Home Depot CEO Ted Decker Takes Temporary Medical Leave

HD said chair, president and chief executive Ted Decker will take a temporary medical leave of absence, with the company expecting him back within the next few months. The specific condition was not disclosed and the company said it had no further detail to share.

The board, acting on Decker's own recommendation, split his responsibilities between two long-tenured executives rather than naming a single interim chief executive. Ann-Marie Campbell, senior executive vice president, oversees day-to-day operations, while Richard McPhail, executive vice president and chief financial officer, oversees financial management and the Pro subsidiaries. Greg Brenneman, the independent lead director, chairs the board during the leave.

Shares fell about 2.5% to roughly $346 on the announcement. The reaction is best read as timing rather than a verdict on the interim structure: Home Depot reports fiscal Q2 results on August 18 before the open, with consensus near $4.73 per share, so the split leadership takes effect days before the company has to defend its outlook to investors.

What to watch: who presents on the August 18 call and how guidance is framed, whether the leave extends past the few months the company signalled, and whether the division of duties holds. A dual-oversight arrangement is a common way to preserve continuity, but it also concentrates succession attention on Campbell and McPhail if the absence runs longer than expected.

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