive long-term growth and shareholder returns.
Millerchip previously served as Senior VP & CFO at Kroger Co. from 2019 to 2024, leading finance and strategy. With 15 years at Kroger and over 20 years at NatWest Group (RBS) in the UK, he brings extensive experience in retail finance. He has also completed the Executive Leadership Program at Harvard Business School.
James D. Sinegal is cofounder of Costco and served as its CEO until 2011, pioneering the membership-based warehouse retail concept with innovative offerings such as fresh foods and gas stations. Sinegal’s steadfast focus on an employee-first culture has resulted in some of the industry’s lowest turnover rates and exceptionally high member retention.
Sinegal holds a Bachelor of Arts from San Diego State University. He began as a grocery bagger at FedMart in 1955 and went on to hold senior merchandising positions at Builders Emporium and Price Company before co-founding Costco in 1983, where he remained a transformative leader for decades.
Torsten Lubach has served as Costco’s CTO since June 2020, leading the company’s digital and IT modernization. He oversees e-commerce modernization, automation, and global optimization of processes that enhance both warehouse and online member experiences.
Lubach holds an Executive MBA from ESSEC & Mannheim Business School and a BA in Economics & Business Administration from Berufsakademie Mannheim. His previous experience includes senior IT and digital leadership positions at Lidl in the US and Europe.
Jon Raper was appointed CISO in June 2022, directing Costco’s enterprise information security strategy for over 260,000 employees. He leads the implementation of cybersecurity frameworks and advanced threat detection, ensuring broad system coverage and robust risk management.
Raper graduated from the University of Arkansas and holds a SANS GSLC certification. His career includes cybersecurity leadership at Oracle, Walmart, and the U.S. Secret Service, where he was a special agent.
Joel Crabb joined Costco as VP of IT ECommerce in September 2022. He leads omnichannel technology, growing digital sales and shaping agile engineering cultures that support rapid web and mobile scaling.
Crabb holds an MBA from the University of Minnesota Carlson School and advanced engineering degrees from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and Washington University in St. Louis. He previously held key technology roles at Target and Best Buy.
Mark Mattis is Costco’s VP of Supply Chain IT, responsible since 2020 for implementing supply chain technologies and data initiatives that provide resilience and efficiency in global distribution and fulfillment.
Mattis earned an MA in Philosophy from Loyola University Chicago and a BA in Political Science from SUNY Oswego. He brings over 25 years of IT leadership at Costco and is a recognized expert in information security compliance.
Jennie O’Brien became IT Vice President Chief of Staff in September 2024, managing IT executive operations, mentoring leaders, and aligning modernization strategy across cloud and fulfillment technologies.
O’Brien holds an Executive Leadership Certificate from Seattle University Albers and is a Washington State University graduate. A Costco IT veteran since 1995, she has served in ecommerce, cloud applications, and support leadership roles.
Claudine Adamo has led Costco’s merchandising as COO since February 2022, driving the integration of e-commerce, sustainability, and disciplined product curation while sustaining the company’s 15% margin cap for lasting member value.
Adamo has a BA from Western Washington University and has spent her entire 30+ year career at Costco. She’s advanced from hourly roles to leadership positions in buying, merchandising, and ecommerce.
Costco’s leadership team is structured around continuity, internal promotion, and cross-functional expertise, ensuring both operational excellence and the company’s longstanding commitment to employee and member value. From founders like James D. Sinegal to the current CEO, Ron M. Vachris, and a robust team spanning finance, IT, and merchandising, Costco’s management team leverages vast operational know-how, deep industry insight, and strategic vision in maintaining Costco’s position as a retail industry leader. The consistent rise of executives through the organization underlines Costco’s focus on cultivating talent and its collaborative executive culture, with each leader contributing to Costco's ongoing success and innovative direction.
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