Who are A. O. Smith's decision-makers?
A. O. Smith's leadership team is centered on Stephen M. Shafer, President and Chief Executive Officer, plus finance, operations, commercial, legal, and technology leaders who influence major vendor decisions.
- CEO
- Stephen M. Shafer
- CFO / key exec
- Charles T. Lauber
- Founded
- 1874
- Employees
- Approximately 12,000
- HQ
- Milwaukee, WI
- Status
- NYSE: AOS
- Stephen M. ShaferPresident and Chief Executive OfficerCEO since July 2025Leads the next phase of A. O. Smith's global water strategy.
- Kevin J. WheelerExecutive ChairmanExecutive chairman since July 2025; former CEOProvides continuity after leading the company through portfolio expansion.
- Charles T. LauberExecutive Vice President and Chief Financial OfficerCFO through July 1, 2026 transitionLeads finance until Carrie Anderson's appointment becomes effective.
- Carrie L. AndersonIncoming Executive Vice President and Chief Financial OfficerCFO effective July 1, 2026Named to lead global finance after Lauber's retirement.
Who leads A. O. Smith?
Stephen M. Shafer serves as President and Chief Executive Officer. Leads the next phase of A. O. Smith's global water strategy.
Kevin J. Wheeler serves as Executive Chairman. Provides continuity after leading the company through portfolio expansion. Charles T. Lauber serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.
Leads finance until Carrie Anderson's appointment becomes effective. Carrie L. Anderson serves as Incoming Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Named to lead global finance after Lauber's retirement.
Who actually makes buying decisions at A. O. Smith?
Enterprise buying usually involves the business owner, finance, procurement, legal, IT/security, and the operating team that owns adoption. For A. O. Smith, the most relevant executive sponsor depends on the use case: operations for productivity and safety, finance for planning and controls, commercial leaders for revenue or customer experience, and technology leaders for data, integration, and cybersecurity.
How is A. O. Smith organized as it scales?
A. O. Smith operates with corporate leadership and business, region, function, or segment operators close to customers and assets. Sellers should map headquarters stakeholders and field-level operators because many business cases require both executive sponsorship and local adoption.
As of June 2026.Sources:A. O. Smith leadershipA. O. Smith 2025 Form 10-K
A. O. Smith — frequently asked questions
