Carol Tome

Carol Tome is an American business executive who is the chief executive of UPS, the global package delivery and supply chain giant. Born in 1957, she built her reputation over more than two decades as the chief financial officer of The Home Depot, where she became one of the most respected finance chiefs in corporate America. In 2020 she took over as chief executive of UPS, becoming the first outsider ever to lead the company in its long history, and she has since reshaped its strategy around a disciplined philosophy of pursuing profitable growth rather than chasing volume.

This profile covers who Carol Tome is, her early life and education, her long career at Home Depot, her leadership of UPS, her net worth and her current role.

Early Life and Education

Carol B. Tome was born in 1957 and grew up in the American West. She has spoken about an early interest in finance and business, and she pursued that path through her education. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Wyoming and went on to complete a master of business administration at the University of Denver.

Her early career took her into banking and corporate finance, where she developed the deep financial expertise that would become the foundation of her professional reputation. This grounding in the numbers and discipline of finance would define her approach throughout her career, even after she moved into the top operating role at a major company.

A Long Career at Home Depot

Carol Tome joined The Home Depot and rose to become its chief financial officer in 1995, a role she would hold for more than two decades until 2019. Over that long tenure she became one of the most prominent and admired finance chiefs in the United States, helping guide the home improvement retailer through enormous growth and through challenging periods including the financial crisis and the housing downturn.

As chief financial officer, she was known for financial discipline, clear communication with investors and a focus on returns and capital allocation. She played a central role in Home Depot's financial strategy during years in which it became one of the most successful retailers in the world. Her work earned her a reputation that extended well beyond the company, and she served on the boards of other major corporations and institutions.

Becoming CEO of UPS

In 2020, Carol Tome was named chief executive of UPS, a historic appointment as she became the first person from outside the company ever to lead it. UPS, with its iconic brown trucks and vast global delivery network, had traditionally promoted leaders from within, so the choice of an outsider, and a finance leader at that, signaled a desire for change.

She took over just as the pandemic was dramatically increasing demand for package delivery, with a surge in online shopping straining logistics networks worldwide. Leading a company of hundreds of thousands of employees through this period, while setting a new strategic direction, was an immediate and formidable challenge.

A Better Not Bigger Strategy

Carol Tome brought to UPS a clear strategic philosophy that she summarized as better not bigger. Rather than maximizing the sheer number of packages delivered, she focused the company on more profitable, higher value shipments, such as deliveries for small and medium sized businesses and in healthcare logistics. The goal was to improve margins and returns rather than simply grow volume.

One of her most notable decisions was to deliberately reduce UPS's reliance on its largest customer, Amazon, which shipped enormous volumes but at low profitability and was increasingly building its own delivery network. By choosing to handle less of Amazon's volume, Tome prioritized the financial health of the business over top line size, a disciplined and at times difficult choice consistent with her finance background. She also navigated significant labor negotiations and the broader pressures facing the delivery industry.

Carol Tome Net Worth

Carol Tome net worth is generally estimated between about $50 million and $80 million, though figures vary by source. Her wealth comes from a long career of executive compensation, including her many years as chief financial officer of Home Depot and her role as chief executive of UPS, along with stock holdings and her service on corporate boards. As UPS chief executive she has received compensation packages worth tens of millions of dollars in a year, weighted toward stock.

Because much of her wealth is tied to company shares accumulated over a long career, its value moves with the relevant stock prices. Her financial position reflects decades as a top executive at major public companies rather than a founding stake.

Personal Life

Carol Tome generally keeps her personal life private, with her public identity defined by her business leadership. She has been active in civic and educational causes, particularly in Atlanta, where both Home Depot and UPS are based, and she has been a prominent advocate and role model as one of the relatively few women to serve as chief financial officer and then chief executive of major American corporations. She has been involved with community and educational institutions and served on various boards.

Achievements and Influence

Carol Tome's achievements include a celebrated tenure as one of the most respected chief financial officers in America at Home Depot, followed by her historic appointment as the first outsider to lead UPS and her reshaping of its strategy around profitability and discipline. Her influence is felt in the logistics and delivery industry, where her better not bigger approach challenged conventional thinking about growth, and as a prominent woman leader who rose through the finance function to the chief executive role.

Carol Tome in 2026

As of 2026, Carol Tome continues to serve as chief executive of UPS. The themes around her include sustaining the company's focus on profitable shipments, managing the evolving relationship with large customers, navigating the costs and demands of a vast delivery network, investing in automation and technology, and adapting to shifts in global trade and e-commerce.

She is profiled alongside other leaders in the Logistics sector on Founder Canon, the executives who move the goods that power the global economy.